A week after I discovered the death of Knives, I had the not so fun task of taking her hive apart. A wax moth was the first thing that greeted me when I opened up the hive:
Only a few bees remained in the hive. This was on what was once a beautiful frame of pollen:
I don’t know if these are SHB or Wax Moth larvae, but either way they are gross:
Another sad frame:
All that remains of this hive:
I managed to salvage 8 frames which happened to be the newest ones on the top of the hive and disposed of the rest. While I’m pretty sure the hive was robbed (more on that later), I decided to play it safe and not try to recycle frames that may be carrying disease.
The day I took the hive apart just happened to be the annual Viva la Vida Fest at the Mexic-Arte Museum so we dressed up as bees to honor Knives’ hive.
Urban Beekeeping in Austin, Texas 
This must be devastating for you, so sorry to see this. There are so many nasty pests and diseases out to get the bees.
I love your bee costumes, you look really cute together.
Oh, Karl, I am so sorry! That is horrible! Your costumes are a fitting tribute.