So, poor, unfortunate hive #1 just can't catch a break. As we discussed last time in
Splitsville: Population, a few thousand?, hive #1 is going through another Supersedure, or replacement of the queen. As this is the second time they've gone through this process this season, they are an understandably weak hive. This weakness means that they are more susceptible to infiltration by other pests. In this case, it appears that a small hive beetle has laid eggs in some of the comb. The eggs hatched, and the larvae started eating their way through the honeycomb.
In the picture to the left you can see a bunch of small, maggot-looking worms. These are the larvae of the Small Hive Beetle (SHB). The eggs have rapidly hatched, and these clusters of larvae have started making their way through the frames, eating pollen, honey, and wax as they go. A strong hive would have no problem plucking these larvae out and disposing of them before they could wreak too much havoc, but hive #1, in its weakened state, was unable to do so. There are several treatment options available, however I do not have any of the pharmaceutical or chemical treatments readily available, and because earlier today I thought they may have been Wax Moths (a whole different pest that I'm sure we'll discuss at some point),
I elected to freeze the affected frames. The freezing will kill the larvae (and unfortunately, that includes my bee larvae and eggs left on the frame), and allow me to return these frames to the hive so that the bees can clean out the cells, rebuild the comb, and eat the honey they have stored there. To the right, you can see some of the damage caused by these larvae in just a few short days. The outlined area follows the worst of the damage, with the wax being eaten clear down to the foundation in some spots. The dark brown portion towards the middle of the outlined area looks to be still standing, however it is so riddled with holes that it is completely unusable. Some dead bees were removed already from that dead, brown area. The final picture below shows some of the damage on another part of the frame. This is closer to what the center of the above picture looks like, where it appears to be okay at first glance, but by looking closer, you can see how badly it has been affected. The outlined areas show the worst damage again, and this time it's easiest to see in the chunky, crystallized look of the top of the cells. These cells have been riddled with holes as the SHB larvae passed through them, especially in the largest portion circled, that goes from the top down to the right bottom. In the section on the bottom left, it is most apparent by looking at the outline of the combs. Where it is stark, and very well outlined on the healthy sections of comb, the lines fade and become more indistinct, and in some cases disappear as the wax has been eaten away. Hopefully, the larvae has been confined to these two frames, and the freezing process will fix the problem.
In the picture to the left you can see a bunch of small, maggot-looking worms. These are the larvae of the Small Hive Beetle (SHB). The eggs have rapidly hatched, and these clusters of larvae have started making their way through the frames, eating pollen, honey, and wax as they go. A strong hive would have no problem plucking these larvae out and disposing of them before they could wreak too much havoc, but hive #1, in its weakened state, was unable to do so. There are several treatment options available, however I do not have any of the pharmaceutical or chemical treatments readily available, and because earlier today I thought they may have been Wax Moths (a whole different pest that I'm sure we'll discuss at some point), 
I elected to freeze the affected frames. The freezing will kill the larvae (and unfortunately, that includes my bee larvae and eggs left on the frame), and allow me to return these frames to the hive so that the bees can clean out the cells, rebuild the comb, and eat the honey they have stored there. To the right, you can see some of the damage caused by these larvae in just a few short days. The outlined area follows the worst of the damage, with the wax being eaten clear down to the foundation in some spots. The dark brown portion towards the middle of the outlined area looks to be still standing, however it is so riddled with holes that it is completely unusable. Some dead bees were removed already from that dead, brown area. The final picture below shows some of the damage on another part of the frame. This is closer to what the center of the above picture looks like, where it appears to be okay at first glance, but by looking closer, you can see how badly it has been affected. The outlined areas show the worst damage again, and this time it's easiest to see in the chunky, crystallized look of the top of the cells. These cells have been riddled with holes as the SHB larvae passed through them, especially in the largest portion circled, that goes from the top down to the right bottom. In the section on the bottom left, it is most apparent by looking at the outline of the combs. Where it is stark, and very well outlined on the healthy sections of comb, the lines fade and become more indistinct, and in some cases disappear as the wax has been eaten away. Hopefully, the larvae has been confined to these two frames, and the freezing process will fix the problem.
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