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i opened one of my hives today and all the bees were dead. most of them were face down in the comb. but they still had 6 frames of honey. did they freeze or starve? do i need to try and get all the bees out of the comb or will the new bees clean them out? i added a pollen patty to the other hive today hopefully that will hold them over. but they have cleaned out the bottom hive body completely. how can i keep them alive?

I have the same situation in one of my hives. It was the hive that was hardest hit by varroa and the weakest going into winter. It made it until the last cold snap. From the looks of the inside I think the number of bees got too small to maintain heat and they starved in place even though there was honey nearby and an additional medium heavy with honey on the hive.

I gently brushed off a few small clumps of bees and put all frames in the freezer since I saw some evidence of wax moth damage. I will let the next hive of bees using the comb clean out the bees in the cells.

I did see some capped brood and some slightly opened but not sunken. There was no stink and no ropiness so I don't see evidence of an American Foul Brood problem and feel comfortable reusing the comb.

“Did they freeze or starve?”
Typically bees face down in the comb is a sign of starvation.

I have read about beekeepers putting frames of honey next to the cluster but never understood how they new that stores were to far away or how they new the cluster would not move up to the stores without pulling frames. But why would you pull frames in cold weather just to check?

“They have cleaned out the bottom hive body.”
So the cluster has moved up to where the honey is?

“How can I keep them alive?”
If the cluster has not moved up maybe with the few warm days we are having you could move a frame or two of honey down close to the cluster next to them but not breaking the cluster.

A lot of things could weaken a colony to the point where the cluster is small and a cold snap could finish them off.
May have gone queenless or have a failing queen.
Maybe they were weakened by mites.
Maybe a moisture problem.
Maybe AFB
Maybe Nosema ceranae.