Not the case! Evidently they were just laying low during these past rainy months. There were rows upon rows of gorgeous capped brood and the hive was humming. The girls didn't seem too upset by our intrusion.
What a change from a year ago. We'd open up this hive and you could literally hear the buzzing change in octave as the girls became angry. We got stung a lot last year, thanks to that hive.
This time around [so far] it's been peaches and cream. Let's keep our fingers crossed for more.