It's a weak hive. The bees have done their sums, ie, figured out what winter stores they have, and how much of that they want to invest in raising brood at this time. Because to them, if they raise a whole lot of brood now, they will use too much of their winter stores, so they keep brood down to a couple of frames or so, that is the sensible amount to them. They do not know that there is a benevolent being (you), who will make sure they stay fed.
Your hive is not like some other breeds, which will just raise heaps of brood, use all their feed, and starve.
For the hive pictured I would not remove any feed combs, in fact I would keep feeding them, slowly so it feels like a flow, and put a couple of emptyish combs either side of the brood. Don't mess with them too much, allow them to build the hive the way they want it. Just encourage them gently, and keep the entrance very small so they won't get robbed.
I would also be doing something about mites. Not a vapor like thymol, OAV, or formic acid, doesn't work too well in hives like yours, something gentle like apivar strips would be ideal.