Feeding methods rise upp feelings. Why? To ensure food stores for bees is very simple.
I wondered what makes basicly the need of midd winter feeding because in our long winter we need not it. Bees manage well
6 months and we do not even touch them. Why - because we have no choice. After 6 months it is better check the weight how much hive has stores.
If in our country hive
continues brooding, it will be dead in December. Nothing, not even feeding can save it. Bee stock must be a such which stop brood feeding in the end of summer.
1) One reason for winter feeding may be if you want to winter hives with honey. They get enough honey or not. You have possibilyty to feed hive with sugar so that it is full and stores are capped.
2) If you live in climate where hives have brood almost all winter, it consumes quickly stores. No "once -feeding" is enough for hive.
3) You have mesh floor, not insulated walls and bees raise brood near freezing point. The consumption is huge compared with our wintering.
4) When bees are in winter cluster and out temperature is near freezing point, the consumption of food is about 2 lbs per month. No brood.
BIg hive consumes during rainy day about 1 lbs honey per day in summer. In two days one winter month dose.
It is same to me what is your opinion and what you write about feeding I continue my style. But problem is that USA is from Florida to Alaska and it seems that you try to use same systems: uninsulated hives, same bee stocks, .....
In Europe it means from North Africa to Polar Circle. In Europe we do not understand each other so much that we can deliver wrong information :)
That clarifyes me why it is so diifficult to get hives over winter even if you have not "winter".
And we still wonder when we have nice girls, where nasty women grow.