I will try a second post in one day, since I, too, have used both methods.  Have never been able to get my bees to take syrup in the main hives in winter, although I have had success just pouring it into Styrofoam nucs, where it is, I presume, warmer for the cluster to move around.  Now, the last time I tried syrup, I lived up on a ridge line where it got below -30F/-34C (maybe too cold?), and here it only gets down to about -15F/26C, so they might take it, I don't know.  I DO know that they have no problem taking plain old granulated sugar on newspaper.  I have even sprinkled it on the bees and directly on the top bars, when I have found a cluster on top, out of food, cold and on the brink (two weeks ago).  So far, that colony is hanging in there.  Used the dry sugar method last winter to save a few hives I split too many times and did not allow to build up sufficient stores.  This winter, I just had to feed several hives and lost 3 that starved before I could get to them.  All have/had chimneyed straight up through 3 deeps, leaving full frames on either side.  Have never seen anything like it before.  Adding dry sugar is fast, easy and works, but is probably not economical for large operations.  A shim really helps.  Here are a couple of links to a hive and a nuc I fed this way last year (I hope I do this right):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/narcnh/Buckfast.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v213/narcnh/nuc-MH.jpg

And, yes, they ate all the sugar, all the Global pollen patties and removed all the newspaper for me.  Very polite bees.

Bill

Claremont, NH

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