This topic seems to be a little stale, but here is a some background.

Dinks: I run Carniolan queens from varying sources. In my area of NW Washington (Fidalgo Island), one hour south of the Canadian border, the main flow is blackberry (June-July, although the past two warmer seasons, June). There is a fall flow of Fireweed and Japanese Knotweed in some locales (mine does not have a fall flow). As per local convention, supers are pulled by mid August, colonies receive a two pad MAQS application. Colonies are then fed 1:1 or 2:1 through September, if needed. Colonies receive an OAV treatment in December, between winter solstice and Jan. 1. 

 Most of my colonies in September are at 6-8 frames. I will have to combine colonies to push frame counts to 10-12 for fall. 6-8 framers that survive December come out the other side at 2 frames or fewer up to 4 frames, with the rare 5 framer.  True to stereotype, these Carniolans keep small winter clusters. They are very frugal with stores. I run 10 frame doubles, and often end up with 8-12 frames of capped honey, or syrup, left even in surviving colonies, when checked for stores in Feb.

Additionally, these queens curtail egg laying during nectar dearth. Just as the colonies are naturally reducing numbers in August, if not fed LIQUID feed, the queens will almost completely shut down-right when I think they should be raising fall/winter bees!

I have never treated for Nosema, but an not opposed to treatment.

 Randy Oliver runs a 1000 colonies, and is feeding 2 framers in January. My club president runs 600 colonies and manages another 1600, and every year has a percentage of dinks that wont make frame count. Having dinks is not a crime. It happens.
What is an acceptable percentage of underperforming colonies? What can be done to help them recover when it is too cold to combine, and too early in the season (Jan/Feb) at my latitude to take brood from another colony?

The crux of the OP: will LIQUID carbohydrate fed in Jan/Feb give small colonies a boost in brood rearing above that of stored, capped honey and hard sugar cakes that are directly on top bars of upper frames ?

And yes, I understand the importance or protein!!!!! I typically use Mann Lake Ultra BEE premade patties.

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