Bob;

I am in the KC, Mo area as well and if your bees are here I don't think the bees will be able to get to the syrup in baggies right now.  They would have to break cluster or cluster over the bag to reach the syrup.  I would use the dry sugar method.  I have 2 hives currently on dry sugar and doing well.  I have 2 more that I have syrup on in the glad plastic containers with holes punched in the lids over the inner cover I put on a week ago when we had the warm day (40 F). I didn't do baggies because of what I mentioned above. Those bees are not using the syrup and it is directly above them. (1/2 - 3/4 of an inch above cluster on the inner cover)  If the weather warms to 35 to 40 they will get back on the syrup but the dry sugar bees are clustered right below and touching in the dry sugar. I set up a depression in the middle of the sugar pile so I can see the top of the bee cluster touching the sugar.  I don't wet the paper initially, the bee's respiration does that.  I lay two sheets across the top, add the super box to hold the paper down, cut slots in the paper around and over the cluster, then pour on the sugar. I then dig a depression in the sugar approximately over the cluster(some wetting here will help, make sure there is a slit near the bottom of that depression and close it up.  The bees will tear open the slot and their moisture will solidify the sugar pile.(at least on the edges and bottom.)
I have brought through many small hives and hungry hives with dry sugar in Feb and Mar.  Good Luck.

Roger
Independence, Mo

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