>  Hope your bees are wintering well, but if not, here are some thoughts of 
> mine why not.

Let's remember here, that all beekeeping is local. Not all beekeepers are 
in California, nor keeping bees in California conditions.

>After pollen feeding in fall,

It must be that your bees don't have a good fall pollen flow. Here in 
Vermont, the bees do. They put up plenty of pollen for early spring brood 
rearing. No need to feed pollen or substitute. Those that don't, will be 
weak in the spring, and can be requeened with queens that are good pollen 
gatherers/storers. Raising queens from the best winterers eliminates those 
that don't provision their hives properly. Of course...if there is no fall 
pollen flow, this won't be the case.

>syrup is the next most important step. Feed as much as they will take

Again, all beekeeping is local. Our bees do have a good fall flow, with 
which they pack their broodnests. When the crop is harvested...by the 
middle of August, the weight of the broodnests are noted. Those that are 
heavy get a super or two to hold the fall flow, and keep down swarming. 
Light colonies are left un-supered. These pack away the fall flow, and most 
don't need feeding. Those that do, are weighed and fed accordingly. Feeding 
colonies all they will take is wasteful and expensive.

  Some feed type 55 hfcs, a VERY POOR choice, use only 50% or more with 
sucrose and 100% is best, that's what I feed.

I have fed 55% HFCS for many years, and in an area where we have "real" 
winters...no cleansing flights for up to 4 months. Of course, I only feed 
enough to make up the difference between what they have, and what they need 
until spring. I would never take all the honey from my bees and feed back 
sugar...of any kind.

  Also, how many have feed fumagilin-B last fall? Nosema here in Calif is 
the worst seen in twenty years...

Maybe this is so...in California. But, I have never fed Fumidil in Vermont. 
Instead, if a colony is all poopy in the spring, it is requeened with a 
queen raised from a colony that wintered well, with no signs of Dysentery. 
I now see very little dysentery, and my colonies are "fat" with no Fumidil 
crutch.

I would never try to tell a California beekeeper how to keep bees in 
California, but what you say is not true here in Vermont. Perhaps we really 
are in the land of milk and honey, I don't know. But, I do know, that 
breeding from the best eliminates most of these problems that you speak of.
Mike 


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