Hello Randy & All,
I thought maybe you would say you used the medium as a food chamber through
an exotic box rotation. I have heard such methods from beeks at meetings. In
the Mississippi Delta areas I see a deep and a medium used but only as you
use. A friend which runs Delta Bee ( the old Robinson outfit of Kennet
Missouri) Neal Bergman uses the config but always keeps the medium on top
or at least always used to.
In Florida I have seen bees run in singles and then a medium of honey placed
on top during periods of dearth but not by commercial beeks.
The subject has people on both sides. Some commercial beeks feel its cheaper
to feed syrup and the others usually run 10 frames and do not want to have
to give up a couple frames for and inside feeder.
A super of bakery grade honey ( Brazilian pepper)will keep bees from
starving during the several month dearth in fall without the trips to feed.
As Randy will attest in areas which bees can fly everyday bees use lots of
feed. California, Texas and Florida fit the description. Feed requirements 
of
a strong hive in a single can be hard to figure.
We took a 100 singles into California in November one year ( part of three
semi loads) and the bees were heavy as we open fed before leaving. A month
later the bees were about to starve. The hives in two deeps were fine but we
feed anyway as we would not be back until time to move into almonds.

bob

Ps. If you feed sucrose and buy from one of the large plants I have news. My
partner and I buy directly from the same place as those which advertise
tanker loads in the bee magazines. I ordered 10 totes filled at their Kansas
plant the first day it rains this week.

We used to buy HFCS by the tanker load and have delivered as we could not
get the 55% locally. Now our HFCS tanks sits empty and we simply go directly
to the plant for sucrose  and get filled.

The current price for the dry weight is .46 at the  plant. mixing is not
free as the plant does add for mixing. into the .46  The price last year was
.37 or .38 a pound * DRY WEIGHT*.  How does the price compare to California
Randy? When we were buying HFCS off the tanker we always were under your
prices by .02 to .03 a pound.

I refused to pay the price at the plant last year and purchased sugar in
bags and mixed myself but was a hell of a job. To mix right I need to put in
a huge hot water tank with a 170-180F. temp. Winter is coming fast this year
and the nighttime temps tonight are expected to be in the low 40F. which is
almost unheard of for this time of year.

If members of the list know of some scrap sugar or a cheaper way to get
sucrose please email me directly. Thank!

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