Mark, I have not really had much good experiences feeding bees in the dead of winter. I'm in CA, central valley. I,ve always tried to make sure that the bees had plenty of stores prior to really cold, wet weather by feeding or nectar flow. It just always seemed to be a great way to rid myself of weak hives and didn't seem to help much. If the weather turns and becomes unseasonably warm and they break cluster I have put feed on then. You need to realize that this is the area where we celebrate the "Brown Christmas" and that has a great deal to do with it I'm sure. Maybe someone could shed some light on this for us. I just know what I've seen in the past and I try to avoid feeding in those months. I know of others that will feed dry sugar for emergencies and the added moisture in syrup like you said seems reasonable to me. Hopes this helps some Brian Tassey Alta Apiaries [log in to unmask]