Hello All, I've been following the thread with not a little amusement. Just to share the perspective from the tropics, where no wintering has to take place, I do feed my hives with sugar during the dearth or rainy season. From late May to early December, I feed my bees with about a liter of sugar syrup weekly to tide them over. It doesn't make sense to feed in large quantities as the syrup will just ferment. In my experience (17 years), feeding sufficiently in the dearth season determines the strength of the colonies when the honeyflow starts. We don't usually have flows when the bees literally explode out of the hive to gather the nectar, thus the build-up is more gradual. And if I allow the bees to use the early flow to build up, two months of the season will have passed before the hives are in proper strength. I remain convinced that feeding bees during the dearth and during the winter is the management technique of responsible beekeepers, regardless of whether some beginners question the propriety of such practice. Regards, Dave General Cagayan de Oro City Philippines 8.29N 124.39E ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com