I have had a growing suspicion in recent years that the push to "feed" bees in the fall so we can take more honey off for ourselves is a bad practice. You don't have to be a scientist to know that the sugar syrup or HFCS is not as good for the girls as what nature provides for them, i.e. nectar and pollen with their rich variety of components. Then add in all the chemicals and "essential" oils we put into hives to fight varroa, AFB, etc. and we are weakening their immune systems, IMHO. Hello? Perfect storm gathering here.
I know there are times of severe dearth or a new package, etc. when bees need a helping hand to get through a rough patch, but this should be the exception and not the rule. Even then it is better to have set some frames of honey/pollen back for future emergencies rather than rely on syrup or HFCS . Of course this is easier for a hobbyist to do than a sideliner or commercial keeper with lots of hives. But I am afraid we are raising a generation of bkps who think the answer to everything is to feed, feed, feed (with lots of additives, of course) rather than to let the girls rely on the fruits of their own labor which has been the natural way for thousands if not millions of years.