Finman. When you give the sugar, how do you do it? Add some water and make a sorta cake? put in something over the frames? or just pour it in??
I have jus now get ready my winter feeding. I started about 5.9.
Sugar liquid I give to feeding box is 60-66%. If it is stronger, bees have difficulties to suck it.
Here is feeding box 8 litres used in Finland and another 16 litres.
http://www.hunajayhtyma.fi/tuotetieto/syottolaatikot.htm.
Feeding box is situated directly above frames, or as i do, I put plate first with 3 holes , and then the box.
I have used these model 20 years. It is plastic. Before that I did all kind of my own, but these are good.
If I have one box hive, I give 2 full feeding box sugarliquid, and to 2 box hive I give 3-4 feeding box.
It depends how much I left honey inside.
At the end I weighed hives with personnal weighing machine (or what it is) and I found serious differencies in weight. The most weighed 27 kg and a couple only 15 kg. I weighed hives from one sive, and another side rested in it's base.
15 kg means that I must give for it 2 feeding box more liquid. Every colony is not eager to take sugar. They have started they winter hibernating.
One box hives I do not weigh. I give them so much sugar liquid as they take in. They take it in during one week. If they have much brood, sugar feeding goes not during one week. But I can try it with hand, is it heavy or not.