Winter feeding Honeybees

I have been feeding the bees with 5:3 sugar syrup for a while. They ate approx 7kg each so far. Im to feed in total up to 15kg each hive.

Since the weather up here in the North is getting colder I am feeding inside and outside the hive. I know I said that I will stop with feeding bees outside the hive but this time it is an emergency feeding as the winter cold will soon knock on the door here and I see no cupped honey still.

Many bees get sugar crystals on their bodies and wings which then get cleaned by their sisters on the entrance while the nectar is being unloaded by the reciever bees. Note the white crystals here and there on the wood and on bees.

clustering around the brood nest

The feeding jar inside the hive behind the follower board. The bees are emptying the out door feeder in just a day and it takes them two days to empty the jar feeder which is indoor and much smaller in volume.

One can clearly see the old bees with a very black hairless back and tail. The younger the bee the hairyer their back is. At first I thought I had a Nordic Black Bee robbing my hives but now I see that these are only old forager bees.

One can see reciever bees taking freshly delivered sugar syrup from the forager bee while other sisters are licking away the sugar crystals from forager's body and wings.