Try saying: “Stan’s Super Simple Shimmed Sugar Feeder” three times fast.
In the winter and early spring, bees need extra carbs as the colony builds strength. Stan has an easy solution. Build a 3/4 inch shim (the shim goes all the way around to completely enclose the top for winter) to raise the inner cover or hive top 3/4 inches off the top frames above the winter cluster. Beekeepers use a shim like this for feeding pollen patties. Fold a piece of newspaper so that it is at least doubled and so that it leaves approximately 2 inches on all sides around the box on top of the frames. You want bees to have easy access. Pour a cup or so of dry white sugar (don’t use brown or powdered sugar) on the newspaper on top of the frames.
Sugar is foreign to the beehive so the bees may haul some of it out. They will not use the sugar when there are other resources to forage on.
This is an insurance policy. If the bees are starving either because weather doesn’t let them forage or because the hive stores are being used up, the bees will have a food source right above the brood. Simple and effective.