I was just at a beekeeping association meeting on Monday night and listened to a very experienced beekeeper talk about his wintering practice. He boils 1 quart of water, adds 10 pounds of sugar, and then lets it cool off a bit. From there he pours the syrup onto paper plates to form giant "sugar cookies" that get placed in the hive. Each hive is different, but the extra food helps ensure the bees survive if they run out of their stored honey.

Seems like it's a best of both worlds type of arrangement for him. He gets honey and the bees survive.