It is amazing how different locations handle bees in their 'normal' year. We have a wide range of climates here on WWBeekeeping.
I had a beekeeper from Siberia visit my bee yard a couple years ago, (he lives close to the Ural mountains). He had attended a government training program for beekeepers and was very confident in his knowledge. He said, through an interpreter, he kept about 15 hives, which he combined into seven or eight hives for the winter, and let the queens fight it out. Then he placed his bees about 12 feet under the surface in some kind of root cellar for the winter. He thought my hygienic Italian bees were remarkably docile. He does not feed over winter, but leaves a lot of honey ( I don't remember if he said anything about feeding protein over winter - he should in the spring)
The corporate memory of our local mentors & Clubs is invaluable. But, I do appreciate the counsel of the commercial, side-line and master keeps here. Thanks for the info Chip, you have persuaded me to be bold in feeding my bees. I'll probably only feed NUCs, swarms, cut outs and other weak colonies, but I think they will get both sugar and pollen patties when I do feed. And iddee, I'll remember it is important to feed until a natural flow is on before discontinuing any feeding.