On one hive I have an excessive amount of dead bees outside the hive. Plus it appears I have a case of nosemea. I feel I should probably Emergency feed them they are in the top super and as of 2 weeks ago still had some honey. Should I take a precaution and feed them and what is the best way to do so? Far west suburb of Chicago and have had a cold winter.
In winter, candy boards are best. There's a recipe here on the board somewhere--you should be able to search for it. You can slide the board right over the top bars, and the girls can use it as needed.
Next fall, I'll try to make some using inner covers so that I can just put an inner cover/sugar board on each colony for emergencies.
If they have Nosema, I would feed them syrup with Fumagilin-B. I would use an inverted jar right on the top bars of the frame. Put it right over the cluster so they have immediate access regardless of the weather. Put an empty deep around the jar and stuff insulation (loosely) around the jar. Try to leave some space between the top bars and the insulation.