Sugar syrup can be made at various concentrations. Your choice in terms of ratio between sugar and water depends on what purpose the syrup will serve, as well as personal preference.
Many beekeepers prefer using weight over volume for measuring sugar and water for making syrup for their bees, though either method works equally well.
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1. It is a light syrup
Sugar water in a ratio of 1:1 is often recommended when spring feeding new colonies or packages, or bees are weak from losses or early stages of building comb. It also works well when used during colony splits to support weak colonies or packages.
Beekeepers feed bees thicker syrup during the fall to help them store enough honey for winter storage, usually having a sugar concentration greater than 70%.
As long as it remains warm enough, bees will consume this heavy syrup. They may even convert it to honey if stored correctly in their hive.
Making 2:1 syrup (heavy syrup) is relatively straightforward. A quick recipe doesn’t require any measurements – making the process time and labor saving for beekeepers while helping avoid spoilage due to overfeeding or harmful black mold growth, and possibly leading to the formation of HMF, thought to increase chances of honey bee dysentery.
2. It is a medium syrup
Sugar syrup can be used in the spring to promote brood rearing. It should be mixed at a 1:1 ratio, either by weight or volume, then poured into an inverted container that bees can easily access; such as a Boardman feeder jar, plastic pail with holes cut in it, paint can with lid, or liter bottle.
Fall is the time when overwintering colonies should receive a 2:1 sugar syrup with high density that can provide additional support in case there is not enough honey from fall honey flows on their hives to last through winter.
Make medium syrup using an inverted container that bees can easily access. A quart jar, paint can with holes cut in it, liter bottle or any other similar container with a secure lid can all serve this purpose well.
3. It is a heavy syrup
Sugar syrup is the staple food source for bees and comes in various concentrations. Produced by dissolving granulated white sugar into water, it can be given all year-round – light syrup should be fed in spring to stimulate brood production and encourage comb building; heavy syrup should be given in fall to store food for winter and prevent honey fermentation and Nosema (an infestation caused by contaminated hive food) formation.
A 2:1 sugar water recipe can help bees build stores before winter hits. It provides dense yet easy to digest syrup that requires less sugar than 1:1 recipes, while being more cost-effective for beekeepers as the yield from 1 quart jar yields 2 gallons when mixed this way.
4. It is a thick syrup
Sometimes a listless or weak colony can be rejuvenated with thin syrup dripped onto horizontal comb or directly into the hive. Dry sugar should never be fed directly as starving colonies don’t have the strength needed to forage and will ultimately die due to dehydration.
Medium syrup (1:1) should be fed during spring and summer to encourage brood rearing, feed newly capped colonies, capture swarms, or newly established colonies quickly. Store the syrup at room temperature to help the bees consume it quickly.
Measure sugar and water by weight rather than volume when making 2:1 sugar syrup. This ratio equals two parts sugar to one part water by weight rather than volume, so simply add water until all of the sugar has been dissolved before feeding this syrup in an appropriate container with 6-8 small holes drilled or punched into its lid – then attach your 12mm high risers.
