Bees use honey stores to keep themselves warm in winter while also providing nourishment that fuels their foraging flights on warmer days.
Some beekeepers feed protein-rich pollen patties as late-winter bee food; however, it would be more effective to offer carbohydrates-rich sugar cakes or fondant instead. This will give bees carbohydrates needed for brood production while stimulating pollen substitute production.
Contents
Nectar
Sugars (glucose and sucrose) are the predominant solutes found in nectar, providing bees with energy sources for both foraging bees as well as their own hive [1. It also provides other essential nutrients such as amino acids and proteins, trace minerals, phenolic compounds etc.].
Bees stockpile honey during the summer to prepare them for fall and winter when conditions can become wetter, leading to limited food sources. Unfortunately, however, colonies may not have sufficient stores of honey for survival in harsh winter environments.
Some beekeepers will feed their colonies during late summer and fall with a 2:1 sugar syrup mixture, candy boards or fondant as sources of food that will provide winter sustenance for their colonies. Since bees cannot take liquid feed below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, these items must be supplemented with stored honey from within their own hive.
Pollen
As winter is upon us, pollen becomes scarcer for the colony to utilize and they must rely on stored honey as their energy source. A beekeeper should ensure this vital supply remains available during this season of need.
Pollen protein is essential to bee health, yet in winter its availability decreases considerably. A successful winter cluster consists of a different generation of bees than summer bees known as winter bees with large fat bodies which regulate metabolism while producing vitellogenin; an incredible substance which boosts immune systems while prolonging lifespan allowing these bees to endure through all four months of winter.
If you are feeding your hive during winter, fondant, sugar cakes and granulated sugar should be used instead of syrup as this will be better for their digestive systems and will not become spoilt due to condensation. Candy boards should be installed prior to winter so your bees have food ready for consumption!
Honey
Bees produce honey to store up food for winter. They gather pollen and nectar from flowers throughout the year, collecting sucrose-rich nectar (carbohydrate in nectar) that is transformed by enzymes into simple sugars in their honey stomachs and stored as honey in their hive. Honey also contains amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other compounds from flowers visited by bees which give each type of honey its unique flavors, fragrances and colors.
beekeepers typically feed sugar syrup mixture to their bees during times of scarce natural forage in late summer and early fall to help build up winter reserves. At Betterbee we carry pre-formulated winter patties which provide your bees with energy-packed carbohydrates along with small amounts of proteins and fats that provide energy and protein support for winter survival.
Water
Fall gardens provide bees with pollen and nectar from flowers such as crocuses (Crocus) and snowdrops (Galanthus), hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), stonecrop (Sedum), autumn asters (Aster) as well as leaves that have dried out on shrubs or trees that are full of water; in addition, bees collect it off leaves and branches of shrubs or trees that have lost moisture over time.
Bees consume stored honey as energy source during winter, when their flight muscles must vibrate to create heat for their winter cluster. Since there is little available for them to consume outside of honey stores, eating this precious nectar helps bees maintain body temperatures by providing necessary energy.
