Ambrosia syrup is a ready-made liquid bee feed sold to beekeepers, made from a blend of sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose) so it stays liquid and doesn’t crystallize. You pour it straight into a feeder with no mixing or heating. Beekeepers use it as a convenient substitute for homemade sugar syrup when colonies are short on stores.
What Is Ambrosia Syrup?
Bees normally turn nectar into honey, and part of that process is splitting sucrose into glucose and fructose. Ready-made syrups like Ambrosia skip some of that work because the sugars are already in a form bees can store. Products sold under this name are typically made from beet or cane sugar and are formulated to resist crystallizing and spoiling. Exact ingredients and sugar content vary by brand and country, so read the label of the product you buy.
Why Beekeepers Use It
- Convenience: no cooking, mixing or measuring, which saves time across many hives.
- Stays liquid: a higher fructose share helps prevent crystallization in the feeder.
- Consistent quality: no brown sugar, molasses or fruit juice, which can cause dysentery in bees.
- Low spoilage risk when stored properly: keep it sealed and cool.
When to Feed It
- Fall: to help colonies build winter stores if the hive is light. Feed while it is still warm enough for bees to take down and cap the syrup.
- Early spring: to help weak colonies get through the gap before nectar arrives, or to stimulate brood rearing. A lighter feed is sometimes used for this.
- New colonies and nucs: to help comb building.
- Dearth periods: when forage runs out. See feeding bees during dearth.
Do not feed syrup when a honey super is on or when a nectar flow is on. Syrup can end up in the honey you plan to harvest. Stop feeding once bees have enough forage.
Ambrosia vs. Homemade Syrup
Homemade syrup is cheaper: spring syrup is about 1 part sugar to 1 part water, and fall syrup is about 2 parts sugar to 1 part water, by weight or volume. Use plain white granulated sugar and do not boil it, because overheating can create hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a compound that is harmful to bees at high levels. Read more in the right way to make sugar water for bees. Ready-made syrup costs more but saves time and avoids mistakes. For a drier option, see making sugar boards for bees.
Feeding Tips
- Use an in-hive feeder when possible. Open feeding encourages robbing and can spread disease.
- Keep feeders clean and don’t let syrup sit and ferment. Fermented syrup can make bees sick.
- Reduce hive entrances during feeding so weak hives are not robbed.
- Feed only what the colony will take in a few days.
Bottom Line
Ambrosia-type syrup is a convenient, stay-liquid supplement for hungry colonies in fall, early spring or a dearth. Check the product label, feed with an in-hive feeder, and stop before honey supers go on. If your bees look sick or dying, ask your local bee inspector or an experienced beekeeper.
