Beekeepers in the fall often must feed bee colonies that are low on stores or have been raided, in order to help ensure their survival until spring arrives. By doing this, feeding can ensure their continued existence until then.
Many beekeepers rely on a 1:1 sugar to water syrup as an autumn feeding strategy, with volume or weight measurements for measuring your ingredients.
Contents
1. Warm weather
Autumn weather conditions are ideal for creating sugar syrup. As the warm sun heats the air, bees easily sip away without beating their wings hard as much.
Fall feeding of a 2:1 solution of sugar water is generally advised, to encourage brood rearing and facilitate comb drawing for Spring, while adding stores if they become low before winter arrives.
Some beekeepers use a 1:1 dose in the fall for similar reasons; however, it may not be as effective at stimulating brood rearing and encouraging comb building. While it does keep better but it is more cumbersome to transport.
Simple sugar syrup can be made by heating some water until it just stops short of boiling, then adding in sugar. Be mindful not to overheat as that could result in caramelization which would be indigestible to bees. Some beekeepers also like to mix in feeding stimulants like Honey-B Healthy or essential oils which keep their syrup warm and prevent robbing.
2. Plenty of nectar
A good honey year should provide bees with enough stores to get through autumn and early winter without needing additional feeding, while in an inferior honey year supplemental feeding may be beneficial.
When creating syrup for bees it is crucial that ordinary white sugar be used, as other forms such as brown and raw contain different levels of molasses that bees find difficult to digest. Furthermore, using too much water or using an improper ratio between sugar and water could result in the creation of moldy syrup which would not be suitable for bees.
Use warm water to dissolve sugar quickly and make sure it is stirred thoroughly. Many beekeepers favor creating a 1:1 sugar syrup; however, others opt for using two parts sugar to one part water (this ratio can help stimulate colonies to rear brood and encourage drawing comb foundation in spring). Be sure to regularly inspect feeders so bees can quickly remove empty ones from their hive when necessary.
3. Cold weather
Bees producing honey during autumn’s cooler weather produce thicker syrup to store for food than they would do during a warm summer, providing them with greater nutrition from their stores.
As always, beekeepers need to regularly inspect their hives to make sure there is sufficient food in them for winter survival. Furthermore, you should monitor moisture levels in their syrup as too much moisture can encourage mold growth – adding feeding stimulants containing essential oils like spearmint or lemongrass or ready-mix products like Honey-B-Healthy can help deter this growth.
If you must feed, do it at dusk as bees will still be active and will quickly devour their meal. Avoid feeding during the day as this will encourage robbing and make it harder for bees to break down sugar crystals when temperatures fall. Use either a candy board, mountain camp rim, division board feeder (or simply shallow super with sugar cake), or fill part of a plastic freezer bag with the sugar syrup before gently squeezing out air through its top holes before punching 6-8 small holes before placing this over its target cluster hive lid.
4. A boost of energy
Autumn weather brings with it cold temperatures and short days, making feeding of your bees extremely important. Without enough sugar for their bees to remain productive and lay eggs, their colony could suffer greatly in terms of stores for winter. If they go without sufficient feeding during this season they could stop laying altogether – meaning less food for stores for winter!
At this time of year, some beekeepers prefer feeding their bees a light syrup of 1:1 sugar:water ratio while others favor feeding a denser version with two parts sugar to one part water ratio. Whichever strategy you employ, make sure your solution is warm so the sugar dissolves easily; boiling may cause it to caramelize and become indigestible by the bees.
Mix the syrup in a container roughly equivalent to that of a full Langstroth frame and pour it into either a hive top feeder or division board feeder that sits within the hive with flotation material to help bees find it. Check regularly, and replace when necessary.
