Liquid feed may provide relief during late fall dearths when beehives have little saved honey to save. It should cease once bees start clustering at or below 57 degrees F.
Solid winter feeds like candy boards, fondant and sugar bricks may be placed at the hive entrance; however, these require specific recipes and time in the kitchen.
Contents
1. Honey
Honey is the primary source of carbohydrates (sugar) and proteins for bees, providing essential nutrients needed to keep a colony healthy and resilient against disease. A colony with sufficient honey should make it through winter without difficulty.
However, sometimes colonies run out of stored honey before the end of the year. In this situation it is advised to feed a sugar syrup feed instead.
Feeding bees requires using pure white sugar only; no brown or molasses should be used, as these may contain disease spores like American Foulbrood that could kill off their colony. To feed sugar syrup to your bees safely and sustainably, place it either in a frame feeder or divide board feeder and let the bees access their food without leaving their cluster; you should continue feeding your colony until their bees begin storing the syrup within their own combs (check regularly), which typically happens around November- December time.
2. Sugar
Beekeepers with medium to strong colonies that experience late Summer nectar shortages (dearth) may feed dry sugar to the bees as a short-term solution, using either external water sources or condensation within their hives to dissolve sugar crystals and create nectar. It is only intended as an interim measure, and should not be relied upon during winter.
Bees require protein instead of sugar during winter. You can create pollen substitutes or protein patties high in protein but low in sugar; they’re easy to feed, protect against Small Hive Beetle infestations and make great ways to help protect hives against Small Hive Beetles!
Sugar syrup should only be given to the colony on warm autumn and winter days with visual inspection and identification of the winter cluster. Some beekeepers place candy boards above these clusters; however, upper ventilation must still be available and it is essential that spacers be used so as not to fall directly onto combs and cause complications with feedings.
3. Pollen
Beekeepers typically feed syrup to their bees from September until November using either a light or heavy recipe, however as temperatures decrease bees cannot dehydrate this liquid and therefore fondant – a solid block of sugar and honey – can be placed above clusters during periods of extreme cold.
Pollen is a fine dust produced by flowering plants (angiosperms) and cone-bearing gynosperms (gynosperms), typically seen as the cause of allergic reactions in people.
Bees and wasps alike are known to consume pollen as part of their diet; these insects are known as palynivores. Pollen contains protein essential for stimulating brood production, while its variety helps prevent starvation during winter. For this reason, fondant feedings should begin earlier rather than waiting until February or March; commercial beekeepers also supplement pollen patties containing both pollen and sugar to ensure queen protein levels do not drop too low.
4. Protein
Beekeepers do a good job storing ample honey resources during the Fall months, but winter can still present challenges even to resilient colonies. The key is ensuring colonies have adequate resources and an insulated foundation layer before winter sets in. As extra insurance against starvation, some beekeepers use bee fondant (a type of sugar syrup without water) or winter bee patties which contain both pollen replacement ingredients as well as various beneficial ingredients, including:
Nutritional content will differ depending on the product chosen; however, all should contain high levels of protein to support bee health through winter months. Therefore, supplement feeding of fondant or patties should be kept to a minimum in order to avoid overfeeding bees.
