Beekeepers who feed their colonies with winter bee syrup can provide them with nutrition throughout the winter months. A winter feed can last up to two deep supers (9 5/8″) of honey, or more. Beekeepers can use a 1:1 or 2:1 syrup ratio to supplement the feed. There are a variety of benefits to feeding your bees this way, including improved bee health.
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VitaFeed Gold
VitaFeed Gold is a rich winter bee syrup that’s available in bottles of 250ml and a litre, respectively. One bottle can feed up to five colonies. To feed up to five colonies, mix 1% of the solution with a sugar syrup and dribble it over the colony five to ten times a day.
During the winter season, a diet rich in protein is important for healthy colony development. It also supports an increase in honey production. It is a simple and effective way to increase the nutritional needs of your colony. In addition, you don’t need to worry about the toxicity of the product since it is GMO-free.
You can find this syrup at most bee supply stores. You can also check out the National Bee Unit for tips on feeding your colony. These guides will help you determine the best way to feed your colony.
Inverting table sugar
This winter bee syrup recipe requires a certain amount of invertase, which is an enzyme. It is added to a mixture of 7 kg of sugar and 750 g of honey. Then, it is stirred well and kept at a constant temperature. After one to two years, the solution will contain approximately 95% sucrose. This syrup is then ready to be used.
Beekeepers often use homemade syrups in their winter bee feeding. They usually make these syrups themselves using a 2:1 ratio of water and sugar. Some of them add an acidifying agent, such as lemon juice or vinegar, to make the syrup more acidic. The inverted syrup is then cooled and fed to the bees.
The sugar in the inverting syrup is similar to the sugar in natural honey. However, it has a higher nutritional value. This sugar is used in bees during the spring for a variety of purposes, including as a fertilizer for the uterus and queen bee. It also helps the bee colonies prepare for hibernation. It also gives them enough energy to survive the cold winter months.
Pollen patties
During winter, the winter beekeeper can supplement his bee supply by preparing pollen patties and sugar syrup. Both of these sources contain protein that is available to bees for 24 hours. Ideally, pollen patties should be placed near the brood nest so that nurse bees can get immediate access to them. Alternatively, they can be placed between frames.
These products can be given to bees during the winter months to help them produce brood. However, the timing of these two treatments should be adapted to the local climate. The best time to feed pollen patties is in early spring or in late February or early March, when nectar and brood production are at their highest. Pollen patties also ensure that adult bees have enough food for foraging. Some commercial beekeepers also use pollen patties in the fall. Luckily, hobby beekeepers rarely need to use these products.
While pollen patties and syrups are both effective at stimulating growth, the former is a more expensive alternative for enhancing brood production. However, beekeepers should remember that pollen is not as plentiful as honey. Pollen is available earlier in the spring and late in the fall, and many plants produce pollen even without nectar. As a result, winter bee syrup and pollen patties should be supplemented with caution.
Feeding bees solid sugar
Beekeepers may need to feed their bees for a variety of reasons, including when they move their hive or if they have a late season swarm. In these cases, it’s important to choose the right sugar for your bees. If you choose the wrong type, your bees may get nosema and sickness.
Bees need a solid sugar source to survive the cold winter months. In order to do that, they must be fed syrup containing at least 66% sugar. Bees can’t process syrup that has more than 18% water. Therefore, the thicker the syrup, the easier it is for them to process it.
In order to feed the bees, you should use an empty plastic or wooden super that has risers for the bees to reach the sugar syrup. You can also use a plastic freezer bag that’s partially filled with sugar syrup and tied with an elastic band. Then, you can put the bag on the top bars of the frames or under the cover of your hive. If you want to give the bees an extra treat, you can add some pollen. This will provide them with an extra source of protein while restoring their diet.