In most areas, colonies can survive off their stored food for the winter; however, some beekeepers feed their colonies to ensure survival.
Sugar water should never be added during winter; otherwise, bees huddled together will find it impossible to break out to gather it and may perish trying.
Contents
Liquid Syrup
Sugar syrup should be fed to bees in autumn in either light or heavy forms (1 kg of granulated sugar to 1.25 litres of water), but typically not fed after temperatures drop below a certain threshold where bees cannot dehydrate it properly.
In winter months, most beekeepers opt for fondant or sugar patties as an energy and protein source. Some beekeepers may feed pollen patties to promote brood production during this season.
Prepare solid feeds yourself. One effective method involves placing newspaper on the top bars above your winter cluster and pouring several pounds of granulated sugar over it. Make sure it can be reached without disrupting their cluster; use spacer shims or an insulated inner cover over this sugar pile!
Dry Sugar
Feeding syrup to bee colonies during late winter or early spring often doesn’t work. The liquid will freeze up both daytime and night, rendering it useless as food storage for the bees.
Dry sugar can be made using white table sugar mixed with water in an equal ratio (by weight or volume), similar to what commercial beekeepers commonly use as their syrup source.
Make your honey using plain sugar without brown sugar, molasses or sorghum as they contain impurities that could lead to bee dysentery (the cause of brown streaks of bee poo on landing boards and front of hives). It is also important to use plain sugar without added supplements like cream of tartar which contains corn starch that could promote Nosema disease in bees. Use an airtight canning jar or similar container and punch 6-8 holes in its lid as this allows airflow inside while protecting from external influences such as heat.
Liquid Feeding Stimulant
Some beekeepers use dry table sugar to feed colonies that have low stores in autumn and spring, however this approach should be avoided for weak colonies as they may not have access to enough water to dissolve it into syrup. Furthermore, using white table sugar may increase mold growth within the hive as well as encourage disease spread.
Many beekeepers also prepare other solid winter feeds such as candy boards, fondant, and sugar bricks that need specific recipes and time in the kitchen – these work on a similar principle to liquid sugar.
For those unable to create their own winter feed, an easy solution for stimulating bees in winter is using essential oils that stimulate bees through EZ-measure bottles. By adding concentrated formula that prevents mold growth in sugar syrup and boosts immune functions while simultaneously aiding bees in drawing out new foundation faster, this feeding stimulant contains lemongrass, spearmint and thyme essential oils as an easy and affordable solution.
Mountain Camp Method
Winter temperatures often make it impossible for beekeepers to access their hives and feed with syrup, but that doesn’t have to be the end of their colony’s survival – the Mountain Camp Method provides dry sugar feed that keeps bees going strong.
Spread a sheet of newspaper over the top bars or inner cover of your hive and dump a mound of dry granulated sugar onto it, using humidity from bee respiration to create condensation that makes the sugar more palatable to bees. If the newspaper touches any part of your hive, spray water onto it to form a crust that prevents bees from gathering large granules that they won’t be able to digest.
Fondant feeders can offer more nutritional content. We carry HiveAlive Fondant, which contains sugar paste laced with bee supplement and feeding stimulants for bees to easily consume during winter. They can even be placed directly onto hives.
