Sugar water should only be provided as food when there is an acute shortage of natural forage, typically during spring or queen-rearing activities.
Beekeepers commonly employ a 1:1 ratio between sugar and water by weight or volume, and give it to new colonies in spring as their first recipe to try to recreate thin nectar as closely as possible.
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Thick or Thin Syrup?
Sugar syrup is an artificial nectar source which bees can consume when they don’t receive sufficient natural nectar, when there is an absence of natural nectar sources. Different ratios are used depending on the time of year: for instance a one-to-one mix may help encourage new comb formation in spring; whilst thicker (2:1) syrup should be offered later to assist bees with building stores.
Be mindful not to overheat your syrup as this could result in it turning dark caramel-coloured and produce byproducts like Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which is harmful for bees. Some beekeepers add Thymol and Surgical Spirit into their sugar syrup mixes in order to combat this.
Syrup can be fed directly into a colony using a contact feeder or drizzled onto horizontal comb. A starving and lethargic colony can be brought back quickly using this approach; alternatively some beekeepers put open bags of sugar on top of their hives as another feeding method.
Do I Need to Heat the Sugar Water?
Some beekeepers prefer not to boil the sugar water mixture, as boiling could potentially introduce impurities into it such as bugs, pollen or bird droppings – something which would likely result in it fermenting and becoming harmful to bees’ health.
Sugar and water should be mixed until all sugar crystals have been completely dissolving into syrup, but should never boil, as that could result in caramelisation that bees may find less digestible than before.
As winter months approach and honey stores become low, our beekeepers utilize a 2:1 syrup. It can easily be prepared using a jug or large bucket and consumed quickly by bees. Some beekeepers opt to switch over to 1:1 sugar syrups during spring to encourage early brood-rearing.
Do I Need to Measure the Sugar Water?
Some beekeepers weigh the sugar and water, for accuracy’s sake, but this isn’t necessary; using the ratio of two parts sugar to one part water works just as effectively regardless of how it’s measured by weight or volume – the quantity of water won’t have any bearing on its result!
Make sugar water for your bees easily in the appropriate 2:1 ratio using a standard quart jar and paint mixer, especially when creating large batches for multiple hives at once.
Once your mixture is ready, punch six to eight small holes in the lid of the jar and remove any cardboard insert commonly found therein. This will allow moisture-laden warm air to reach and dissipate sugar as bees consume it; providing light syrup during spring breeding season while heavier feeding ratios in fall will build their stores for winter survival.
Do I Need to Punch Holes in the Lid?
An economical method of feeding bees is through the use of a simple jar feeder. All you need is a clean glass jar (typically quart size) and watertight lid to use this technique effectively; plastic works just as well, though glass may be preferred.
This type of feeder is straightforward to construct and will save money over buying an already made feeder, yet there are two key considerations which need to be addressed when creating this type of feeder.
First and foremost, the lid must not leak. Leakage encourages bee robbing from nearby colonies with weaker bees who may drown trying to access it. Furthermore, it must sit securely on its container to stop bees from climbing over its lip and into it.
Some beekeepers have developed feeders to place inside their hive that reduce robbing, though most of these devices can be difficult to use and cleaning can become very tedious very quickly if moldy dead bees get trapped within.
