Honey bees can be quite particular about what they eat, needing more than simply sugar water for sustenance.
Most beekeepers use a 1:1 mixture of white granulated sugar and water; however, you may use a 2:1 syrup to supplement winter feeding or promote brood rearing in spring and summer. You can measure sugar/water ratio either by volume or weight measurement.
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Sugar Water
Bees aren’t particular when it comes to what they eat; they will consume anything that provides energy for their duties. While sugar water cannot replace natural nectar as an energy source for bee colonies in winter when flowers have dried up and they need carbohydrates as fuel for survival against harsh winter weather.
Aim for maximum efficiency when creating sugar water by mixing white granulated sugar with warm but not boiling water and stirring until all the sugar has been completely dissolved; never boil the syrup as this alters its chemical structure and renders it unusable by bees.
Sugar syrup ratios vary throughout the year to promote brood rearing, wax comb drawing and supplemental feeding during spring and summer, and prevent robbing during honey extraction season or late winter. When making sugar syrup it is important to remember that ratios are determined by weight not volume.
Sugar Syrup
As nectar from plants varies greatly from flower to flower and even across an individual plant, beekeepers cannot expect that homemade syrups fed to their colonies would contain an equal mixture of sugar and water in any specific ratio.
Sugar water (or honeysuckle syrup) is used to enhance brood rearing and colony expansion during spring and summer feedings, with different mixes required at other times during the year.
Syrup can be easily made by mixing equal portions of water and dry granulated sugar. Once blended, it must be heated to boiling in order to kill off fungi and bacteria present, using a pot with a lid will prevent spills or accidental bee access to it. When ready, sugar mixture should be stirred into hot mixture as soon as it comes off of the stove (but should not be boiled again as this gives some sugars time to caramelize and become partially indigestible), giving beekeeper an easy method of easily adapting ratios for different needs or circumstances.
Hummingbird Syrup
Homemade hummingbird nectar can be far cheaper than purchasing commercial nectars and is easily made using just sugar and water. All that’s necessary for success is white granulated sugar mixed with tap water; no other ingredients such as honey, brown sugar, sugar substitutes or red food coloring may cause premature fermentation of your syrup or harm the birds (5).
Combine equal parts of sugar and hot water, stirring until all of the sugar has been dissolved, and heat to just boiling, no more. Be mindful not to overheat as overdoing it could render your sugar solution unusable to bees and nectar stores; allow to cool before giving to bees via feeder, frame feeder or super. In spring and summer use a 1:1 sugar to water ratio, while for fall and winter feeding use 2:1 sugar/water ratio.
Anise Oil
Utilizing essential oils in beekeeping is a common practice, yet should always be conducted with caution. Peppermint oil may prove toxic to bees in certain circumstances and should never be applied near their hives.
Keep in mind that bees produce nectar at a genetically determined ratio, and any one-to-one sugar syrup mix you might use as a rule is solely determined by humans and not bees.
Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is an aromatic plant with many culinary applications; from pastries and baked goods to ingredients for popular liqueurs like ouzo and sambuca. Anise also makes for an excellent companion plant in any garden setting and draws pollinators into it; easy to grow even directly in outdoor soil with low seed-sprouting point that grows quickly; its pure anise oil has a crystallization point of below 15oC/59oF but may solidify in colder environments than expected!
