Sugar syrup is often the go-to bee feed, providing extra hydration while mimicking the taste of nectar.
One method for keeping bees fed without drowning is using a frame feeder, also called a division board. These frames resemble Langstroth frames in size and fit in your super just like normal frames; additionally they require a float so bees can access their syrup without sinking to their death.
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Boost your bees’ immune system
Humans have long appreciated the nutritional, medicinal and functional advantages of honey and bee products since ancient times. Bee pollen provides essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other compounds essential for supporting bee health as well as helping counteract any stressors to the colony.
Feeding bee feed additives to your bees can help them fight pathogens that cause CCD, foulbrood and other diseases. Many of these supplements contain natural ingredients with antifungal, antibiotic and/or antimicrobial properties to give your colony the edge they need against these threats.
Bio Minerals Technologies trace minerals and probiotic cultures can enhance bee health by strengthening immune systems and digestive functions, leading to healthier bees more resistant to environmental pathogens, pests, and stressors – leading to greater productivity and longevity for bee colonies overall.
Help your bees thrive in harsh Australian climates
While feeding bees liquid feed during winter may seem like the ideal solution, it could actually do more harm than good. When used inappropriately or unnecessarily it could even become counter-productive and worsen foraging conditions for your colonies.
Liquid feeds may foster robbery as they draw in bees from neighboring apiaries that may be struggling for resources themselves or trying to prepare for colder months. This can result in bees from both colonies mixing and spreading diseases that could threaten your colony’s health.
Feeding bees during winter is best achieved through making sugar syrup from granulated sugar and water, thickening it further to create a honey-like solution they can consume. Solid winter feeds such as candy boards or fondant may also be created using sugar water and various ingredients for bee consumption.
Help your bees thrive during times of drought
When your bees are struggling to drink during a drought, it’s crucial that they receive something to drink. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) suggests placing shallow dishes with pebbles or twigs for resting bees to drink from close by in order to minimize long treks back and forth from their hive to their source of water.
The RHS suggests avoiding store-bought honey as this could contain long-lived spores from American Foulbrood pathogen. Instead, offer stored or salvaged frames of capped honey during dry periods for added support.
Solid winter feeds such as candy boards, fondant or sugar bricks may also be an option, though these require specific recipes and additional time in the kitchen. You could also try feeding a small patty of winter feed that combines dried sugar with oil – this helps solubilize its components more easily!
Help your bees thrive during times of low pollen
Bees that live in low pollen environments must find alternative sources of nutrition. One option for bees in such an environment would be protein patties made with high quality ingredients that are free from cheap fillers, stimulants or flavorings and have been designed specifically to support bee nutrition.
Bees feed on protein patties which are broken down by their digestive tract into smaller parts that are then sent directly into their brood rearing cells, using up a lot of carbohydrates in this process.
Studies conducted with bees fed patty diets such as Global 15%, Bee Pollen-Ate, Feedbee or Trio in spring 2018 demonstrated similar hive growth across each treatment (figure below). Differences in consumption were more noticeable early on as natural forage was available later in spring than with earlier treatments.
