Sugar syrup has many applications in beekeeping, such as increasing brood rearing in early spring and strengthening weak overwintering colonies. Furthermore, it can prevent robbing by providing both protein and carbohydrates for foragers to consume.
These ratios should only be seen as guidelines; not requirements. With some straightforward tips in place, making syrup can become much simpler!
Contents
1. Using granulated sugar
One part sugar to one part water makes a simple syrup suitable for feeding bees throughout the year. This light syrup may mimic spring and encourage comb building; in addition, it can provide extra reserves during nectar dearths or scorching temperatures.
Other beekeepers prefer 2:1 syrups, which is heavier and denser than 1:1 varieties yet still easily stored by bees. It can be useful in aiding new hives as well as adding winter stores for colonies that lack food reserves.
Some beekeepers employ dry white sugar placed on a hive mat or in a division board feeder, where bees will gather the moisture necessary to liquefy it from outside their hive or via condensation within its feeder.
2. Using water
Beekeepers commonly make lighter sugar water (1 part sugar to 2 parts water by weight) in spring to promote brood rearing. They use hot but not boiling water to dissolve sugar, then stir until the solution becomes clear.
Sugar syrup used as spring feed or simple syrup may also be called “spring feed,” while in autumn heavier (2:1 by weight) solutions are used to bolster colony stores for winter.
Honey syrup resembles honey, and bees will store it away for winter use. It can be fed through boardman feeders or placed inside the hive on a riser with an access hole large enough to allow bees access. Some recipes call for adding cream of tartar as well to avoid crystallization but this step is optional.
3. Using a thermometer
An accurate thermometer can help ensure you create sugar syrup suitable for bees in an effective and safe way. A thermometer will prevent burning or caramelizing of sugar which would render it indigestible by bees. When heating sugar to 238 degrees Fahrenheit – also referred to as soft ball stage temperature – ensure the soft ball stage temperature has been reached.
This recipe produces a light syrup which can be fed during spring and summer to promote comb growth, or it can be added during winter to add weight to the hive.
When creating ratios, it is crucial to remember that weight must be the determining factor, rather than volume. Utilizing an incorrect ratio could result in inaccurate results.
4. Using a jar
As spring arrives, new package or nucleus hives often need sugar syrup to feed their bees until their pollen stores have grown enough. This is important because new colonies do not possess sufficient resources or numbers to capitalize on nectar flows effectively.
There are various ratios of sugar to water that can be used when creating bee syrup, with weight and volume measurements both being viable options. While their final sugar concentration might differ slightly, bees won’t notice.
One easy method for creating a 2:1 sugar syrup is pouring most of the dry sugar into a half-gallon canning jar and gradually adding hot water until just below boiling point is reached. This method saves both time and effort while eliminating the need to weigh or measure ingredients beforehand.
5. Using a bucket
While most beekeepers do not feed their colonies during summer months due to high temperatures and nectar dearth, extreme conditions may necessitate extra assistance from you as a beekeeper. One easy solution would be making 1:1 sugar syrup in a bucket for easy distribution throughout the colony.
To do this, add dry sugar to a clean container and pour hot water until the level reaches a marked line on the outside of your bucket. Stir or shake to dissolve all of the sugar.
Sugar to water ratios depend on the season; lighter syrup (1:1) encourages spring comb building while thicker (2:1) varieties help hives withstand winter chill. When placing your syrup bucket on either a division board feeder or frame feeder (which resembles an open Langstroth frame with no top), give bees access to their nectar source.
