When nature doesn’t provide them with enough nectar for honey production, feeding bees sugar syrup is an easy, cheap and effective way to sustain their existence until weather warms up enough for them to bring in pollen for pollen harvesting.
At different points of the year, different kinds of syrup are ideal. A one-to-one ratio between sugar and water should generally be used during spring and summer; whereas during fall a heavier 2:1 mixture is usually more suitable.
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1. Light Syrup (1:1)
Bees have evolved to collect liquid food sources such as nectar or pollen from flowers; therefore it’s common for beekeepers to mix granulated sugar with water in a ratio that depends on the season in order to encourage hygiene, disease resistance and mite prevention. This approach helps promote bee health.
One part sugar to one part water produces a light syrup that is ideal for spring and summer feeding if there is no nectar flow, as well as encouraging brood rearing and comb building.
Light syrup helps cool hives during hot weather by being evaporated by bees to remove excess moisture from their bodies, as well as being used in creating bee foods such as pollen patties and essential oil supplements.
New colonies on foundation often keep an emergency supply in a jar or bucket nearby to act as an insurance policy in case their food quality dips too low and bee dysentery arises as a result.
2. Medium Syrup (1:2)
In summer months when bees need extra sustenance, nectar and pollen may be difficult for them to find; at such times, you should provide them with sugar water feed as supplemental nourishment.
Typically, it is best to employ a ratio of sugar and water that mimics what bees would find naturally – usually 1:2 ratio although it doesn’t need to be exactly this number.
Medium syrup is often fed to bees as sugar water in the summer as an effective replacement for nectar and pollen sources, providing vitamins and minerals which are vitally important to their wellbeing.
Sugar and water are combined and heated until it thickens to create this syrup. It is typically used to sweeten and flavor cold desserts like ice cream. Furthermore, this glaze can also be used on cakes and cookies as an adhesive layer or to glaze cakes and cookies with more complex flavors by adding herbs or spices.
3. Thick Syrup (2:1)
Thick syrup (2:1) can assist bees in building their stores for overwintering. With its higher sugar content and easier cell capping process, thick syrup is often preferred over light syrup in this regard. Furthermore, thick syrup may serve as an dietary supplement when honey stores have been depleted during summer or autumn periods.
Made by mixing equal parts white granulated sugar and water. After heating to boiling point, reduce heat and simmer until all sugar has completely dissolving into solution.
Bees prefer liquid sugar water over sugar granules as the former dissolves more quickly and is easier for their bees to digest than its counterpart.
If the temperature falls too far below 50 degF (10 degC), bees may stop going out to forage and begin starving, leading them to starve quickly and slowly. Feeding liquid spring syrup to their bees is one way to keep them healthy until temperatures return above this threshold.
4. Fondant
if your bees have run short on honey reserves during winter months, fondant might be an alternative solution to feed them. Fondant is a sugar paste found at many supermarkets or bakeries or can even be easily prepared yourself using this simple recipe.
Fondant can be easily made by mixing 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar with small amounts of water and vinegar; you may also want to include essential oil for flavoring purposes.
Fondant is much simpler to handle and store than syrup; during winter it can be placed directly under an inner cover without the need for an additional feeder.
Hive Alive Fondant Patty can be fed directly into a hive when temperatures become too cold to feed with syrup, or late winter when bee stores run low due to no nectar flow. This allows bees access food without resorting to robbing and reduces their chances of starvation.
