When bees are unable to obtain adequate pollen, nectar or water, they can deplete their food stores. This depletion can result in a decline in overall colony health and growth.
In such cases, beekeepers can provide a source of nutrients to supplement the bees’ diet. This can be done in one of two ways:
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Honey
Honey is a thick, amber- or golden-colored liquid that comes from flower nectar collected by bees. It is a natural source of many vitamins and minerals.
Bees collect nectar by using their straw-like tongues to take tiny sips of it from flowers. Then, it is stored in a special stomach called the crop.
During this time, the sugars in the nectar are converted from complex to simple sugars by enzyme activity within the bees. This process is repeated throughout the bees’ lives.
When bees don’t have sufficient nectar available, they may supplement their diet with honeydew secreted by insects. Occasionally, bees may also collect fruit juice or plant exudates to replenish their stores.
As fall approaches, beekeepers can help their bee colonies build adequate honey stores by feeding a 2:1 ratio of sugar syrup to any nectar collected. This thin mix is closest to the sweetness of most natural nectars, which can stimulate brood rearing.
Sugar
Sugar can be a good source of energy for a starving colony. It also stimulates wax production necessary for comb building and other activities inside the hive.
The most common way to feed bees from sugar is through a syrup feeder. It’s a container the size of a full-depth Langstroth frame with an open top and risers to provide space for bees.
Bees can easily suck the syrup through the risers and into their combs as if it were honey. The sugar syrup should be heated to almost boiling to speed up the process of dissolving.
If you want to add an extra boost, try feeding your bees with pollen that you’ve collected before flowers start dying out in fall. This will fortify the syrup with protein, which is essential to keep bees strong and healthy. Adding lemongrass and spearmint oil to the syrup is another tasty option. It keeps mites and fungi away while acting as an appetizer for your bees.
Isomerized Corn Syrup
There are a few things that you can feed bees. Some of these things include stored honey, sugar, and isomerized corn syrup (high fructose corn syrup).
Isomerized corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup is a liquid that contains both glucose and fructose. It is made through a process of hydrolysis and isomerization of corn starch.
HFCS is often fed to bees during supplemental feeding for several reasons. It is used to promote brood production after bees have been moved for commercial pollination, when field-gathered nectar sources are scarce, and to stimulate early spring brood rearing.
HFCS can be purchased in a variety of concentrations, including HFCS-42 and HFCS-55. HFCS-42 is less expensive but has a lower concentration of dissolved solids, which makes it not as nutritious.
Water
Water is one of the most important substances on Earth. All forms of life need water to survive. It is composed of molecules consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
Each molecule of water can hold up to four hydrogen bonds with other species. These polar covalent bonds are vital for the hydration of cellular structures and help keep everything inside a cell in its correct shape at the molecular level.
If the honey stores in your hive are low, you can feed your bees sugar water to give them an extra boost before winter sets in. This will ensure your bees have enough food to live off of during the winter and avoid starvation.
You can make your own sugar water by heating water and adding sugar to it. It is best to use a container that is big enough for the amount you want to make. A 2 qt (2 l) jar works well for small batches, but you may need a larger one if you plan on feeding a large amount of sugar water to the bees.
