Feed your bees a 1:1 mixture of white granulated sugar and water; this simulates natural plant nectar as a source of sustenance for honey bees.
An easy way to prepare sugar water is with a canning jar with an airtight lid, punched with 6-8 small holes using a nail or other suitable small tool.
Contents
Pollen
Beekeepers frequently rely on pollen substitute as a last resort when natural pollen becomes limited. Bees require a diverse diet that includes carbohydrates from nectar and honey they produce as well as proteins sourced from pollen sources such as flowers. To obtain all these vital nutrients, bees forage widely collecting various kinds of pollen, so relying solely on one source can starve colonies of vital nourishment.
Sugar syrup or honey mixed with pollen substitute can provide your bees with extra protein during periods of low food availability, providing vital support for rearing brood in difficult circumstances. This step is especially critical during spring when new colonies begin building up and need access to protein. A supplement feed of this kind is also an effective way of encouraging them to forage during a drought or late freeze when natural sources may become scarcer.
Honey
Honey stored in the hive helps bees make it through Winter, as well as serving as pollen stores for early spring brood rearing. If the rate of colony growth outpaces natural food sources, supplemental feeding will become necessary to sustain colony expansion.
Sugar water, the liquid version of granulated sugar dissolved in water, is one of the easiest and simplest ways to feed bees. It emulates the sweetness of natural plant nectar and bees have become adept at collecting it as they gather sustenance for themselves and their colonies.
Beekeepers typically rely on pail feeders – either commercially available or homemade from mason jars with cutout lifts inside their lid – to store and provide their sugar water mix to bees. Feeding can help improve colony health during periods such as new packages arriving, weak hives or extreme weather causing flowers to go dormant; simple 1:1 sugar water will prevent starvation from setting in and the colony will stay stronger for longer.
Beeswax
Bees that feed on honeycomb nectar (from maples, blackberries, or lindens) during spring and early summer nectar flows can eat it through chewing out or spitting out honey from its cells; this takes significant energy expenditure and depletes their food stores rapidly.
Beekeepers looking to encourage bees to produce wax can use 1:1 sugar syrup inside the hive as an incentive, using either a frame feeder (a container the size of an entire Langstroth frame that sits within it) or other means, but these solutions have their own disadvantages, including cooling off the syrup, which reduces effectiveness, and inciting robbing activities.
Feeding honey syrup requires using an entrance board such as a Mountain Camp rim or candy board, which enables bees to access it without leaving their cluster. Beekeepers can then monitor their hive until white wax production increases as an indicator that their bees have built new foundation for storage of their precious produce.
Sugar
Where natural nectar sources are inadequate, bees can rely on sugar water as a food source. A 1:1 ratio between sugar and water is commonly employed (although some prefer higher amounts to stimulate queen and her brood).
Granulated white sugar is ideal, as its purity allows no residue in their guts that could pose health concerns in cold climates where cleansing flights may not be readily available or feasible. A plastic freezer bag should be used, with holes drilled on its upper surface so bees can access their syrup easily.
Sugar water feedings in spring can help hives build strength to better deal with early flowers such as oil seed rape. They may also give swarms or nucs an early boost as they expand into full colonies. But it is essential not to overfeed, since starvation will force bees to sacrifice brood or young bees; and during autumn only as much food should be stored away for winter survival.
