Sugar syrup is fed twice annually to promote brood-rearing or make up for depleted honey stores. Many beekeepers use a one-to-one ratio of water to sugar during spring feeding and two-to-one ratio during fall feeding, with 1:1 being the perfect dose of stimulation while 2:1 provides the needed relief from lack of stores.
Note that water and sugar do not combine at room temperature; for the best results, combine sugar with near-boiling water instead.
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It is adapted to the feeding of bees at the end of winter
Most beekeepers feed bees in the spring and fall to assist them with building new comb, increasing food stores, encouraging brood rearing, nectar flow, and increasing brood rearing rates. Some even use syrup at the end of winter to boost colonies that may have run low on honey before spring arrives.
However, feeding syrup to bees at the end of winter can pose several issues. First of all, it increases humidity in the hive, which can reduce its effectiveness as a cluster. Furthermore, inadequate airflow prevents proper heat regulation which could lower bee body temperatures further and cause them to rob off or die off prematurely.
Moldy sugar solutions can become unappetizing to bees. To combat this issue, many beekeepers use inverted containers containing their syrup – for instance quart jars used with Boardman feeders, paint cans with holes, or plastic pails with lids are ideal.
It is easy to prepare
Sugar syrup can help your bee colonies survive winter with ease and is easier than honey to prepare. Use refined white or beet sugar for this, but avoid giving molasses or sorghum which contain impurities that could lead to dysentery in your colonies.
To create sugar syrup, combine equal parts granulated sugar and water. It is best to use warm or hot water because this helps dissolve any crystallized sugar crystals that might remain. Measuring by cups or weight are both appropriate.
Once the mixture has cooled down, you can feed it to your bees in various forms: feeder or between frames in your brood box. Sugar water must be stored away from hive entrance as bees can easily drown in it – many beekeepers use hive-top feeders which make filling easy; alternatively you could cut a small hole in a gallon zip lock bag so bees can access it.
It is easy to transport
Sugar syrup (commonly referred to as artificial nectar) is used as an artificial nectar source to feed bees during winter when real honey is unavailable. Different mixes are necessary at different points throughout the year – during spring feeding it’s common to mix one part sugar to one part water to promote brood rearing and foundation drawing.
When making sugar syrup, only white granulated sugar should be used. Brown and molasses sugars contain impurities which could potentially cause bee dysentery – an infection which kills bees quickly and is easily confused with Nosema disease.
Feeders designed for direct placement on top bars of hives can also be beneficial. Baggie feeders are an effective solution, consisting of gallon zip lock bags filled with 2:1 syrup that can be secured directly on top bars without damaging hives. Simply cut small holes or 1″ slits in their surface so bees can access their food without risking damage to their home hive.
It is easy to store
Beekeepers create 1:1 sugar syrup during spring to provide their bees with food during the summer. It is known as 1:1 syrup, and may also be used post-extraction season if there are not enough stores left behind.
However, artificial nectar does not match natural nectar quality and may lead to bee dysentery – a condition characterized by spots of feces around the entrance of the hive. To combat this problem, beekeepers should only use white granulated sugar rather than brown or molasses sugar and avoid using sorghum or fruit juices that contain impurities harmful to bees and could potentially lead to dysentery. When storing their syrup solution beekeepers can place gallon zip lock bags filled with their 2:1 solution on top of clustered hives with 10-15 small holes drilled through each lid so bees can access their food without spillover.