When it comes to choosing winter honey bee feed for sale, you can choose from three main types: AP23 Winter Patties, Sugar water, and Hard candy or fondant. These are all high-carbohydrate feeds for winter. While these types of winter feeds can melt at high temperatures, they still work well in your hive. You can store them at 70 degrees or below, or wrap them in wax paper for added protection.
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Hard candy or fondant
You can make hard candy or fondant in two ways, as needed. You can use a mixture of water and granulated sugar to make fondant, and stir constantly. You should aim to make it to a hard ball candy stage, or 250-265 degrees Fahrenheit. You can pour the mixture into molds, or hang it on a hoop from a falseback. The final product can be used for several weeks or stored in the freezer.
White sugar crystals
You can also use brown sugar, although it does contain molasses, and many organic varieties are tan in color. Despite the color difference, these alternatives carry the same risks as white sugar for bees. However, if you are unsure of which kind to buy, you can try the raw variety. It contains a tiny amount of molasses but is completely harmless to humans.
VitaFeed Gold
The new VitaFeed Gold winter honey bee feeding supplement is a dietary supplement designed to stimulate the growth of the colony and brood population. Based on molasses and natural beet extract, VitaFeed Gold is administered as a liquid feed to the bees. The product was developed over a number of years and extensively tested in field trials. Increasing numbers of beekeepers are turning to this product to help strengthen their colony.
Sugar water
If you have recently purchased new bees, you should start them on liquid feed immediately. Sugar water is an excellent choice because it stimulates wax production, which is critical for building comb and bee activity outside the hive. Feed your bees sugar water daily until they no longer take it up, or until their first major nectar flow begins. If you want to prevent the onset of winter problems, you can buy a winter supply of sugar water.
Baggies of honey bees
Honey bee feed comes in the form of 4 millimeter plastic zip-top bags. These bags can be placed on top of frames, inner covers, or dedicated top feeder boxes. Bees can easily access the sugar water by cutting an X in the top of the bag. Once the feed is in the bees’ bucket, they can easily remove the bag from the frames and continue feeding. The bees can then eat the remaining feed without removing the top-feeding box.
Natural food sources
Bees are capable of living without honey during the winter, so finding natural winter honey bee food sources becomes an important consideration for beekeepers. The best food source for bees is honey, but beekeepers also use sugar syrups to supplement their colonies. Beekeepers use a mixture of sucrose in water, and can choose to use one part sugar to two parts water. Ensure that the mixture is thoroughly mixed, and avoid brown sugar, molasses, or corn syrup, which are not beneficial to bees. Sugar syrups can be provided in different styles, including plastic feeder pails, hive top feeders, Boardman feeders, and division boards.
Alternatives to sugar syrup
To prevent your bees from becoming ill during the cold months, feed them an alternative to sugar syrup. A syrup feeder is usually a big, open container, placed several hundred yards from the hive. Bees cannot find it if it is too close to them. Sugar syrup is a plant-based food. Bees will not touch it if the temperature is too low. Alternatively, you can try a frame feeder.
