Feeding Bees in Fall

Do Your Beehives Need Extra Late Season Food?

Healthy honey bee colonies are usually capable of preparing for winter on their own.

But, nature can be harsh. Those without enough food stored (honey) and pollen (bee bread) will not survive.

Signs a Colony May Need Feeding

Don’t assume your bees need feeding just because fall is approaching—check the colony’s food reserves.

Routine hive inspections are important – even as we move into the slower time of year.

Two situations in late summer are cause for concern:

• A low population with little brood
• Very little stored honey

Of the two, low honey stores are the most urgent concern as winter approaches. For a colony with an extremely low population (but otherwise healthy) – consider combining the beehive with another colony.

When Should You Start Feeding?

Advice on timing is always difficult in beekeeping. We all live in very different climates and even within one bee yard – each hive is different.

First, let’s consider the term “Fall.” For humans, Fall usually means the time beginning in the month of September.

Honey bees don’t follow our calendar. They begin preparing for the cold season long before the first official day of fall.

Do you live in an area that naturally has a true fall nectar flow. I do not. Therefore my Fall bee feeding efforts being in late August – early September.

In South Carolina, if my colonies do not have enough honey stored by the second week of September—I feed. In general, count back about four weeks from your first frost date and address any food shortages as needed.

Of course, if an inspection shows that a colony is seriously short on food earlier, don’t wait for a date on the calendar to begin feeding.

Choosing the Right Sugar Syrup

Different sugar water ratios are used for different goals. In fall, I generally use either 2:1 syrup to increase food stores or 1:1 syrup when the colony needs a population boost first.

2:1 Syrup for Winter Stores

Colonies with a good population but low honey stores can be fed 2:1 sugar water—two parts sugar to one part water. This thicker syrup helps bees add food to their winter stores more quickly.

When I Use 1:1 Syrup

During a late summer nectar dearth, brood production may slow. If cold weather is still weeks away and the colony has a moderate amount of stored honey, I may feed 1:1 sugar syrup to encourage brood production.

I can usually see results within a week of feeding. Once the colony has a good population, I switch to 2:1 syrup to encourage food storage.

How Much Food Do They Need?

This is a common question at local beekeeping meetings, but there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

Honey bees living in Montana may be the same as bees living in Florida—but their winter food needs are very different.

The amount of stored food a colony needs depends on your climate and the length of winter. In my area, I want the food box above the brood nest to be full before cold weather arrives.

Don’t focus on feeding a certain amount of syrup. The goal is to make sure the colony has enough stored food to last until natural forage becomes available again.

When Is It Time to Stop?

Continue feeding until the colony has enough food stored for winter—or the bees quit taking the syrup.

As temperatures cool, bees become less interested in sugar water and have less opportunity to process and store it.

Learn more about when to stop feeding bees sugar water and other reasons it may be time to put the feeder away.

A Few Fall Feeding Precautions

Everyone is hungry this time of year, and feeding can increase the risk of bee robbing situations. I prefer to feed inside the hive and reduce entrances when needed, especially for weaker colonies.

Open feeding can attract bees from other colonies along with wasps and yellow jackets. If you choose this method, place bucket feeders or other feeding stations well away from the hives and monitor the bee yard for signs of trouble.

This is not the most economical strategy, as you will be feeding every wasp and yellow jacket in the area too-but it is better than having colonies starving.

What If Cold Weather Arrives?

If cold weather arrives before your bees have enough stored food, liquid syrup may no longer be the best choice.

Feeding bees in winter requires different methods to provide emergency food without adding excess moisture to the hive.

My Opinion on Late Season Feeding

It is truly disheartening when I “think” I have done best for my bees and yet they still die. But, this does happen.

My climate is relatively mild. Freezing temps are common with a few nights of single digits. 

A healthy bee colony can survive cold temperatures with ease as long as they have honey stores within reach.

That term “within reach” is very important. Your colonies can starve to death with a full box of honey on top of the hive. If the bee cluster is in the box below and unable to move up, they will freeze on the comb.

This is an extremely frustrating situation that thankfully does not occur often – but it can happen.

Beekeepers do debate the issue saying you should not feed. Should only the strongest survive – even when it is not their fault that food stores are low due to drought etc? I don’t think so.

Hopefully, all of your hives will be healthy and right on track to have enough food in storage. In that case, fall bee feeding will be one less thing for you to worry about. That’s sounds great.