Sugar Cakes for Bees – Emergency Winter Food
I’ve used sugar cakes for bees for years as a little extra food insurance during cold weather. These soft sugar patties are quick to make and easy to place right above the cluster. They’re one of my favorite ways to give a colony a little help when winter stores might be running low. Here is my simple recipe.
Of course, sugar cakes are only one way to help a colony that is short on food. If you’re unsure when or what to feed, my guide to feeding bees in winter covers the different options and when to use them.
Even a colony with honey in the hive can run into trouble during a long stretch of cold weather. The cluster may not be able to move far enough to reach those stored reserves.
That’s one reason I like using these small sugar cakes. I can place the food directly above the winter bee cluster where the bees can reach it without traveling far.
They’re quick to make, require no special equipment, and give me an easy way to provide a little extra food when I’m concerned about a colony.
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What You’ll Need
You only need a few basic supplies:
- white granulated sugar
- water
- a mixing bowl
- wax paper or parchment paper
- a spoon or your hands for mixing
I use plain white cane sugar for my bees. There’s no need to add anything fancy—the goal is simply to provide an easy source of carbohydrates when the colony needs it.
Putting It Together
- Pour pure cane sugar in a large bowl or bucket (I never measure). Slowly add just enough warm water to make the sugar clump together – as you stir. We are not trying to dissolve the sugar – just stick it together.
Normally, I am using a 1:1 sugar water for the mixing but it really doesn’t matter. A large spoon is handy for rolling the sugar around to make sure it is all coated and damp. - I also add in a bit of Honey B Healthy (or other feeding supplement). You can add just a bit of your honey if you wish-but I have found it not necessary.
- Do not feed bees honey from unknown sources. This causes a risk of American Foul Brood being present.
For the feeding supplement – I really don’t measure. Just a small spoon of Honey B Healthy (or your own essential oil recipe for bees) – don’t over do it!
Try to use pure cane sugar for making sugar cakes for bees. It is more digestible than white sugar made from beets. If the bag doesn’t say pure cane sugar – it ain’t.
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Placing Sugar Cakes in the Beehive
On a “somewhat” mild day in late Fall (right before cold weather) briefly open the hive. Do not remove any frames and try to minimize the time with the hive open.
Place a piece of newspaper (getting harder to find) on top of the clustered bees, spray it with a little sugar water. Spoon a large clump of the sugar cake or patty on the newspaper. Close the hive.
The mixture is pliable. Not as firm as a DIY candy board for bees that is often larger. Sugar cakes mold between the frames as you reassemble the hive. It does not require a shim.
(A shim is a simple rectangular frame that is the same width and length as a honey super -only 1 – 2 inches tall.)
This practice helps some of my smaller colonies survive. The first time I tried this process, it was a true emergency feeding situation and I hoped it would help some of the smaller clusters survive the record cold.
Upon the next hive inspection, the bees had certainly made good use of my sugar cake emergency patty. It does no harm and may save a colony of bees that is in transition moving from one box to another during bitter cold.
When I Use This Emergency Food
I consider sugar cakes insurance food—not a substitute for leaving the colony plenty of honey for winter. But even with good planning, a colony can sometimes run short.
I use them when I’m concerned about a hive’s food stores or when the cluster may not be able to reach stored honey during a stretch of very cold weather. I’ve also added them before an unusually cold spell as a little extra insurance.
Bees can starve with honey still in the hive if cold weather prevents the cluster from moving to it. Placing sugar directly above the winter bee cluster gives them a food source they can reach without traveling far.
Why it Works Well in Cold Weather
During cold weather, I prefer sugar cakes over liquid feed. Bees need carbohydrates for energy, but it is best to avoid feeding sugar syrup when temperatures are low – it can add unwanted moisture to the hive.
The sugar cake stays right above the cluster and as a bonus, the dry sugar may absorb some excess moisture inside the hive.
Sugar Cakes vs. Candy Boards
Sugar cakes and candy boards both provide bees with a solid source of carbohydrates, but they aren’t the same thing.
A candy board holds a larger amount of hard sugar and is generally meant to stay on the hive for a longer period.
My sugar cakes are smaller, softer, and much quicker to make —no special equipment or candy board required.
If you want a larger, longer-lasting supply of winter food, see my guide to making a candy board for bees.
Help Prevent Winter Feeding Emergencies
The best winter food for honey bees is the honey they stored for themselves.
Develop a successful fall bee feeding plan for colonies in need. Check your beehive records from the last couple of years if you have them – and you should. Did your colonies fare well with the food stored?
Going into winter, I want each colony to have plenty of honey. Even then, I still keep an eye on food stores throughout winter.
But, even with good attention to Winterizing your beehives, they can still get into trouble without attention. I watch the food reserves of my hives closely as we move through January – February and March.
FAQs
Sugar patties can provide a quick source of carbohydrates when a colony is running low on stored honey. I use them as emergency food or a little extra insurance during cold weather—not as a replacement for good winter stores.
That depends on the size of the cake, the colony, and how badly the bees need it. Check the hive when weather permits and add another sugar cake if most of the previous one has been consumed.
No. Sugar cakes provide carbohydrates, while pollen patties are used as a source of supplemental protein. They serve different purposes in the hive.
No. I stick with plain white granulated sugar. Brown sugar and other less-refined sugars contain ingredients bees don’t need and may cause digestive problems.
Final Thoughts
In most cases, providing your hives with a small sugar cake does no harm and it might help some colonies make it through until Spring. This is a safer alternative than providing liquid feed and for some colonies it will make their chances for survival much greater.
Charlotte, I have always been told to make sure your bees have adequate food for winter. I am in middle west Georgia (south of Atlanta) so that generally means at least a shallow super with all fames full going into winter. I have also heard that once bees form the winter cluster, they won’t break it to access the food. How do the bees reach the food stored for them in the shallow super and not strave?
That’s a good question Mark. We want the cluster (at least the edge of it) to always be in contact with food. The cluster itself will move slowly following the sections of honey. In most cases – bees in the bottom box worth their way up to the top box by the end of Winter. And, bees will break cluster on any warm(ish) day and move some food, do orientation flights etc.
I live in central Florida.. will my bees do ok in our mild weather without feeding them? We seldom even get a frost.
Most likely since you dont have cold weather – but I would still monitor their food occasionally.
This is my first winter and I already lost a hive this season and trying to keep my other hive healthy and alive! Especially following my beetle battle. Thank you for this information!!
How do bees get their water requirement if they’re eating sugar instead of honey?
The heat of the cluster gives off moisture that is absorbed by the dry sugar. And, of course – on warm winter days the bees would gather water if needed.
I have been feeding wild bees in my yard to keep my humming birds feeders free for the birds. Now that they have left to migrate I still have the bees. When should I stop feeding the bees?
Sure, I would stop.
Beekeeper Charlotte,
I really enjoyed reading your article. What is harsh weather? I am from California and now live in Georgia where I plan to raise honey bees. Georgia is harsh considering Northern California weather. What do you consider harsh and in what temperatures can honey bees fend for themselves without concern from their beekeeper?
~Matthew
Hi Matthew, Healthy well prepared honey bee colonies usually do quite well by themselves. However, it’s those marginal colonies that I worry about. For myself, I worry a bit when temps dip into the teens.
Hi Charlotte! I’m very concerned about my struggling hives and this cold snap coming in. Tomorrow is supposed to be 60 degrees around 2. Should I “emergency feed” my hives to get through the next couple days? I thought about bringing my hive bodies down to 1 box as well, except for the hives that have brood and higher population of course. I really need some guidance.
Well, that is not easy to say. BUT, if you colonies are small and you are concerned that they do not have enough honey near the cluster.. then yes, I would.
I have a question i’m looking to move 3 hives to under a over hang of a old barn to get them out of the summer heat last year my wife had me put patio unbrellas over the hives because they were on the outside of the hives by mid morning. i’m just wanting to know if you think this would be a good or bad ideal
Do you live in an area with intense heat? If not, the bees are capable of handling things on their own pretty well. If you have not, you could add screened bottoms boards to increase ventilation, slatted racks between the bottom board and 1st hive body and/or popicle sticks under the top to increase air flow. I dont see a problem with putting them under a shed as long as you still have plenty of room to work them and the ground is dry. (This is for those who live in an area with small hive beetles.)
Hello, thank you for posting this very helpful information. I lost one of five last winter to starvation and definitely don’t want that to happen again! Thanks to you no more winter starvation. John
You are welcome. It doesnt work everytime but I think it helps.
Thanks Charlotte. I will definitely give this a go.
a very interesting and enjoyable article. I never realized that bees were such a needed species. I have a new respect for them. Thank you for your part in the preservation of them.
Thank you Sheryl, Bees are one piece of a pretty big pie! I hope you will share my post with your friends.