Feeding Sugar Water to Bees
Most beekeepers will face a situation where they need to feed their bees sugar water. While sugar water is not a replacement for honey, it will sustain a colony that is low on food. In this article, I will share with you how to make sugar water for bees and how to know the right time to use it. I will also explain how I use sugar water feeding in my apiary.
We beekeepers get some funny looks when we are pushing carts full of sugar through the market. But, we know that – done at the right time and for the right reason, feeding is an important part of good hive management.
How to Make Sugar Water For Bees
The first step in making sugar water (or sugar syrup) for your bees is understanding the proper ingredients. It is made by dissolving regular granulated white cane sugar in water. Do not use brown sugar, raw sugar or other ingredients as they may contain substances that will make your colony sick.
Sugar Water Ratios
There are 2 basic recipes using when making sugar water for honey bees. Both use the same ingredients (water and sugar).
The difference involves measuring the amount of sugar and water (the ratio) that you add together. You can measure by weight or volume it does not matter – don’t overthink this part.
1:1
To make 1:1 sugar water – mix equal amounts of granulated sugar and water. You can measure with cups or use weight as the unit of measure. It does not matter because either method will result in a 1:1 mixture. Equal parts sugar – water (i.e. 2 cups sugar – 2 cups water).
2:1
A 2:1 ratio contains twice as much sugar as water. For example, 8 cups of sugar to 4 cups of water. When using this mixture, use very warm water to dissolve the sugar easier. However, do not boil your bee syrup, this is not good and it is not necessary.
Recipe for 1 Gallon of Sugar Water
If you only have a couple of hives, you may want to mix up 1 gallon of liquid food at a time. These measurements will get you close to a gallon of liquid in a 1:1 ratio. Do not stress over exact measurements. Even in the field, nectar sources vary a bit in sweetness.
- 10 2/3 cups of granulated sugar
- 10 2/3 cups of warm water
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Additives
When mixing up bee syrup (sugar water) I do like to add a feeding supplement to encourage uptake and help prevent syrup from becoming moldy. This is not a requirement – plain sugar water is fine.
You can even use homemade supplement recipes – like using essential oils for bees. These are thought to promote better bee health too. Be cautious, these products are concentrated- add only a small amount.
How Sugar Water Feeding Affects Bees
Why are 2 different sugar water ratios used in feeding bees? I’m glad you asked. While both recipes provide carbohydrates, they have different effects on the honey bee colonies.
Spring Feeding (for Buildup)
Spring is a time of colony growth as bees are busy raising bee brood. Newly started hives are struggling to get their colony established. Spring beekeeping is a busy time for bees and beekeeper.
Feeding honey bees a 1:1 ratio, promotes brood rearing. This thin mixture is closest to the sweetness of most natural nectars.
This same method of feeding 1:1 applies to any time throughout the season when you have a colony in need of food. Perhaps a new split hive could benefit from some supplemental feeding.
Fall Feeding (Food Storage)
As the cold season approaches, it is not uncommon to find hives that are not quite ready for Winter. The secret to Fall bee feeding. is to get out there and get it done in late summer before the weather cools.
The ratio of 2:1 sugar water promotes food storage. This mix is not as likely to encourage brood rearing and more likely to end up stored in comb. If your colonies don’t need extra feeding – that’s great!
Identifying When Bees Need Fed
Aside from seasonal issues, how do you know when your bees need sugar water? As beekeepers, we perform routine hive inspections during the season to assess colony conditions. Sometimes your beehive will tell you when they need help:
Signals from the Hive
- seasonal variations
- hive weight monitor
- hive status
Seasonal Foraging
Every region has an ebb and flow of nectar and pollen producing flowers. Constantly monitor food stores and incoming nectar. In case your bees need help due to a nectar dearth.
Checking food stores during this time and possibly feeding to help build bee populations may be advisable.
Hive Weight
I am not one of those beekeepers who is a master at judging colony weight – but some folks can. If you gently lift the hive from the back (just a bit) you can tell if it is “light or heavy”. If all the hives in your apiary are heavy except for one – you may need to feed those bees sugar water – at least a few gallons (yes-gallons).
Hive Status
The most important aspect of feeding bees has to do with hive status. Regardless of weather and forage, most new hives with a freshly installed package of bees will benefit greatly from supplemental feeding.
The same also applies when beekeepers split their hives to create new colonies. Having extra food is a big bonus that the bees will make use of at night and on rainy days.
Expert Tips
If you discuss your methods of feeding sugar water to your bees, be prepared for some criticism. Some beekeepers feel that you should never feed your hives, period. Others recognize the importance of feeding bees when hives conditions warrant.
No matter what you choose, be prepared to have some well-meaning beekeepers at the local beekeeping association meeting to tell you that you are wrong!
- supplemental feeding does not take the place of natural nectar and pollen
- do not give bees sugar water without a reason – you can overfeed
- always try to evaluate why the colony needs sugar water (weather conditions, low population, etc.)
- The biggest mistake made by beekeepers is failing to feed a new colony long enough.
FAQs
Only feed sugar water to beehives that are in need of extra nutrition. For newly established hives, feeding for a few weeks gives them a big boost.
Even healthy established bee colonies can experience food shortages. They may be victims of a lack of forage in the field such as that caused by a drought or the field force of bees may have been lost for some reason.
Feeding bees does not make them lazy. In fact, honey bees prefer natural nectar when good sources are available. They may ignore your sugar water if food in the field is plentiful.
There will be times when you should stop feeding bees sugar water. These include the cold months of Winter (unless you are in a very warm climate) and when your honey collection supers are on.
The bees will use any nectar (or nectar-like substance) to make honey. Honey produced from sugar water instead of nectar – that’s a no no. And, its not real honey.
Yes, sugar water you make for your bees can get moldy. Only make the amount your bees can use before it gets stale.
Final Thoughts
Making and feeding sugar water for bees is a lot of work and expense (if you have more than one hive). You should not have to feed every colony all season. If this is happening, something is wrong. How much extra sugar water your hives require will depend on your climate and other conditions.
