Feeding Bees Sugar Water: A Practical Guide
Most beekeepers will face a situation where they need to feed their bees sugar water. While sugar water is not a replacement for honey or natural forage, it can help sustain a colony that is low on food. I’ll share when feeding may be helpful, how to make sugar water for bees and how I use it in my apiary.
We beekeepers get some funny looks pushing carts full of sugar through the market. But, used at the right time and for the right reason, supplemental feeding can be an important part of good hive management.
When Do Bees Need Sugar Water?
Honey bees do not always need supplemental feeding. A healthy colony with plenty of stored honey and good natural forage is usually better off gathering its own food.
Newly installed packages, caught swarms and new splits are common situations where feeding may be helpful.
Established colonies may also need help during a drought, prolonged poor weather or when food stores become dangerously low.
Colonies short on stored honey going into fall may need supplemental feeding before winter.
Routine hive inspections are one of the best ways to decide whether an established colony needs help. Look at stored honey and consider what is blooming, recent weather and colony strength.
Hive weight can also provide a clue. I often lift the back of a hive to get a feel for its weight. If most colonies feel heavy and one feels noticeably light, it is worth a closer look.
Don’t feed according to a calendar. Consider the colony, its food stores and local forage conditions before deciding whether supplemental feeding is needed.
How to Make Sugar Water For Bees
Sugar water (or sugar syrup) is made by dissolving regular granulated white cane sugar in water.
Do not use brown sugar, raw sugar, molasses or artificial sweeteners. Plain white granulated sugar and water are all you need.
Choosing the Right Sugar Water Ratio
The two most common ratios are 1:1 and 2:1. You can measure by weight or volume—don’t overthink this part.
1:1 sugar water: Mix equal amounts of sugar and water, such as 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water.
2:1 sugar water: Use twice as much sugar as water, such as 8 cups of sugar and 4 cups of water.
Warm water helps dissolve the sugar, especially for thicker 2:1 syrup. There is no need to boil it. These ratios are guidelines for different feeding goals, not rigid rules.
One-Gallon Sugar Water Recipe
For about one gallon of finished 1:1 syrup, use:
- 10 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 10 2/3 cups warm water
Don’t stress over exact measurements. Even natural nectar varies in sweetness.
When to Use 1:1 or 2:1 Sugar Water
The ratio you choose depends on why you are feeding and the needs of the colony.
Generally, 1:1 syrup is commonly used during spring and periods of colony growth, while 2:1 is often used when colonies need to increase food stores before winter.
These are guidelines—not rules. Climate, forage, colony strength and stored food should always be considered.
| Situation | Common Choice | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| New colony or spring buildup | 1:1 | Supports colony development and comb building |
| Temporary warm-season shortage | 1:1 | Provides food until forage improves |
| Fall storage shortage | 2:1 | Provides a more concentrated feed |
| Cold-weather emergency | Solid feed may be preferable | Avoids adding excess liquid moisture |
During a nectar dearth, drought or prolonged poor weather, a colony with low stores may need temporary feeding.
In fall, colonies short on winter stores are often fed 2:1 syrup. See my fall bee feeding guide for more information.
Liquid feeding becomes more difficult as temperatures fall. If a colony needs emergency food during cold weather, solid feed may be a better choice.
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How to Feed a Colony Safely
There are several types of bee feeders, and each has advantages and disadvantages.
Whatever you choose, avoid spilling or leaking syrup around the hive as this can increase the risk of honey bee robbing.
When robbing is a concern, feeding inside the hive is often a better choice than open feeding.
Never feed sugar water while honey supers intended for human harvest are on the hive.
Bees may store the syrup in the comb along with nectar. Also, avoid overfeeding, which can crowd the brood nest with stored syrup.
Sugar water can spoil, especially in warm weather. If it becomes cloudy, sour, moldy or smells fermented, throw it out and clean the feeder before adding fresh syrup.
How Long Should You Continue Feeding?
There is no set amount of time to feed bees sugar water. A new colony may need help while getting established, while an established colony may only need temporary feeding during a nectar shortage.
As natural forage improves and the colony has adequate food stores, supplemental feeding may no longer be needed. For more details, see when to stop feeding bees sugar water.
Expert Tips
Ask five beekeepers about feeding bees and you may get six different answers—and someone at the local beekeeping association meeting will probably tell you that you are wrong!
A couple of tips from my years in the bee yard:
- Watch new colonies closely. New beekeepers sometimes stop feeding packages or splits too soon. Check their progress and food stores rather than feeding for a set number of weeks.
- Plain sugar water is fine. I sometimes add a feeding supplement or use homemade essential oil for bees recipes but additives are optional.
FAQs
Feeding bees does not make them lazy. In fact, honey bees prefer natural nectar. They may ignore your sugar water if food in the field is plentiful.
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.
Bees may ignore sugar water when plenty of natural nectar is available. Also, check that the syrup is fresh and the feeder is working properly.
Yes. Make small batches and store extra syrup in the refrigerator until needed. If it becomes cloudy, sour or smells fermented, throw it out.
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. Pay attention to food stores, weather and natural forage—and let the condition of the hive tell you when help is needed.
Is it OK to open feed 1/1 mix this time of year? With the Hurricane last week I am starting to notice some robbing . Most of the goldenrod that was blooming has been affected and bees are feeding very aggressively on my 5 gallon bucket feeders I started yesterday.
Sure its okay, and you may consider setting up several 2 gal (or 1 gal buckets) instead of just 1 . Spread the population around.
I was wondering when you need the ventilation bottoms for your hives
I leave ventilated bottom on all year. If we have a really cold front in Winter. I slide the grid boards inside.
Hi Charlotte,
I am in a neighboring state, Ft. Bragg, Nc area. I enjoy reading your posts on bees. Very informative. Haven’t read all but working on it. I am a second yr bee keeper. My 1st year didnt work out so well. 3 packages and a swarm. They either died or absconded. Also the fact that my job was keeping me on the road 99 percent of the time didnt help either. Along with someone who was also a new bee keeper taking honey from them, the winter stores I’m guessing. But I was not discouraged,. I started over with 1 package and 2 nucs. And so far so good. As I was told when I got my nucs, be nice and give them a Christmas gift, a sugar patty also a valentines gift….lol. The winter stores will be left alone this time, being I am here permanently now. I am still feeding sugar water, 1 to 1 mix, in half gallon jars on boardman feeders. So my question is, should i stop feeding during winter mths, since the colony will downsize by kicking out the drones, and just keep an eye on their stores and feed them as needed or keep feeding as long as they are taking it.
We want our bees to have enough honey stored for winter well before Winter arrives. Feeding in winter should only be an emergency or extra precaution plan. So, I suggest – decide how much honey (how many boxes etc) bees need in your area. Feed the bees until you have that amount of stores. Dont forget to manage mites.
Hello, I live in Georgia and we have had a very wet summer. Can a lot of rain affect honey production? I have checked my hive and there are lots of bees, but no honey.
Absolutely, my bees dont fly very much in the rain. Also, sometimes the rain will wash nectar out of the bloom. Do you subscribe to my newsletter? Would love to have you.
I just took some honey out of my hive, only 4 frames and left the rest to the bees. I hve heard that a strong hive sucvh as mone you can harvest in September. Can I feed my bees now and then harvest in September? I hae one small honey super on now…
How much honey you took is not as important as how much you left. In my area, I have no Summer/Fall flow. Local conditions where you live will determine 1)How much honey your bees need for Winter and 2) Will there be enough forage out there for them to get what they need. I dont take any honey until my bees have one full shallow for themselves. How much you need to leave will depend greatly on your location.
Hi
im a newbee being mentored by a local beekeeper and my hived swarmed up above the hive in a tree about 40ft in the air and came back to hive i was thinking of stop feeding them sugar water cuz i was going to add the super to it
is that going to upset them
Pete from Maine
Do they have enough comb built and honey filled for the Winter? Here in SC, I tell my students to feed their bees until that goal is accomplished. Your local forage will factor in of course but in my area, a swarm that is not fed doesnt have a good chance of being ready for Winter by October.
I have several bee hives in South Texas where it has been very hot and dry this summer. I have put the supers on but am concerned that they will still need to be fed. What is the concern with feeding with supers on. I don’t want them to die or leave. I do have a water source close to the hives
There is no reason to feed with honey supers on for you. It would not be real honey. Bees make honey from plant nectar. They will convert sugar water into a honey-like substance but it wont be real honey.
Hello Charlotte,
This is my first year for keeping bees. I live in rural North MO and discovered a colony in a tree not too far away from my home. I decided to set a swarm trap in the trees behind my house and attempt to catch a swarm instead of buying a nuc or package. I started feeding sugar water in my back yard with the idea that it would promote a rapid spring built-up in the bee tree and they would need to swarm out. They were taking 2 qts of 1:1 a day! It must have worked or they did so naturally, who knows, I caught a swarm in the trap on my first try and now I have a new hive. I successfully transferred them to a hive on the 18th of June. A local bee keeper told me I should now stop feeding and let them do their own thing. He believes that sugar water will sit in the cells and go bad unless it is treated. Because it was very cold through mid May and we have had very hot and dry conditions here for early summer I am still feeding them and added a protein patty to boot. I fear that since they have gotten a late start in the season they are at a disadvantage and might not be able to sufficiently build-up their numbers and stores before winter. I will feed them this way all summer if that’s what it takes for them to survive. Is it factually true that sugar water stored in the cells will go bad if it is not treated before feeding?
After I transferred them I put a qt jar of sugar water with punched lid upside down over the hole of the inner cover protected by a deep box and lid and left it there for about 4 days. I thought that maybe that was too long for it to be used without it going bad, so I change it out with a fresh jar. This afternoon when I checked on them I noticed crawlers in front of the hive. I counted a couple dozen of them. Have I made them sick from the sugar water or could the colony they came from have been sick in some way? They seem to be very lively, even a bit defensive. As a result of my own stupidity I have been stung by them twice already.
Best Regards
Hi Dan,
You can rest easy as your sugar water would not have caused any problems with your bees. In fact, once the bees take the sugar water in and begin the conversion process to honey, you have no worries about it spoiling. While honey made from sugar water will not contain all the essences and micronutrients of honey made from plant nectar, it will not spoil in the comb more than any other kind. If they were mine, I would continue to feed as much as they will take it because they have a lot of work to do before winter.
The crawlers you are seeing as most likely a result of mites (viruses) etc unless a few happened to get into a pesticide.
I think you are on the right track, listen to your gut. Good Luck
i have 30 colonies apis cerana nd after several months it was turned to 40 by dividing but now only 29 volonies left what causes the bees to get awau from colonie
Many factors can cause problems. Lack of forage, problems with your queens, mites or other pests.
Hi charlotte and hi to all beekeepers.
I am a new beekeeper. From algeria (north africa).
I bought seven hives last year ( 2017) and i want to get good honey this year(2018) for human consomption.
This year ,the winter is long,it means , we are in june and still have rain and cold days.
The problem is that bees started Storting honey from nature, and the weather changes to cold,
So please, can i give them some sugar water just to est it not to store it? If yes, how much the ratio of sugar In water that must not be exceed juste to eat it. Know that i stopped feeding them.
Thkx so much.
Best regards
Local conditions are important. You can feed the bees anytime that you do NOT have boxes on for human consumption.
I am a newbie with a tbh and my bees are a new package (1 mo). I live in N TX and they are still going through a quart every 2 days. I’m told when they lose interest to stop, but they are not losing interest even though they are drawing comb like gang busters! I don’t know if I should drop down, stop and see or continue. I’m not concerned with human consumption, just keeping them fat and happy until something changes. They are great foragers and there is a lot of pollen comb. Should I continue for now?
I would continue. A tbh is a bit different – I dont know how much you need for Winter in your area. But since this is a new package of bees, I would not be quick to remove the feeder, especially since everything seems to be going so well.
I’m getting my very first package this weekend. I plan on using 1 gallon baggie feeders. My only concern is not being able to open the hive for the first 5-7 days. I’m not sure if 1-2 bags will last until I can open and check on the hive.
I used to use gallon baggies and liked them quite well. But you are right, they are a pain if you need to do inspections. You must be using a shim? If you lay the bags on the top bars you need a shim to hold the inner cover off the bag. IF you are putting them on the inner cover, you need a shim to hold the top off the bag. A bag or two would be fine for 5 days and if you put them on the inner cover you might be able to carefully move it (and them) in a few days if you need to.
We had our colony collaspe. I am having to give sugar water. The bees are going through a quart jar in two hours, should I be giving more.
Sandra, Usually when we say that a colony has collapsed it means it is dead. So I’m thinking that you have a weak colony or one that is low on food. What do to depends on where you live. It is 27 degrees at 3 PM in my area right now. But in general – when I am feeding bees that need fed, I would need more than a quart. Maybe use 2 or even 3 quarts at a time.
We have a new hive (local cut out) that is trying to produce a queen. They are eating a quart of 1:1 sugar water in less than 24 hours. The other two hives (Italian, with queens) are not eating their water that fast. Could the new hive be getting robbed even though there is still clover and they sugar water available to the other bees?
They could be, do you see fight and wrestling at the front? Also, since their hive life has been disrupted by the cut out and move, they may not be taking advantage of the local nectar as well as the others. I would make sure the entrance of the cut out hive is reduced some to help them protect against robbers.
Why does feeding sugar water to a colony make the honey unsuitable for human consumption?
Feeding sugar water while your honey collection supers are on will result in bees making sugar water honey. Real honey contains enzymes and all kinds of neat things left over from the harvested plant nectar. Sugar water is as close to honey as we can get for the bees but it is not really honey. Feed bees when you need to but not when the supers are on for your harvest.
Thanks very informative always wondered when to stop feeding .. Old hive had swarm queen cells– I split/ two bottom deeps with queen excluder on top added two mediums w/ another queen excluder and another two shallow w/drawn frames.
lower frame had brood and bees and honey from original hive. whats your opinion and what should expect. Thanks Santo used total 6 two/two /two
Its important to match the size of your hive (space inside) to the population of the colony. Unless you have alot of bees that sounds like alot of space for them to protect. After splitting a hive, always check in a couple of weeks to see if you have a laying queen in each part.