Honey Bees
Feeding Your Bees
Honey Bees need our help to survive. They are not native to North America and we are harvesting their surplus honey from them. This means we typically need to feed the bees in the spring and fall. These feeding times occur when it’s just the hive bodies and no honey supers. This is because it is purely for the bees to feed themselves. We are not having them make honey for human consumption out of store-bought cane sugar. No supplemental feeding is occurring when the supers are in place and the bees are filling the boxes with surplus honey that we will harvest.
Spring Feeding – Simple syrup of 1 part sugar to 1 part water by volume. In the early spring the bees are running low on winter stores and often there is not enough out in the environment for them to survive on their own. Don’t neglect to feed your bees!
Pollen – Pollen is essential for brood production. You can either trap pollen and store it for later use, or buy pollen patties (which is what I do). Offer pollen in the spring to help build up the hive population, or if there is a pollen dearth. Place between the brood boxes.
Fall Feeding – Simple syrup of 2 parts sugar to 1 part water by volume. After harvesting the surplus honey your bees worked so hard to make, be sure to keep them well fed going into winter so that they don’t run out of stores. You can also make a candy board.
Water – Not really feeding, but when active during the warmer months, bees need ½-1 gallon per hive per day! Make sure to have a source of clean water nearby. Avoid putting it directly by the hive.
Making Simple Syrup
It is essential to heat the mixture when making 2:1 syrup so that you aren’t left with clumps of sugar.
A 4lb bag of sugar equals about 9 cups.
Spring: Mix a 4lb bag of sugar with 9 cups water to make 1:1 simple syrup.
Fall: Mix a 4lb bag of sugar with 4.5 cups water to make 2:1 simple syrup.
A 10lb bag of sugar equals about 22 ⅔ cups.
Spring: Mix a 10lb bag of sugar with ~22 ⅔ cups water to make 1:1 simple syrup (Good luck finding a pot big enough! I only use a whole 10lb bag at once to make fall feed).
Fall: Mix a 10lb bag of sugar with ~11 ⅓ cups water to make 2:1 simple syrup (This just barely fits in my 6qt Dutch oven).
Types of Feeders
Hive-Top
Internal feeder placed on top of the hive.
Pros: Internal feeders decrease the potential for robbing. Can hold large volumes, so they don't have to be refilled as often.
Cons: Could leak onto your bees and brood, syrup can spoil if the bees don't eat it quickly enough, bees can drown in the syrup.
Frame (Division Board)
Internal feeder placed in the brood box.
Pros: Internal feeders decrease the potential for robbing. Can hold large volumes, so they don't have to be refilled as often.
Cons: Must remove an empty frame to make room for the feeder, which takes space away for brood and stored food. Have to disturb the hive to refill the feeders, feed can spoil, bees can drown in the simple syrup.
Boardman
External feeder placed at the hive entrance.
Pros: Easy to see when feed is getting low and you can refill without disturbing the hive.
Cons: Only holds about a quart of simple syrup, requiring more frequent refills. Can create robbing situations. I don't recommend them for that reason, but that is just personal preference.
Emergency Feeding
In a pinch, you can place simple syrup in a ziploc bag and set it on the frames in the topmost box. Cut a slit in the top of the bag so that bees can access the fees, then surround with an empty super box.
You can also pre-make some candy by combining honey (from a healthy colony, or use thick sugar syrup) with enough powdered sugar to knead it into a stiff paste. Store in the freezer. Remove and place on top of frames as needed.
Winter Feeding
Make fondant or a candy for overwintering bees when it’s too cold to offer liquid feed.
I use a winter candy board which holds the candy and also acts as an inner cover.
Winter Candy Recipe:
- Bring 12oz of water to a boil in a large pot.
- Pour in one 4lb bag of sugar.
- Mix until dissolved.
- Bring to 250°F and turn off heat
- Pour into a mold or prepared board.
- Let cool completely before placing on hive.