Heat the water in a container large enough to hold the water and sugar. As soon as the water gently boils, remove the container from the heat source. Pour in the sugar and stir until the sugar crystals are dissolved. Never boil the mixture after the sugar is added.
The most common way to help a hungry colony is by feeding bees sugar water. While sugar water or sugar syrup is not exactly the same as plant nectar, it will keep a colony alive. However, supplemental feeding is not without its challenges.
In the springtime, you may stop feeding honey bees sugar water once the flowers are in bloom. However, if it's a new package of bees, you may need to keep going for a while. You don't expect to harvest honey in your first year, so the risk of harvesting capped syrup is eliminated. Allow the colony to get established.
Bees don't need to be fed, but feeding them a bit of sugar water from a spoon won't do any harm provided this is a one time thing. The problem is that people have expanded on the myth. If a bit of sugar water for an exhausted bee is good, then a lot of sugar water for all the bees must be better.
Once it cools to room temperature, it's ready. Store any extra sugar water in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Feeding sugar in any form is fine as long as the honey bees are not actively collecting nectar and making honey. If you feed syrup while the bees are making honey, the honey will be become diluted with the syrup. Honey is made from the nectar of flowers.
Bees are small and drown easily, so using a shallow dish filled with rocks or marbles is ideal. Just keep the water line shallower than the rocks, so the bees have a place to land. It's equally important to make sure the dish of water you're putting out for thirsty bees hasn't been contaminated with pesticides.
It is Just Too Cold. In the vast majority of cases, the reason bees will not accept the sugar syrup provided from a feeder is simply that it is too cold.
Many beekeepers feed sugar syrup when: Honey stores run out during winter – a beginner beekeeper may misjudge their bees' honey store requirements and over-harvest at the end of summer. Most sugar syrup feeding takes place in winter to replace honey.
Pour in the sugar and stir until the sugar crystals are dissolved. Never boil the mixture after the sugar is added. The sugar can caramelise, becoming partially indigestible and toxic to the bees. The syrup must be cooled to room temperature before it is fed to the bees.
Place the container upside-down on spacers in the top of your hive. Lift the lid off the top of your beehive and place 2 small wooden sticks inside of it. These will create a space between the hive and the top of the jar, allowing the bees to reach the sugar water.
Honey is loaded with nutrients
Unlike sugar, honey is laced with all kinds of things bees need for good health, including vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, antioxidants, and even small amounts of pollen. So if you want a package to get off to a roaring good start, there is nothing better than their natural food.
So you should not feed them too much sugar water when it's unnecessary. In fact, feeding bees sugar water can have the opposite of the desired effect and be detrimental to the colony's health if it is not done correctly.
Homemade 2:1 bee syrup recipe
While generally, you'd make a 2:1 bee syrup by mixing two parts sugar to one part water — for instance, two pounds of sugar to one pound of water — this method takes away the need to weigh and measure. Gather your supplies and ingredients, and give this method a try.
1 part sugar to 1 part water is what beekeepers will give their brand-new bees in the spring. It attempts to mimic thin nectar as best as possible. And the other mixture is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water, which is a thick syrup used traditionally in the fall.
They can also see blue-green, blue, violet, and “bee's purple.” Bee's purple is a combination of yellow and ultraviolet light. That's why humans can't see it. The most likely colors to attract bees, according to scientists, are PURPLE, VIOLET and BLUE.
Honey bees will find the smelliest, mineral-rich water possible and while puddles, birdbaths, and pet dishes fit the bill, so do chlorine and saltwater pools.
The solution is simple, though! All you need to do is grab a pan or shallow bowl, and add a good amount of stones, pebbles or marbles before filling with water. The rocks and knick-knacks will give bees a nice landing spot and help avoid drowning.
Once the night time temperature drops below 55F (13C) bees tend not to accept syrup, especially 1:1. They can't really dry down dilute syrup by fanning when the weather is colder.