How to Feed Bees in Winter Using Dry Sugar (Simple Beginner Method)

Sometimes honey bees need to be fed when it is cold and freezing out. Feeding liquid feed will freeze, and should never be done under these conditions. This leaves pollen patties (which will stimulate brood production, which is not what beekeepers want when it is freezing), fondant, which is somewhat complicated to make and expensive to buy, candy boards, which need to be made in advance and require a candy boards, and dry sugar. Dry sugar is by far the simplest method, and also has the added benefit of absorbing excess moisture in the hive.

Things to know before you start

When feeding in this way, you want to ensure the bees will not get chilled, or wet, so choose a day with no rain or snow, and that is warm (out of the temperatures you have to work with.)

What you need

Because it is cold, it is important to have everything on hand and easy access. Gather either a spacing shim, or a shallow hive box (honey super), your hive tool, newspaper and the bag of sugar.

Feed the bees white cane sugar, and make sure that it is not powdered sugar, as the cornstarch in the powdered sugar is indigestible for the bees. For more information on the type of sugar to feed the bees, click here.

How to feed bees dry sugar

Start by removing the inner and outer cover, then gently but quickly set the box or shim on top. Lay a single sheet of newspaper on top of the cluster of the bees, and then gently pour cane sugar on top of the newspaper. Don’t add too much at a time, or you risk crushing the bees. I start with about four pounds on top of the newspaper, gently pouring it on top of the area the cluster was at. Then promptly place the inner and outer cover back on the hive.

The goal is to do this as quickly as possible, so as to not chill the bees.

Refill the sugar

Check in about a week, and every week following to see if the bees are needing the sugar replaced. If they do, simply add a new newspaper page, and pour in more sugar. If the bees are eating the sugar they need it! Also, if the cluster is right at the top of the frames, they also needed it, as they were about out of honey.

Feeding in this way is easy, inexpensive, and may well save the life of your colony as spring approaches.