Why feeding matters
Usually new beekeepers start out with small colonies, called nucs, or packages of bees, which have no resources at all. Because of this, beekeepers just starting out often need to feed their bees to give them a chance to become established. At some point, most beekeepers will need to feed their bees, but especially with new colonies you will need to give them a jump start.
Feeding supports colony growth, but does not replace natural forage. The nutritional content found in natural forage is almost always superior to anything we beekeepers can supplement with. But feeding them gives them an opportunity to stay home and focus on what matters most without having to forage to prevent starvation. This allows them to build up very quickly.
If the bees have plenty of food, then feeding is unnecessary. Additionally, if they are filling out a super that you plan to harvest, you absolutely should not feed them. You do not want to think you are eating honey and certainly do not want to sell “honey” that is sugar syrup.
Feeding is a good idea if they are low on food, or if you are trying to stimulate them to build comb, or if they are not building up as fast.
When you should feed bees
Early spring
Feed the bees if:
- They are building up brood.
- The weather is too cold for nectar to flow.
- New packages and nucs need to be fed.
- They are low (or light, as beekeepers say) on food.
Late summer/dearth
Feed the bees if:
- There is a nectar scarcity.
- To prevent starvation during hot and dry periods.
Fall
Feed the bees if:
- They need help building winter stores.
- To support late brood rearing.
When not to feed
You don’t want to feed during a strong nectar flow, since there is plenty of healthier forage for the bees to gather. If supers are on, you also do not want to feed, unless you are using a feeder that prevents contamination, so that you don’t end up with sugar syrup honey. Also, if robbing pressure is high, you do not want to feed, especially weak colonies. If you must feed while the bees are prone to rob, do not use an entrance or boardman feeder, but instead us an internal feeder. This is less likely to cause robbing.
What to feed bees (and when)
Sugar syrup
In the spring, feed 1:1 sugar to water. In the fall, you will want to feed 2:1 sugar to water. This thicker constancy allows the bees to not have to evaporate the syrup they are storing in the fall. In the spring, you want to match the nectar consistency with the syrup consistency.
Cane sugar is preferred. The bees don’t seem to like beat sugar. Walmart is well known for selling white sugar made with cane sugar instead of beat sugar. Brown sugar has additives in it that are unhealthy for the bees. Powdered sugar has cornstarch in it, which constipates the bees, and can actually kill them. Even though it is sometimes cheaper, don’t settle for it.
To make sugar syrup, measure out the correct ratios. Boil the water, and once it has come to a boil, pour it over the sugar and stir until it is all disolved. A nut milk mixer works well to easily mix it, but is is not necessary. Once the sugar has disolved, cool the entire mixture. Keep unused syrup in the frigde to prevent spoilage.
Some new beekeepers think honey is the best food for bees, and will want to feed it back to them. Unfortunately, this is a dangerous practice. Diseases can be transmitted through the honey to other bees. (Bee diseases cannot be transmitted to humans through honey.) If the honey came from your own healthy hives, this is an acceptable option, although it is not usually a financially viable one.)
Pollen patties
Pollen patties can be useful in the early spring before natural pollen is available. This encourages brood to be raised. However this can be a two edged sword. The bees can be stimulated to raise too much brood, which can create other problems. They need nurse bees to feed the bees and regulate the temperature of the brood chamber. They also need to have enough food (both carbohydrates, being honey or sugar syrup, and protein, being pollen or pollen patties) to feed the brood they are raising. Pollen patties can also attract small hive beetles, so this is something to keep in mind.
Dry sugar/ Mountain Camp method
Feeding dry sugar can be useful in emergency situations. If you have bees that are running out of food and yet there are freezing temperatures out, you have few options. This is one of the simplest. Take a sheet of newspaper, and lay it on top of the frames, then add a spacer or a shallow box, and set it on top. Once this is done, gently dump sugar onto the newspaper. You can mist it with warm water if you would like, which cakes it together. As the bees produce moisture and heat, they will cake the sugar together. The bees will chew through the newspaper and eat the sugar as a last resort to prevent starvation. This sugar also prevents excess moisture buildup since the sugar absorbs the moisture.
How to feed bees (methods + pros/cons)
Entrance feeders are generally the easiest for beginners to use, since they just slide inside the entrance and can be refilled easily, and without opening the hive. They are somewhat like a chicken waterer, but for bees. Unfortunately, since these feeders have the feed right at the entrance, robber bees can easily find the feed, and begin to rob.
Top feeders sit inside an empty box, either inside or outside the outer cover depending on the feeder design. They work well for large colonies, since they can hold a substantial amount of food. They do not encourage robbing; it is much harder for the robber bees to find the food. You will have to open up the hive to place these feeders and refill them. They are especially nice for fall feeding since the food is placed above the bees, and their heat rises to keep the food warm.
Frame feeders are good for new packages, since they get the feeder right next to the bees. Unfortunately, many bees drown in this type of feeder. You have to open the hive to refill this feeder, and it takes up either one or two frame spots.
Jar Feeders, set over the inner cover are somewhat easy to refill, since you don’t have to fully open the hive. They also do not encourage robbing, and can be DIY’ed.
How much to feed (and how long)
If your bees are still eating the supplemental food (beekeepers would say “taking food”) it is usually a good idea to continue feeding them, if they have room to take the feed. If they stop taking the feed, or drastically slow down, they are finishing it up and do not need it nearly so much. Take off feed that just sits and isn’t drank, and don’t do leave pollen patties on if they are not being eaten. During inspections, keep an eye on how their food supplies are. Are they filling frames or still eating through it? I don’t like to get below two frames of honey, and at this point, will put food on them.
Common feeding mistakes beginners make
Some simple things to avoid- Don’t feed during a nectar flow. Don’t leave syrup out in the open. Don’t use the wrong syrup ratio for the season. Don’t feed in a way that starts robbing. Don’t use pollen patties if the bees don’t need them.
Troubleshooting feeding problems
If the bees aren’t taking the syrup, check to see if it could have fermented. They don’t like spoiled food. If they still won’t take it, and it is the right ratio, and is made from cane sugar, there may be a flow on that you don’t know about and they are getting the food they need. Try a fresh small batch and if they still won’t take the feed, they most likely do not need it.
If ants are getting into the food, try a feeder the bees have more ability to defend (a internal feeder.) This will usually curb the problem.
If you find you have made the wrong syrup ratio, you can usually correct this by adding more hot water or more sugar (you may have to heat it back up to combine it all.) As long as you know the ratio you did use this can usually be fixed.
If you find that feeding is causing robbing, take the feed off for a few days. Then feed with an internal feeder that is less likely to create a robbing situation. If this still does not work, feed the weak colony only at night, and remove the feed in the morning before the other bees have begun flying. You may also want to consider a robbing screen.
If your feeders are moldy, dump the syrup, wash the feeders with hot water and dish soap, rinse them throroughly and start over.
If you are having small hive beetles in your hive, remove the pollen patty and treat for hive beetles.
Recommended feeding equipment
I use soda bottle feeders (amazon sells them) based off the boardman feeder idea and DIY mason jar feeders. These are both inexpensive and do not cause drowning.
Conclusion
The good news about feeding is that is in normal and is only temporary. Trust your findings, and if in doubt, feed. Soon your bees will have built up enough that you won’t have to worry about feeding them constantly. And don’t forget that just about all beekeepers feed their bees, so you haven’t done anything wrong to have to feed them.