Mixing Syrup For Feeding Honeybees In The Fall

As the summer starts to wind down and flowers are losing their bloom, you need to think about removing honey supers from the hives and start prepping the hives for winter.  if you have surplus frames of capped honey, you can add those to a hive with a shortage. Use them to replace undrawn foundation. Drawn comb that is empty can be added to a colony that needs additional space to store syrup.  If you wait until after the fall flow is over you might have problems with feeding due to low temperatures at night. Bees won’t readily take syrup that is below 50 degrees F, and if it cools off at night, it may not warm up enough again during the next day to make it palatable.  The best feeders during the fall are those that are completely inside the hive, either frame feeders or top feeders.  These feeders will help prevent robbing.  I personally have top feeds and really like them.  I got them from Lappe’s Bee Supply here.

Feed sugar syrup that has a ratio of 2:1 (2 cups sugar for 1 cup water) in colder months as it has less water content to evaporate so bees can store it much faster.  That means the worker bees can store it and cap it more quickly in preparation for winter.  But be careful not to start feeding too early because the queen still needs room to lay the winter bee population.  

Sugar Syrup Recipe

🐝 Sugar Syrup Recipe

1:1 (Most like Nectar for feeding larvae and drawing out honeycomb) Spring/Summer – 1 Part Sugar with 1 Part Water

4-pound bag of sugar formula:

8 cups of water per bag of sugar.

Makes approximately 3 ½ quart jars or 1 gallon.

10-pound bag of sugar formula:

20 cups of water per bag of sugar

Makes approximately 8 ¾ quart jars or 2 ½ gallons.

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2:1 (Most like Honey for consumption) Fall/Winter – 2 Parts Sugar with 1 Part Water

4-pound bag of sugar formula:

4 cups of water per bag of sugar.

Makes approximately 2 quart jars or ½ gallon.

10 pound bag of sugar formula:

10 cups of water per bag of sugar.

Makes approximately 4 ½ quarts or 1 ½ gallons.

Directions: 

1:1 syrup mixture – only requires “hot as can be” tap water. Add sugar and water together and stir or shake until dissolved. 

2:1 syrup mixture – Heat water on med/high heat in a large stock pot “just till marbling (slow swirl)” NOT BUBBLING –boiling will cause syrup to candy.

Add sugar stirring constantly.

Turn off heat when sugar has all been added.

Stir occasionally (every 10-15 minutes) until all dissolved.

Syrup will be clear but “opaque” These formulas are “volume” mixture not weight. By weight formulas are “slightly” different.

Karole Spencer

I fell in love with chickens and bees from the very first moment I got started with them. But I did not have any mentors to help me troubleshoot issues as they would arise. So, I did my own research from credible sources to get the facts needed to keep a healthy flock and apiary. My website is all about sharing my research for everyone else to enjoy and benefit from.

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