You’ve got your new hives buzzing with potential. Maybe you’re just starting out, maybe you inherited a failing colony or two, or perhaps you’re helping nature along on the farm because let’s be honest, not every wild patch is as welcoming to spring bees as it should be! Whatever your reason, feeding bees can be a huge part of keeping them happy and healthy. But what does “happy” even mean for these tiny architects of honey? It mostly boils down to one thing: nutrition.
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What’s on the Menu Naturally?
Bees are amazing grazers when you think about it! Their natural diet is primarily nectar, which they convert into two super-foods: honey (the stored energy) and beeswax. They also collect pollen – like little orange crush powder for humans but bursting with protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Think of their main food source as being kind of like sugary water from flowers mixed with natural enzymes. This nectar is incredibly diluted – maybe 10% sugar concentration or less! Bees have to fly miles upon miles to gather enough of it to raise their young (brood) or make honey for winter stores.
So, what do they drink? Mostly nectar and then the honey they made themselves, along with some water from damp vegetation or even condensation inside the hive. Their natural food sources are like a gourmet picnic spread – complex and perfectly balanced by Mother Nature over time.
Why Bother Feeding Them?
Now, imagine your colony is in a tough spot. Maybe it’s starting up for the first time (nucleus colony) and needs help building its population quickly before foraging starts. Or perhaps you’re raising queens, and these little darlings need extra protein boost from royal jelly to develop properly.
Sometimes, nature takes a backseat – like during harsh winters where flowers are frozen solid, or in drought conditions where water is scarce and the nectar flow isn’t happening. Even worse? Those frustrating times when you get a late spring bloom but it’s just too weak for bees to exploit effectively! In these situations, supplemental feeding becomes absolutely essential.
Think of it like this: You’re giving your baby colony a head start on building strength and numbers. For stressed-out or starving hives, you’re providing the fuel they need to survive when their natural pantry is closed shut.
What Do We Feed? Honey vs. Sugar Syrup
There are two main things we provide for bees that mimic their natural needs: honey (or honey substitutes) and sugar syrup.
- Honey: This is the ideal food because it’s exactly what they evolved to eat – concentrated carbohydrates, enzymes, antibacterial properties, and all the complexity of a real nectar source. We usually don’t need to feed pure honey unless absolutely necessary (like emergency feeding), but if we do, it’s crucial that it flows smoothly through the mesh feeder so bees can uncap and get at it quickly.
- Sugar Syrup: This is our go-to supplement because it’s easy for us humans to produce in large quantities! We’re basically making a simple sugar solution (sucrose) similar to nectar but more concentrated, usually around 1:1 ratio like honey – equal parts water and sugar by weight.
- Why Sucrose? Bees can’t store the disaccharide lactose or other sugars easily. They need fructose and glucose separately for energy and building wax. Providing sucrose forces their digestive system to break it down into these usable forms, just like they would nectar.
- What’s in it? (The Simple Version) It’s just sugar dissolved in water – the basic fuel source we’re giving them.
When Should You Feed?
This is where things get a little more complex. Feeding isn’t something you do right from day one unless you have queenright nucleus colonies starting very late or similar scenarios.
- Late Winter/Early Spring: This is the classic time for feeding – usually with sugar syrup or, in some cases (emergency), honey. We’re helping colonies that survived a harsh winter to build up their population and stores before the main nectar flow starts.
- Summer Nectar Flow Stress: Even during big flows, colonies on the “high seas” can be susceptible to “foulbrood.” This is where stress from heavy work makes them more vulnerable. A small feed supplement (maybe just 50% sugar syrup) can help prevent this by providing a simpler food source.
- Emergency Feeding: If you find a colony starved or shivering in late fall, and they don’t have enough honey to get through the cold nights, giving them some emergency sugar syrup can be life-saving.
How Do We Feed Them? The Gear Up
Bees need easy access! Here are the common ways:
- Frame Feeder (Sugar Candy): This is super-popular and a brilliant idea for lazy beekeepers who worry about sticky feeders in warm weather.
- You make it by cooking down sugar and water into a thick, sugary paste – like maple syrup but stickier!
- Pour it into an empty frame or special feeder frames designed to fit inside the brood chamber (the warm, busy part of the hive).
- It sits there, slowly drawn by worker bees over time. Pros: clean-up is minimal if they don’t eat everything quickly; doesn’t require cleaning between seasons unless you’re concerned about disease carry-over (unlikely with this method). Cons: Less immediate impact than liquid feeding.
- Sugar Cubes: Similar to candy frames but these are pre-made blocks of sugar and water paste.
- Pros: Quick draw, easy for bees to access even if they don’t have a frame space. Great emergency food!
- Cons: Messy in the bottom board area initially; can still stick.
- Buckets or Containers: Old school! A bucket hung from the rear of the hive with an inverted screen lid filled with syrup.
- Pros: Simple, cheap, effective for liquid feeding when you need to give a large amount (like early spring).
- Cons: Very messy – lots of glueing around. Needs cleaning between uses and seasons.
- Feeder Boxes: Special boxes that sit on top or under the hive, containing syrup in a container under a screen.
- Pros: Off the bottom board keeps it cleaner (top feeders) or off the floor prevents contamination from debris below (bottom feeders). More controlled than buckets.
- Cons: Still need cleaning. Can be prone to dripping and attracting pests if not designed well.
- In-Hive Feeders: Like candy strips laid across frames in the brood area, or those little cups attached inside the hive near the top bars.
- Pros: Minimizes mess – syrup stays contained within the hive structure.
- Cons: Requires regular cleaning and inspection to ensure it doesn’t become a disease vector.
The Catch: Don’t Overdo It!
Feeding is a tool, not an automatic solution. Think carefully about when you start (usually March-April for spring builds) and how much you give. Feeding too early or in the wrong amounts can sometimes encourage robbing (bees fighting over syrup between hives), make colonies lazy if they don’t need to work hard, or even contribute to Varroa mite issues because excess sugar might not trigger the same beneficial colony cleansing responses as natural nectar depletion does.
Wrapping It Up: A Sweet Responsibility
Feeding bees is a big part of ensuring their success. It’s like giving them a little extra help when nature isn’t quite enough, or helping brand new colonies get established on solid footing (pun intended!). Whether it’s the simplicity of sugar syrup buckets during a nectar dearth or the clean-up job of candy frames in springtime, understanding why we feed and what we feed is just as important as knowing how.
So, next time you’re looking at your hives thinking “maybe they could use something,” you’ll know exactly what that ‘something’ should be – a carefully prepared sugary drink to give them the energy boost nature isn’t providing. Just remember to keep it clean and timed right!