How to Make Sugar Syrup for Feeding Honeybees

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Making sugar syrup for feeding honeybees is quick and easy! Whether you have 1 hive, or 20 hives, you can make it in a flash, and it’s much more cost effective than buying syrup for feeding the bees!

Sugar Syrup For Feeding Honeybees

Usually, you will feed sugar syrup to your honeybees in the spring, and sometimes in the fall. If you have an established colony, you may not have to feed at all. But that will all depend on where you are located, and how long your honey flow is.

If you want to learn more about what to feed your bees, and why, read my article about What Beekeepers Feed Their Bees, and Why it’s Important. When you are trying to get a colony established, you can feed 2:1 sugar syrup, which helps encourage the bees to build out honeycomb. If your colony already has plenty of drawn out comb, you can feed 1:1 sugar syrup.

There are several different types of bee feeders out there, but my favorite is the mason jar entrance feeder. During robbing season, I use top feeders, because entrance feeders encourage robbing. But that has never been an issue in the spring. If you want to explore the different types of bee feeders, you can read my post about Different Types of Bee Feeders.

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Making Your Sugar Syrup

Depending on how many colonies you have, you can mix your sugar syrup in small, or large batches. If you only have one or two, it’s easiest to mix them separately. If you have four or more colonies, you can start exploring different ways of mixing the syrup. You could use an old milk jug, or other gallon sized container, or if you have an even larger apiary, you can mix using a 5 gallon bucket.

When using mason jars, just fill a quart jar halfway with sugar (2 cups) and then top it off with water. If you are trying to establish a colony, you should also be adding Honey-B-Healthy. This helps encourage drawing out honeycomb, and also has other benefits to the bees. You can also use it to make a spray that calms the bees, instead of using smoke.

If using a 5 gallon bucket, you will need a 25lb bag of sugar. Pour the bag of sugar into the bucket, and fill to 1 inch from the top of warm water. You will need 4 teaspoons of Honey-B-Healthy per gallon. So, if you are mixing in a 5 gallon bucket, you’ll need 1/3 of a cup. You can add a couple of extra teaspoons if you wish.

What You Will Need For Feeding Sugar Syrup

• Sugar (organic sugar is said to not be good for the bees, but I have used it, and know many others who do with no issues. You can do your research on that subject to decide whether you want to feed the bees organic or non-organic sugar.)
• Warm water
• Honey-B-Healthy
• Mason jars and feeder lids or whatever type of feeder you are using.
• Regular lids for the mason jars so you can shake the sugar syrup
• If making a bulk batch, you’ll need a 5 gallon bucket, and some kind of stirring stick. (a paint stirring drill bit with a cordless drill are handy for stirring these large batches of sugar syrup.)
• Alternative to a 5 gallon bucket, you can get one of these drink coolers, so you have a spout on the bottom to make it easy for filling jars or feeders. Just make sure to clean it well between uses so it doesn’t develop mold.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Sugar Syrup

Step 1:

Prepare your jars, or whatever feeder you are using to be filled with the sugar syrup.

Step 2:

Gather your sugar, and Honey-B-Healthy and measure out the proper amount for what size of batch you will be making.

Step 3:

Pour the sugar and Honey-B-Healthy into the jar or bucket, and then fill to the brim with warm water.

Step 4:

Shake or stir very well. You will probably have to come back and shake or stir again once the sugar settles. Keep repeating this process until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Step 5:

Feed it to your bees!

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