So, I'll start by admitting it. I'm a believer in supplementing bees with sugar water and pollen supplements. I get up every morning and take a handful of vitamins and other supplements myself. It helps my body maintain a level of the necessary nutrients that I can't consume via meals. I also provide my dogs, cat, and livestock with supplements. I view feeding the bees the same way.
So, if you aren't a believer in feeding your bees, just disregard this post and go onto helping people establish their hives with your methods. Please realize that we all are learning about bees and trying to save them. If we had all the answers, we wouldn't have so many questions. It isn't a time for 'hate' mail. So, back to feeding . . .
It is important to note that I employ different feeding methods for STARTING A HIVE versus MAINTAINING AN ESTABLISHED HIVE. I think overall we do a poor job of helping new beekeepers because we usually tell them the methods used once a hive is established and forget that it takes a different management style to establish the hive in the first place. Most of the notes below are for those who have started a hive this past spring - whether it was a nuc or a package of bees. But, there are some rules of thumb for the experienced beekeeper to use as well.
The bees can't make an entire diet off of just the food we feed them but it can really help them get established - especially when there is new foundation to be drawn out. So, in the spring and yes in the summer, if it is needed, I encourage feeding 1:1 sugar water (that's 1 part water to 1 part sugar) until 2 brood boxes have drawn foundation in all 20 deep frames. This thinner syrup more closely mimics the nectar flow and also stimulates brood production.
In some cases, while the bees are in the mood to draw out wax, I encourage some beekeepers to keep feeding when they put a honey super on - only if the foundation is not drawn out. Having drawn wax is like a pot of gold when the honey flow starts the following season. If the bees happen to cap off a little of the sugar water in the honey super, you can scratch off the cappings, put it back onto the hive and feed it back to them in the fall. If there is room, they will move the food supply down to the lower boxes.
What kind of feeder? Some sort of TOP FEEDER. I highly encourage the use of the polystyrene (styrofoam) top feeders. These feeders hold 3 gallons of syrup so when the bees are going through a quart a day, you are not running out to feed the bees every day. You also do not disturb the bees when feeding them so this means you can feed at night, when it's raining, or just about any timeframe. For me, it is a convenience factor. DO NOT USE a feeder that sits on the front of your hive as this encourages robbing.
If you do not have a styrofoam top feeder, all is not lost but you do need to have some spare equipment. There are many options but one economical option frequently used employs canning jars with small holes drilled into the lids. The canning jars are placed upside down on pencils or other sticks about 3/8" thick around the wooden inner cover hole. The jars need to be surrounded by a hive body and cover in order to allow all the feeding to occur inside the enclosed hive.
When do I stop feeding? The rule of thumb is that the bees need a minimum of 60 pounds of stored, capped, honey for the winter. I usually try to ensure that the bees have this by Thanksgiving.
How do I know if I have 60 pounds? Usually, you can tip the hive slightly forward from the back and tell. However, a rule of thumb, is that there is approximately 6 to 10 pounds of honey in a deep sized frame. So, 6 to 10 deep frames of capped honey would be the equivalent of 60 pounds.
What do I do if I don't have 60 pounds of capped honey? Around the end of September or first of October when the weather starts to cool in the evening but yet you have warmer days, start supplementing with 2:1 sugar water.
Why 2:1 sugar water in the fall? The consistency of the sugar water should be a thicker syrup in the fall. The bees will not have to evaporate off as much water and can quickly cap it off. The days are getting shorter and cooler so they won't need the water evaporation to help cool the hive.
How much do I feed them? A rule of thumb is that 1 gallon of 2:1 sugar water will equate to approximately 1 pound of capped honey stores (assuming the foundation is already drawn out with wax). So be prepared to feed as much as is needed to get to 60 pounds.
Do I mix the sugar water based on volume or weight? There is such a slight difference that I don't think the bees care. I usually use weight as a very quick measurement guide. 1 pound of water weight 8 pounds. Sugar comes in 4 pound bags these days. So a 1:1 mixture is 1 gallon of water with 2 bags of sugar (4 pounds each) and 2:1 is 1 gallon of water with 4 bags of sugar (4 pounds each).
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