How to Feed Bees Sugar Water
If you keep bees, it's important to maintain their food source year-round. This is especially true in autumn and winter, when flowers and their nectar are in shorter supply. You should also make nutrition available to your bees in spring, to help them replenish food stores, which will have become depleted over winter. The easiest way to manually feed bees is with a nectar substitute of sugar water.
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Instructions
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Mix the sugar with hot water in a pot to produce sugar water. In autumn use 2 lbs. of sugar with 1 pint of water. For spring or summer mix 1 lb. of sugar with 1 pint of water.
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Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved in the water.
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Pour your sugar water mixture into hummingbird feeders or equivalent containers (you can also use hamster water dispensers, or build your own dispensers).
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Hang the feeders above the hives, where the bees will have access to them. Hang the feeders at night, when the bees are less active, to reduce the chance of being stung.
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Tips & Warnings
Sugar water will serve to sweeten your bees' honey. You can also mix icing or honey with water to feed bees.
Always wear protective gear when handling bees. Never use unrefined or brown sugar for your sugar water, as this will harm the bees. Never offer sugar water in an open container, as your bees will drown.
