We are entering the time of year when emergency bee feed needs to be on your mind. Even if your hives are going into winter heavy with honey, emergency feed for your bees should be planned for. Cold, wet winters can lead to the need to feed a colony to make sure the colony makes it through to spring. If all goes well, at worst you will need to feed them towards late winter/early spring. But now is a good time to start planning. Also, this is a good time to start tracking the weight of your hives if you have not already done so.
Tracking that weight can be as simple as lifting the back of a hive and estimating its weight. Or it can be as complicated as using a scale to measure the weight. Using a scale can be a bit tricky in trying to figure out how to attach the scale and lift the hive. It really comes down to personal preference but either way tracking the weight is a good idea. So what should you do if your hive feels light? Feed, feed, feed the hive. There are three basic options for the emergency feed you can use relatively easily.
- Honey
- Candy or Fondant
- Granulated Sugar
Honey as Emergency Bee Feed
The Inner Cover Method
Honey is my preference to use as an emergency bee feed. Because it is in a form the bees can readily use and easy to apply. Of course, this requires that you have some extra honey on hand. To apply I simply pour the honey onto the top of the inner cover. I have had good luck with the bees being able to access the honey. They typically clean it up so well you can’t even tell there was honey there. One note of caution though. Make sure that you are not using leftover honey that came from a diseased hive. No sense in passing that onto the hive you are trying to carry through to spring.
One drawback to this method is that it requires the bees to be able to break away from the cluster to get the honey. Usually, I have been fortunate to have a warm enough day or two for the bees to go get the honey.
The Supper or Extra Frames Method
Another option in using honey for an emergency bee feed is if you have supers or even a few frames of honey left after the season. On a relatively warm day, you could quickly add the frames or a super to the hive. I really do not like messing with my basic two deep hives during the winter, so I use this as a last resort. If you have empty frames with drawn comb you can also use this method. Simply pour the honey over the comb so it fills the cells. You can then add the frames or super with the frames to the hive.
This method may prove easier for the bees to go get the honey. But, adding a super can create more space to heat for the bees. Plus, a lot of heat can escape if the day you do this pretty cold or wet.
Candy or Fondant as Emergency Bee Feed
Candy or fondant is more labor intensive in the preparation. Add to this there seems to be a whole variety of opinions and concerns over using candy or fondant. These concerns appear to stem from the DIY recipes for making the stuff. The addition of acids (vinegar, cream of tartar, etc.) mixed with the high heat when cooking of the sugar confection can create a chemical known as hydroxymethylfurfural, or HMF for short. This is the same chemical created when high fructose corn syrup is heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
I had also read previously that heating honey above roughly the same temperature can create the same chemical. The break down of the fructose under heat is what creates HMF. Just as HMF is not good for us humans it is also not good for our bees. I found this article in Bee Culture with more details on this issue. I think I’ll be sticking to the method next on the list when I am short on honey.
Granulated Sugar as Emergency Bee Feed
Granulated pure cane sugar can be used as an emergency bee feed as well. This might actually be the best method out there. I prefer using pure cane sugar versus sugar derived from sugar beets. Either will work as both are
Read about how I use granulated sugar in the winter.
A Couple of Variations to Try
A couple of variations to simply pouring the sugar on the top of the inner cover is to use newspaper or to make sugar cakes. For the newspaper method (called several different names) you simply place newspaper on top of the frames and pour the sugar on to it. It does get the sugar closer to the bees in that they do not need to go up above the inner cover to get the sugar.
The sugar cake method can defeat the moisture absorption benefits of dry sugar. To make the cakes you simply mix the granulated sugar with a little water (you can add some essential oils or Honey-B-Healthy) to the sugar to make it clump into a cake. Then simply hand form or place into a container such as a pie pan to form the cakes. These can then be placed on top of the frames or the inner cover.
Read about how to make your own homebrew feeding supplement.
Another benefit I have found from using granulated sugar is that it tends to absorb excess moisture in the hive. I have used this the last few winters with positive results. The reduction in moisture in the hives really helped to sustain the colonies. I typically run foam insulation board around my hives with the standard telescoping type lid. The granulated sugar has really kept moisture levels down. Less moisture in the hive should mean warmer temps and less likelihood of water condensing and dripping on the cluster.
Regardless of method the important thing is to get some form of feed on your hive if your bees are starving. Low-quality feed is better than no food. But, in the end, if they are hungry, grab that bag of granulated sugar and go feed them.
