With the advent of spring, beekeepers have more trouble. After a long winter, insects need help to recover and gain strength for the start of the new season. To this end, beekeepers carry out spring feeding of bees with sugar syrup in compliance with the necessary proportions. Syrup for bees is not only delicious food, but also a way to make up for the shortage of food reserves. Because of hunger, the bees become restless. This has a bad effect on the quality of their work and the number of offspring. Feeding eliminates these problems. Insects are satiated and prepare for active honey collection, and the uterus lays more eggs.

Top dressing is prepared from water and sugar. The proportions depend on the season: the concentration of spring top dressing is more liquid. Each beekeeper should know the approximate proportions for preparing the right amount of sweet food:

  1. 40% concentration. The ratio of sugar and water is 1 to 1.5. Such food is prepared to enhance oviposition.
  2. 50% concentration. Sugar and water are taken in equal parts. Such a concentration is resorted to in the event of a complete absence of a bribe in the warm season.
  3. 60% concentration. The proportion of sugar and water is 1.5 to 1. It is used as a replacement for autumn feeds or as an addition to them.
  4. 70% concentration. A ratio of 2:1 is used if it is necessary to feed the bees in winter and early spring.

1 kg of sugar and 1 liter of water yield 1.6 liters of a 50% solution. According to this formula, the required amount of sweet bee food is calculated.

How to prepare syrup?

Experienced beekeepers give uniform recommendations on how to prepare sugar syrup for bees. This is not difficult to do, but when cooking, cleanliness and attentiveness must be observed. You can not use a surrogate instead of granulated sugar. It is also not recommended to take hard water to prepare the solution. The health of honey workers depends on the quality of the prepared mixture.

To prepare sugar syrup for feeding bees, choose a suitable size dish, preferably enameled. Water is poured into it according to the selected proportion and brought to a boil. Sugar is slowly poured into boiling water, stirring the mixture continuously.

Then the fire is turned off, the container is closed, the liquid is allowed to cool. The resulting solution should be clear. If possible, 10% honey is added to the syrup. This contributes to better absorption of the product by insects. For medicinal purposes, herbal infusion is added to the solution.

How to distribute?

Ready food is distributed in a warm form, not lower than 30 degrees. When cold, it will not attract insects. Each time, a freshly prepared mixture should be distributed, the frequency is two to three days.

Syrup for feeding bees in the spring is served in clean feeders. It is recommended to use top feeders as they are more capacious. The volume of the solution in the feeder depends on the size and strength of a particular bee colony. So that insects do not fly out of the hives in vain, top dressing is carried out in the evening.

In addition to feeders, the following methods are used to supply sweet food:

  • the mixture is poured into small jars, which are turned upside down and left in shallow pans;
  • often beekeepers serve the syrup in plastic bags, tying them tightly and making small punctures in them.

Why don't bees take syrup?

Often, beekeepers notice that some families ignore top dressing. There are several possible reasons why bees do not take syrup:

  • Insects are weak or sick. In such cases, they are sprayed with therapeutic solutions using spray guns.
  • The solution turned out to be too thick or liquid.
  • It's too cold outside.

If the bees do not take food after eliminating possible causes, it can be replaced with honey.

Proper preparation and serving is the key to the high productivity of honey workers in the summer and the quality of the resulting product.

The winter period is the most difficult and stressful for bees. At this time, they need enhanced nutrition, as insects need energy to heat their bodies. Sugar syrup is considered to be a common food for bees. It is useful and nutritious, contributes to the fight against diseases. Its effectiveness depends on the correct preparation of the syrup and compliance with generally accepted concentrations.

The need for top dressing

In winter, the bees in the hive must be fully provided with food. The best "dish" for insects is natural honey accumulated by them during the collection period. Most apiary owners are engaged in the consumption of honey for their needs or its sale, so spending such a product on insects is unprofitable. In these cases, they resort to the use of sugar syrup.

The product is widely used in other cases, for example, if:

  • nutrient reserves consist exclusively of honeydew honey, which leads to serious problems for the digestive system of insects when consumed;
  • there is no necessary natural bribe for the normal process of oviposition in the uterus;
  • in bad weather during the summer period, honey collection was not carried out or was insufficient;
  • it is necessary to somehow compensate for the main bribe;
  • bees need to take a medicine;
  • winter is approaching, when the consumption of nutrients by insects increases markedly.

The positive effects of using sugar syrup as a dietary supplement include:

  • strengthening the immunity of insects;
  • prevention of the development of diseases and infections;
  • no rot inside the hives.

Features of feeding

Despite the obvious effectiveness of the use of a sugar agent, this method is not always allowed to be used. So, only strong, well-formed bee colonies are allowed to give this substance. It is impossible to abuse such means, since the result of this is a weakening of the state of health of insects.

It is necessary to treat bees with syrup in strictly defined terms. Feeding too early will not give the desired result, and too late will lead to the fact that the insects will not have time to cope with the processing of the product, since at temperatures below 10 ° C the level of invertase (enzyme) production drops sharply. The consequences of late feeding will be as follows:

  • insects will not be able to complete a full flight, and they will die;
  • a severe negative impact will be exerted on the body of bees;
  • the brood is at risk of being infected with varroa mites.

In the northern regions, it is allowed to start feeding in August, but sometimes they are carried out in the fall. In the central zone, feeding lasts from August 15 to September 7, and in the south it continues until the end of the first autumn month, and in some cases until October 8-10. Top dressing in the spring is usually completed by March.

Best of all, the syrup is processed at an air temperature of 20 ° C. The optimal time of day for top dressing is in the evening, when the risk of bee theft is noticeably reduced.

For cooking, it is allowed to use only commercial sugar, all other varieties are potentially dangerous for insects. The product should be slightly warm, but not hot. Feeders for the product used should be installed on the roof of the hive. To prevent the bees from drowning in the liquid, the feeding containers are covered with wooden or straw bridges. It is allowed to feed through the honeycombs, but care must be taken that the syrup does not flow out of them.

cooking recipes

A special scheme has long been developed and successfully applied, according to which it is possible to calculate how much mixture will be required in winter. Approximately 2 kg of feed falls on one bee street. This mass is enough to feed about 3 thousand insects.

Cooking a nutrient is allowed only in strictly defined proportions. Information about them is contained in the table below. It should be borne in mind that failure to comply with these data will make the product unsuitable for consumption, and the bees will refuse to drink it. Thus, a 70% mixture is usually overly thickened and not suitable for food.

Proportions for making syrup

To boil the syrup, water in an enameled container is brought to a boil. Then sugar is added to the liquid and mixed until completely dissolved. The mixture is left to cool to 40°C.

Some experienced beekeepers recommend adding vinegar to create and maintain an acidic environment. In addition, this substance contributes to the accumulation of body fat of bees, thereby reducing the volume of the consumed product and increasing the number of brood. 3 ml of acetic acid or 4 ml of essence is diluted with 10 kg of sugar. Instead of vinegar, it is allowed to add about 1 g of citric acid.

Too thick syrup is not suitable for consumption, as the bees will convert it to a more acceptable state, and for this they will need to use their moisture reserves. An excessively liquid agent is also undesirable for insects, because such food will be digested much longer, which in the future is fraught with a fatal outcome for the entire swarm.

The prepared product is usually stored in glass jars with a tightly closed lid, but it can be kept in sachets. Before use, the syrup does not require additional boiling.

It is known that, if necessary, it is possible to add not only medicines, but also folk remedies for the treatment of diseases. So, if the family is sick with nosematosis or there are suspicions of the development of this disease, it should be treated with wormwood syrup (in the ratio of 10 g of wormwood infusion per 100 ml of nutrient).

Invert Syrup

An effective nutrient for bees is sugar syrup with the addition of honey. Such a mixture is considered more nutritious and healthy. Pure sugar syrup in some cases has a negative effect on the bee organism. For 1 kg of sugar, about 40 g of honey is usually taken. It is customary to call such a composition inverted due to the fact that the process of transformation, that is, inversion, of sugar into glucose takes place much faster in it.

The syrup must always be fresh. Insects that have been fermented or stored for a long time will not eat. Like other types of this substance, it is placed either on a special feeder or in a jar turned upside down on a low stand.

Scheme of use

It is important to correctly develop a schedule according to which the bees will receive the nutrient. First, two empty frames are placed in the center of the hive, on which the insects will leave fresh sugar honey. As it is completed, the bees will begin to move to the sides of the frames, on which the flower honey will be located.

Top dressing is carried out according to one of two generally established technologies, depending on the purpose of the procedure:

  1. 1. To grow strong brood, it is customary to artificially stretch the feeding period by using 0.5-1 l of syrup daily until all combs are filled.
  2. 2. With normal feeding, a single application of 3-4 liters of syrup is sufficient, which will fully meet the needs of bees in an average-sized hive.

It is worth considering the method of wintering insects. If the bees are kept in a omshanik, then they do not have to spend a lot of energy on heating themselves and their homes, so the amount of nutrient can be slightly reduced. Insects wintering on the street require a full amount of food.

Similar ways of feeding

Ready-made nutrient mixtures for feeding bees began to appear on sale. Such products are considered safer for insects. Individuals look healthier and larger after feeding with such a drug. The only downside to date is their high cost.

It is also allowed to use the so-called Kandy top dressing, which is a honey-sugar dough. It is customary to give the substance to bees in the winter. It is rich in carbohydrates, which are necessary for them in the cold season. This solution is widely used in the period of disease control, certain medicinal preparations are added to it.

  1. 1. 0.5 kg of bee bread and 1 kg of honey are diluted in 0.5 l of water and mixed thoroughly.
  2. 2. The mixture is passed through a sieve or gauze.
  3. 3. Within 2 days, the resulting solution is infused, after which it is ready for use.

Each bee family needs 0.5 liters of the mixture every two days.

Why feed bees in spring? How to prepare sugar syrup for bees, proportions and feeding rules. Candy feeding.

With the advent of spring, beekeepers have more trouble. After a long winter, insects need help to recover and gain strength for the start of the new season.

To this end, beekeepers carry out spring feeding of bees with sugar syrup in compliance with the necessary proportions.

Syrup for bees is not only delicious food, but also a way to make up for the shortage of food reserves. Because of hunger, the bees become restless. This has a bad effect on the quality of their work and the number of offspring.

Feeding eliminates these problems. Insects are satiated and prepare for active honey collection, and the uterus lays more eggs.

Why feed in the spring?

Spring is an active period for bees, when it is necessary to build up strength for the upcoming honey harvest, which usually takes place in July.

Spring feeding of insects is carried out for the following purposes:

  • replenish feed stocks;
  • stimulate oviposition by the uterus;
  • cure some diseases and carry out their prevention due to special additives;
  • improve the quality of honey, its aroma and taste;
  • increase the overall productivity of the apiary.

Early spring is characterized by unstable weather, lack of flow in nature, a small amount of food in the nests and weakening of the bees.

If insects massively start flying out for nectar, then most of them will die. To prevent this, feed stocks are replenished.

Proportions

Top dressing is prepared from water and sugar. The proportions depend on the season: the concentration of spring top dressing is more liquid.

Each beekeeper should know the approximate proportions for preparing the right amount of sweet food:

  1. 40% concentration. The ratio of sugar and water is 1 to 1.5. Such food is prepared to enhance oviposition.
  2. 50% concentration. Sugar and water are taken in equal parts. Such a concentration is resorted to in the event of a complete absence of a bribe in the warm season.
  3. 60% concentration. The proportion of sugar and water is 1.5 to 1. It is used as a replacement for autumn feeds or as an addition to them.
  4. 70% concentration. A ratio of 2:1 is used if it is necessary to feed the bees in winter and early spring.

1 kg of sugar and 1 liter of water yield 1.6 liters of a 50% solution. According to this formula, the required amount of sweet bee food is calculated.

How to prepare syrup?


You can not use a surrogate instead of granulated sugar. It is also not recommended to take hard water to prepare the solution.

The health of honey workers depends on the quality of the prepared mixture.

To prepare sugar syrup for feeding bees, choose a suitable size dish, preferably enameled.

Water is poured into it according to the selected proportion and brought to a boil. Sugar is slowly poured into boiling water, stirring the mixture continuously.

Then the fire is turned off, the container is closed, the liquid is allowed to cool. The resulting solution should be clear.

If possible, 10% honey is added to the syrup. This contributes to better absorption of the product by insects. For medicinal purposes, herbal infusion is added to the solution.

How to feed?


Ready food is distributed in a warm form, not lower than 30 degrees. When cold, it will not attract insects. Each time, a freshly prepared mixture should be distributed, the frequency is two to three days.

Syrup for feeding bees in the spring is served in clean feeders. It is recommended to use top feeders as they are more capacious.

The volume of the solution in the feeder depends on the size and strength of a particular bee colony. So that insects do not fly out of the hives in vain, top dressing is carried out in the evening.

In addition to feeders, the following methods are used to supply sweet food:

  • the mixture is poured into small jars, which are turned upside down and left in shallow pans;
  • often beekeepers serve the syrup in plastic bags, tying them tightly and making small punctures in them.

Why don't bees take syrup?

Often, beekeepers notice that some families ignore top dressing.

There are several possible reasons why bees do not take syrup:

  • Insects are weak or sick. In such cases, they are sprayed with therapeutic solutions using spray guns.
  • The solution turned out to be too thick or liquid.
  • It's too cold outside.

If the bees do not take food after eliminating possible causes, it can be replaced with honey.

Candy feeding


Another option for spring "energy" top dressing is Kandy. The term comes from the English word candy (“candy, caramel”), because candy is a sweet pasty mass.

There are several options for the recipe for preparing top dressing:

Kind of candy Cooking method
Honey You will need honey (1 part) and powdered sugar (4 parts). At the 1st stage, honey should be dissolved in a water bath, then add powder and knead a homogeneous dough. If it turns out too steep, you can pour in a little water (no more than 1% of the candy weight). The finished dough does not spread on the table and does not stick to your hands. Properly cooked kandy hardens, so it should be cut into portions (1 kg) in advance.
Sugar The food consists of powdered sugar (70%), sugar (29.8%), water (0.18%) and vinegar (0.02%). Water must be heated and, stirring constantly, pour sugar, powdered sugar and vinegar into it. Before boiling, the sugar should dissolve, and the syrup should acquire a thick consistency.

The prepared mass for hardening should be laid out on a metal mesh with 3x3 mm cells, in a plastic bag or on paraffin paper.

To lay the food, you need to remove the cover of the hive, remove the insulation and lift the canvas. Kandy is laid out directly on the frame. Then everyone returns to their places in reverse order.

Many beekeepers, in the presence of signs of disease of bees with nosematosis during the period of spring feeding, add fumagillin dissolved in a glass of warm boiled water to the candy (1 bottle per 2.5 kg of candy).

For the prevention of foul diseases, some add streptomycin, tetracycline and other antibiotics (1–2.5 million units per 1 kg of candy), although the effectiveness of such prevention has not been proven.

Why is it better to feed from a bag?


When shared feeders are used in the apiary, the beekeeper should disinfect them regularly. Often they are the main source of various diseases (foulbrood, acarapidosis, etc.).

This process requires more employment in the apiary.

It is clear that no one wants to spend additional money and increase the cost of honey, therefore, in order not to spend money on feeders, feeding bees in spring in packages is gaining more and more popularity among beekeepers every year.

Convenient, simple, fast and safe to pour full into plastic bags

The price of disposable bags is insignificant, and after use they are destroyed.

When choosing plastic bags for feeding bees, it is worth considering what type of feeding they will be used for.

In order to completely replenish the feed, garbage bags are suitable, as they are stronger and will withstand several liters of liquid feed.

This type is more often used in the autumn period, since it is necessary to increase the supply of honey for the whole winter in a short period.

For the spring period, stimulating feeding is used, when the bees are given a small amount of liquid food for a supporting nectar.

For such top dressing with sugar syrup in the spring, an ordinary packaging bag is perfect, into which no more than one liter of liquid top dressing is poured.

There are times when bees don't have enough honey to feed themselves, so knowing how to properly prepare and dispense sugar syrup should be a basic skill for every beekeeper.

The proportions of sugar syrup for bees can be different. Such top dressing is widely used in beekeeping practice as a replacement for natural honey in case of natural or artificial shortage.

In such cases, insects begin to experience a feeling of hunger, because they cannot eat properly and fully.

In the future, this leads to problems: they are worried, the working capacity of working individuals decreases, the number of offspring decreases, the risk of infection with all kinds of infections and other bee diseases increases. Prolonged starvation can end in the death of the family.

Sugar syrup varies in consistency. The degree of density depends on the amount of sugar dissolved in water. The finished syrup can be thick or liquid, respectively, the use of such compositions differs both by purpose and by season.

The lack of the main food of bees - honey, can be observed in different situations:

  • During a long spring, this can happen when the entire winter supply of food has already been eaten, but there is still no heat for the first honey plants to bloom.
  • In a cold rainy summer, the bees sit in the hive and rarely fly out for a bribe, so the food brought earlier ends quickly.
  • If this continues for a long time, you need to feed them.
  • Giving sugar syrup in spring or autumn has a stimulating effect on the bee colony and its reproduction.
  • Top dressing with sweet liquid is also necessary in case of selection of marketable honey in large quantities, when the remaining one is clearly not enough for wintering. Therefore, they give top dressing with syrup, from which the bees will make winter honey in the fall.
  • The solution is also used for medicinal purposes, because the bees will not just use the medicine, and if you put it in syrup, they will eat it with pleasure.

Therefore, every beekeeper should know how to make syrup for their bees.

Of course, natural honey, produced and preserved by the bees themselves, is much more suitable for their nutrition, as it contains all the necessary substances, trace elements and vitamins required for their full development and life. Sugar syrup, being exclusively a carbohydrate feed, does not include all the vital components that are so necessary for insects. But nevertheless, in the absence of natural honey, sugar honey is used by bees as an alternative food source.

In the practice of beekeeping, it is customary to use thick solutions in early spring, even before the flight and in autumn to replenish the missing winter stocks. More liquid syrups are used for spring and summer dressings. This is explained by the fact that it is more like a natural bribe and, when processed in the warm season, it is easier for bees to evaporate excess liquid from it.

Proportions of sugar feeding for bees

Sugar syrup is essentially a very simple solution consisting of only two ingredients - sugar and water. It is easy to prepare, the main thing is to know the right ratio of sugar and water. But in fact, sugar is lighter than water and occupies a smaller volume, so if 1 kg of it is dissolved in 1 liter of water, you will get about 1.6 liters of a solution in a ratio of 1 to 1 (50%).

But they give food to the bees in a volume expressed in liters. What if you need to feed the bees with a thicker or less liquid food, that is, prepared in other ratios? To calculate the required amount of syrup for bees in any proportion, which must be prepared at a time, it is convenient to use the appropriate tables.

They contain all the necessary information, dosages and time of use and output displacement. These are rounded figures for water and sugar. To prepare a different amount of feed, you need to proportionally increase the mass and displacement of the ingredients.

If liquid 40% syrup is needed, you can use the following table:

To prepare a 50% feed, this table will help:

If you need to make top dressing thicker, you can use the table for preparing a 60% solution:

And finally, information on the preparation of the thickest syrup - 70% - can be found here:

How to make sugar syrup for bees

Preparing syrup for top dressing is a simple matter, but it requires care and accuracy from the beekeeper. The quality of the finished product depends on this, as well as the health of the insects that used it.

Actually, the cooking process:

  1. You will need a suitable container - a bucket or pan, preferably enameled. Their size is selected based on the final volume of the product.
  2. Pure water in a volume that corresponds to the selected recipe is poured into this vessel.
  3. It is put on fire and brought to a boil.
  4. Now is the time to add sugar. This should be done gradually, constantly stirring the liquid so that the syrup does not burn.
  5. At the first sign of boiling, the vessel is removed from the heat (no need to cook), covered with a lid and allowed to cool to a warm state.

If necessary, decoctions of herbs and various medicines can be added to the already cooled syrup. For better processing of syrup by bees, some beekeepers add honey in an amount of up to 10%. It is believed that such a composition is more useful for them.

How to distribute

Syrup intended for feeding insects must be fresh. Ideally, it generally needs to be cooked only once. In addition, it must be warm, cold bees eat badly.

You can deliver it to bees in the following ways:

  • Pour into a special feeder and place it at the top of the hive.
  • Pour into a jar and, turning it upside down, place on a shallow stand.
  • Pack in plastic bags, tie them tightly and lay them out on frames, before that, first remove the canvas so that the bees can approach the feeder.

If the syrup is prepared correctly, the bees will eat such top dressing with pleasure. It is better not to give a burnt, as well as a long-stored solution, because it is harmful to them.

Sugar syrup as a top dressing has its own certain advantages, but still bees cannot do without honey. Excessive passion for syrup weakens them, so you should use it wisely, using it only in extreme cases.

The arrival of March adds worries to beekeepers: the spring feeding of wards with sugar mixtures of various concentrations begins. Additional nutrition allows you to maintain the health of the inhabitants of the bee nests and increase the productivity of the queen bee. For the full feeding of the offspring, adult insects must get stronger and gain strength after a long winter before the cleansing flyby begins.

The rapid growth of the bee colony is a guarantee of high performance indicators during the main honey flow. In this article, we will consider how to properly prepare syrup for bees in the spring, the proportions and features of preparing a sweet product.

Purpose of feeding

In the spring, many beekeepers try to make life easier for overwintered workers by regularly giving out sweet treats as an alternative substitute for natural nectar. Usually, the reason for such a decision is a natural or artificially created shortage of fodder reserves.

Due to a poor diet and constant malnutrition, insects begin to behave restlessly, which negatively affects the quality indicators of labor activity and offspring density. In addition, in a weakened state caused by a lack of food, the body of insects is more susceptible to infection with various diseases, and prolonged hunger can cause the death of the bee colony.

Therefore, knowing how to prepare sugar syrup for your wards is important for any self-respecting beekeeper. This business has its own nuances regarding concentration and proportions, on which the consistency of the final product depends - liquid or thick. This point is of fundamental importance, since such compositions are used for different purposes and at different times of the year.

With the onset of spring, the bees are fed with thick mixtures before flying around, and in the fall they make up for the missing winter reserves.

In the spring-summer period, beekeepers traditionally use liquid formulations, which has a simple explanation: they resemble natural bribes and, due to the speed of evaporation of excess liquid, processing takes less time.

Features of additional feeding in spring and autumn

In the autumn season, the issuance of a concentrated solution contributes to the creation of the necessary reserves in the absence of the possibility of accumulating them in a natural way. A sufficient amount of honey left in the nest is the key to a successful wintering. In order to preserve a marketable natural product, many beekeepers compensate for its lack with a sweet mixture.

This method is widely practiced, being an excellent way to save a valuable resource without harming its direct producers. Beekeeping becomes a profitable occupation, provided a rational approach.

For reference! The use of syrup for spring feeding of bees allows you to stimulate the development of bee colonies. With the regular issuance of sweet food, insects have the illusion of collecting pollen and nectar. They begin to eat intensively, as a result of which they better provide food to the uterus, which, evaluating the ability of adults to feed the young generation, increases egg production.

And also, regardless of the time of year, there are cases when you simply cannot do without additional feeding:

  • adverse weather conditions that prevent honey collection;
  • the need to replace honeydew stocks left for the winter. Honeydew honey characterizes a fast period of crystallization; when it is used, insects often suffer from indigestion;
  • it is necessary to compensate for the collection of the main bribe;
  • the lack of the possibility of natural collection of pollen and nectar;
  • the need for the issuance of drugs to insects.

In most situations, the inclusion of sugar in the diet of apiary workers is fully justified, and even more so, it makes sense to support bee colonies in this way when the long winter months are ahead.

If possible, instead of cane or beet sugar, it is preferable to feed your wards with natural flower honey.

VIDEO: How to cook syrup for bees from sugar (autumn feeding)

The nuances of complementary foods in the spring

Spring syrup for bees is really a great tool that can help in many difficult situations, but it is a mistake to consider its use as a universal solution to any problems in the apiary. When planning top dressing, it is necessary to take into account a number of features.

  1. Replenishing food supplies in the spring with one sweet treat is an extreme measure. Abuse of this feeding option will cause a sharp loss of strength of bee colonies. Insects spend a large amount of energy on processing the mixture, which leads to wear and tear of the body of insects weakened after a long winter.
  2. Feeding is carried out at a certain time: for spring top dressing - this is March, for winter - October, and in the northern regions - the last weeks of summer. Before these dates, it is not advisable to start feeding, but if you miss the time, the insects will have problems processing food.
  3. The feeders where the product is poured must be clean. The volume of servings for each nest is determined, taking into account the presence of honey residues and the strength of the bee colony. Proper feeding involves the issuance of a warm composition, the cooled mixture becomes unattractive to insects, in addition, it can turn sour.

  1. The optimal temperature regime, which has a beneficial effect on the processing of sweet treats, is 20 ° C. To reduce the possibility of aimless sorties, reduce the risk of loss of nest inhabitants in bad weather and theft, it is preferable to distribute food in the late afternoon.

In addition to the use of special feeders, the delivery of the solution to workers is carried out using:

  • a small jar, which is turned upside down and placed in a shallow pan;
  • plastic bags, where the mixture is pre-packaged, then tightly tied and laid out on stretchers. To provide insects with freedom of access to food, the canvas is removed in advance.

Proportions of sweet mixtures

Beginning beekeepers should be aware that the sugar solutions consumed in the spring are used by insects to create fresh honey. In winter, with the help of such a resource, it is possible to replace 30% of the natural reserves produced in the summer. The delicacy is easy to digest, contains a complex of nutrients issued in the spring.

Making syrup for bees involves the use of exclusively commercial granulated sugar, there should not be any surrogates. The sweet composition is a simple mixture that includes only two ingredients - sugar and water.

To know how to cook syrup correctly, it is enough to have a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe desired proportions of the product. It should be borne in mind that by mixing 1 kilogram of granulated sugar and 1 liter of water for a solution with a concentration of 50%, the volume of the finished mixture at the outlet will be 1.6 liters. How to prepare syrup for bees in spring to make the mixture thicker or to achieve a liquid consistency?

It is enough to be guided by a special table, then there should be no problems with cooking, since the data contained in it for the recommended dosages of sugar and water have been repeatedly tested in practice. To prepare a different amount of the composition, the mass proportionally increases with the displacement of the ingredients.

The volume of the mixture at the outlet

Variants of proportions of ingredients

2 to 1 concentrate 70%

1.5 to 1 concentrate 60%

1 to 1 concentrate 50%

1 to 1.5 concentrate 40%

sugar (kg)

sugar (kg)

sugar (kg)

sugar (kg)

The proportions of sugar syrup for bees in the winter are 1:1.5 (a kilogram of granulated sugar and one and a half liters of water). Top dressing at this time implies the issuance of daily portions of 250-300 grams. Old workers process the solution and die.

The table for preparing syrup for bee colonies will help novice beekeepers to accurately navigate. Thus, the required concentration of syrup for their wards is selected, taking into account the time and purpose of complementary foods, and then you just need to adhere to the proportional ratios of the ingredients. Even if there is excess food left, it is distributed to insects in additional portions, 100-150 g in volume, or used the next day.

VIDEO: The secret of making sugar syrup for bees for spring

Features of the cooking process

The recipe for syrup for bees is extremely simple. Since there are no special tricks in this matter, the main conditions for successful cooking of delicacy are the accuracy and attentiveness of the beekeeper himself. This is important, since the state of health and general well-being of apiary workers depends on the quality of the mixtures fed.

You can prepare sugar syrup for bees using any suitable vessel, it can be buckets, basins, tanks, pots, although it is preferable to use enameled kitchen utensils. Dimensions are selected taking into account the volume of finished products.

Cooking technology:

  1. The container must be filled with clean water, the volume of liquid must correspond to the values ​​\u200b\u200bof the selected recipe, and put to boil.
  2. When the water boils, you need to take a bag of sugar and slowly pour the sand into the pan, while not forgetting to stir its contents to avoid burning the mixture.
  3. The finished solution should be clear without sediment at the bottom. It cannot be boiled again, since additional heat treatment can lead to the loss of the valuable properties of the sweet product.
  4. The container removed from the stove is closed, left to cool. If you need to add medicines or herbal decoctions, you need to wait until the mixture becomes warm. If you add 10% honey, as many beekeepers believe, then such a solution will be better absorbed and processed by insects.

So, having figured out how to prepare sugar syrup for bees, and what concentration of the solution happens, it remains to observe the timing of feeding. Proper feeding also involves the issuance of freshly prepared mixtures to insects, so it is considered ideal when the solution is prepared separately for each time.

VIDEO: Making sugar syrup for bees