#SugarWater Feeding PostExtraction

[gsbees]

Sugar Water Feeding Post Honey Extraction

After our fall honey extraction, we wanted to make sure the bees could use the honey we left for the winter and decided to feed them sugar water before it got too cold. 

Taylor had suggestions for a feeding the bees every 4-5 days or whenever we noticed the sugar water supplies were empty.  We used a 2:1 white sugar to warm water mixture in small ziploc bags with slits cut on top place above the frames above the inner wooden cover.

It seemed to work alright though there were some concerns with feeding regarding bags smothering some bees and possibly introducing moisture into the hives with the sugar water when there was some leakage.

There are a few other methods we will try next year with a black frame feeder that we have that replaces one of the empty frames in a super. There is also an external jar feeder that fits in the hive entrance with a wooden entrance reducer though that carries the risk of tempting other colonies from stealing from the hive. We noticed that when a new nuc arrives, a metal can filled with sugar water with a very small hole cut at its base provides a steady food source as well. You can just place the can in a medium, shallower super above the frames below the inner wooden cover.