Can I Feed My Bees Honey Or Is Sugar A Better Option For The Harsh Winter Months

Beekeepers often wonder if feeding honey to their bees is better than offering sugar. At first glance, honey seems like the natural choice. After all, bees produce honey to store energy, so why not give them more of what they naturally make? The answer is more complex. While honey does contain nutrients, it is also important to have a supplemental food source in the harsh winter moths. This post explores the pros and cons of feeding honey versus sugar to bees, helping you make informed decisions for your hive’s health over harsh winter months.

Why Bees Need Carbohydrates and What They Prefer

Bees rely on carbohydrates for energy, especially during times when nectar is scarce. Their primary source of carbohydrates is nectar, which they convert into honey. However, when beekeepers feed bees, they usually provide sugar syrup made from white table sugar (sucrose) or corn syrup.

Honey contains a mix of sugars, mainly fructose and glucose, which are more complex for bees to process. Sugar syrup, on the other hand, contains sucrose, a simple sugar that bees can quickly convert into energy. This makes sugar syrup an efficient and effective food source when natural nectar is unavailable.

It’s important to remember that pollen is the main source of protein and other nutrients for bees, not honey or sugar. Carbohydrates fuel their activity, but pollen supports brood development and overall colony health.

The Risks of Feeding Honey to Bees

Feeding honey to bees might seem natural, but it carries several risks:

• Thick consistency: Liquid honey is much thicker than sugar syrup. Bees can drown in open feeders filled with honey because it’s harder for them to handle.

• HMF levels: Old or overheated honey can develop high levels of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a compound toxic to bees. Feeding such honey can sicken or weaken the hive.

• Disease transmission: Honey from unknown sources may carry spores of foulbrood or other diseases. Introducing contaminated honey can infect healthy hives and cause serious problems.

  
  

Because of these risks, beekeepers generally avoid feeding honey from other hives. Instead, sugar syrup or corn syrup is safer and more reliable for supplemental feeding.

When Feeding Honey Is Acceptable

There are specific situations where feeding honey to bees is acceptable, provided the honey comes from healthy, well-managed hives or your own apiary:

• Transferring excess honey frames: If one hive has surplus honey, you can move frames directly into a hive that needs food. This avoids the risks of contamination and provides a natural food source.

• Allowing bees to rob honey frames: When a hive is honey bound (full of honey with little room for brood), letting bees rob frames can help balance the colony’s needs.

  
  

A common question is whether it’s okay to let bees rob honey frames from a dead hive. The answer depends on the cause of death:

• If the hive died from brood diseases or pesticide poisoning, do not allow robbing. The honey may carry harmful spores or toxins.

• If the hive died from small hive beetle infestation or Varroa mites without disease signs, robbing is generally safe.

  
  

Overwintering Bees with Honey Supers

Beekeepers often ask if they can overwinter their hives with a full super of honey produced in the fall. The answer is yes. Bees naturally store honey to survive winter, and a full honey super provides them with the energy they need during cold months.

However, it’s important to ensure the honey is healthy and free from contaminants. Also, beekeepers should check that the hive has enough pollen stores for protein and that the colony is strong enough to manage the honey stores.

Bee keepers who expirience harsh winters will give their honey bees white sugar for their survival. Beekeepers make "sugar cakes" to feed their bees during winter and/or early spring when natural nectar and pollen sources are scarce. This supplemental feed can be crucial for colony health and survival. Sugar cakes are like a fondant: it is a solidified sugar mixture, vinegar and pollen can be added. The cake is placed above the other frames, and is a consistent, long-term feeding, plus it offers moisture absorption.

Practical Tips for Feeding Bees

• Use white table sugar syrup (1:1 ratio of sugar to water in spring, 2:1 in fall) for feeding. It’s easy for bees to digest and convert.

• Avoid feeding honey from unknown sources to prevent disease spread.

• If you feed honey, only use honey from your own healthy hives.

• Use feeders designed to minimize drowning risk, such as frame feeders or internal feeders.

• Monitor your hives regularly to adjust feeding based on their needs and natural nectar availability.

Recipes for Bees (Sugar/Pollen Cakes)

• Simple Sugar Cakes (Fondant): Mix granulated sugar with water (about 4.25 cups water to 25 lbs sugar) until damp sand consistency, pack into molds, and let dry for days to form hard cakes for the hive.

• Pollen Patties (Candy Boards): Heat water (e.g., 1 quart) with sugar (e.g., 12 lbs) to 250-255°F, whisk in pollen substitute (3 cups) and supplements (like Honey-Bee-Healthy), then pour onto pans to cool and harden.

Why White Sugar is Best for Bees?

• Purity: White sugar is highly refined sucrose, offering clean energy without the indigestible bits in unrefined sugars.

• Digestibility: Bees easily break down sucrose into fructose and glucose for fuel, just as they do with nectar.

• Avoids Dysentery: Impurities in other sugars (like molasses in brown sugar, fiber in raw sugar, or cornstarch in powdered sugar) can lead to bee dysentery, a serious condition

Summary

Feeding bees sugar in the winter is generally safer and an efficient way to make sure honey bees have enough energy for the harsh winter months. While honey contains some nutrients and is important for the bees to have enough, its thick consistency, potential for disease transmission, and toxic compounds in old honey makes adding sugar to their diet a good choice. Sugar provides a simple carbohydrate source that bees can quickly convert to energy.

Feeding honey is acceptable only when it comes from healthy hives you manage or when transferring excess honey frames. Overwintering with honey produced by the bees themselves is natural and beneficial. Sugar is an option to make sure the honey bees make through winter.

By understanding these factors, you can support your bees’ health and productivity while minimizing risks. Always prioritize safe feeding practices and monitor your hives closely to keep your colony thriving.