“Sugar Syrup – Do You Mix by Weight or Volume?"

Topics Beekeepers Can't Agree On!

By: Lynne Jones

I asked beekeepers in two Facebook groups, “Sugar syrup—do you mix by weight or by volume? Explain how you make your sugar syrup.” Twenty-two beekeepers shared their methods. By far, most mix syrup by volume rather than weighing it on a scale.

In cooking—especially baking—we know that weighing ingredients is much more accurate than measuring by volume. The same applies to beekeeping. Beekeepers who weigh their sugar and water get a more accurate sugar-to-water ratio. When sugar and water are measured in equal parts by volume, the resulting syrup is only about 0.85:1 (sugar:water).

Nectar in nature isn't an exact amount for every flower. Therefore, use whichever is easiest for you and you will be fine.” 

Flowers of different species produce nectar that can be low in sugar, high in sugar, or somewhere in between. The sugar content can also vary among individual flowers due to factors like time of day, sunlight, wind, rain, and soil type (Burlew, 2021). A batch of sugar syrup—no matter how it’s made—might accidentally match the sugar ratio of a particular flower, but it certainly doesn’t match the ratio of all flowers.

Whether you weigh, measure, or guesstimate, it doesn’t matter to the bees—so use whichever method works best for you.

I’ve long been a fan of guesstimation—it’s easy and doesn’t leave extra dirty dishes. However, Chris Barnes’ comment introduced me to an even simpler way to make sugar syrup: “I dump sugar, then add water (not heated, but from the ‘hot side’ of the tap). If it all dissolves, I add more sugar.”

Obviously, this method is super easy, but the sugar-to-water ratio ends up much higher than the 1:1 we usually feed in spring to simulate a nectar flow and stimulate brood production and comb building. But it was Chris’s P.S. that really caught my attention:

PS: take a look at the research Randy Oliver did about wax building comparing 2:1 vs. 1:1. The results were: it did not matter. Bees built the same amount of comb per pound of sugar made regardless of the concentration of syrup. His conclusion was: "since thick syrup means fewer trips to the yard to fill the feeder, this was slightly more advantageous—only because less gas and time were burned."

Whoa! An easier way to mix sugar syrup and fewer trips to refill feeders? I’m going to try this immediately.

You don’t have to take Chris’s word for it—I’ve included the link to Randy Oliver’s light vs. heavy syrup experiment below. I also encourage you to check out the methods shared by other beekeepers in response to my Facebook question; they offer practical ways to make sugar syrup, and you might find one or two worth trying yourself. I also highly recommend Rusty Burlew’s article—you’ll likely find it both informative and enjoyable.

Burlew, R. (2021, January). The perils of sugar syrup: it’s not that complicated. American Bee Journal, Volume 161 No 1, January 2021, pp. 59-62. Retrieved January 15, 2022 from Honey Bee Suite website - CLICK HERE

Oliver, R. (2016, September). Light Or Heavy Syrup For Drawing Foundation? American Bee Journal, Volume 156 No 9, September 2016, pp 993-995. Retrieved January 15, 2022 from Scientific Beekeeping website - CLICK HERE

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