Bee Colony Health: Tips for Feeding Honey Bee Colonies in Spring

As soon as we say, “Spring is on its way,” boom—our bees begin their population explosion, even when temperatures are still too cold to work with them! What’s a beekeeper to do? The challenge arises because nature doesn’t always keep up with the food demand during early spring, the busiest time of year for honey bees. On top of that, the number of bees available to gather resources is stretched thin, not to mention their age. In other words, there are too many mouths to feed and not enough bees to forage!

Symptoms of a Nutritionally Starved Hive

A nutritionally starved hive can show a variety of symptoms and can occur at different times of the year. Being able to recognize these signs is crucial for maintaining healthy hives.

Some common conditions leading to nutritional starvation follow:

• Warm winter regions: In areas where winters are mild (with daytime temperatures between 50°F and 70°F), the hive may continue rearing brood, which can require pollen supplements and syrup during winter. However, in most areas, little to no pollen is needed during the dead of winter when brood rearing isn’t taking place. In these cases, a hive that’s run out of stored honey or syrup is at risk of starvation.
• Early spring: Before a significant honey flow begins, bees can outpace the blooming of flowers. This is especially true if a late spring cold snap occurs, preventing bees from foraging for a week or more while their population rapidly grows. In this scenario, a gallon or two of syrup and a pollen patty should be enough to carry the hive through a week of no flying.
• Postharvest: After honey is harvested, especially during early summer, many regions experience hot and dry conditions that lead to a drastic reduction in available nectar and pollen.
• Summer dearth: If there’s no nectar or pollen available for bees to forage on, they may suffer from nutritional shortages.

Recognizing a Starving Hive

Now that we know when to expect nutritional deficiencies, let’s take a closer look at what a starving hive might look like:

• Less than half a frame (combined) of pollen stores in the hive.
• Less than 10 pounds (combined) of honey or syrup in the hive (a deep frame of honey weighs around 8-10 pounds, and a medium frame weighs 4-6 pounds).
• Bees cannibalize brood. You might notice bees uncapping and consuming pupae
  or, more commonly, the absence of eggs or larvae in the hive, despite a laying queen.
  
  
  
• Before cannibalization begins, larvae will appear dry. Healthy larvae should float in royal jelly. If they don’t, this indicates that the hive is low on stores—pollen in particular.

The quickest fix for a starving hive is to provide them with food. Keep in mind that if they have plenty of honey but little to no pollen, they need a pollen patty. If there’s little or no stored syrup or honey, they’ll need syrup. When in doubt, offering food can go a long way in protecting the hive.

Feeding Growing Colonies

Spring feeding serves several important purposes:

1.      Ensuring the hive has enough food to build a population before adding honey supers

2.      Helping new hives draw out foundation in the brood box

3.      Feeding to help draw comb on honey supers

Let’s take a look at when to start and stop feeding for each of these scenarios:

1. Feeding for Colony Growth

To support bee growth, feed a 1:1 syrup mixture (one part sugar to one part water). The goal is to ensure that the hive can continue rearing brood until honey supers are added. For a strong hive (one deep full of bees and brood or more) with little honey reserves and a second brood box, feeding about half a gallon of sugar syrup each week is typically enough. Stop feeding once the honey flow begins (late April in most areas, but as late as June in others) and add the first honey super—provided the super already has drawn comb.

Remember, the amount of food to give will vary depending on factors such as hive strength, weather, and available forage. The goal is to provide just enough food to keep the hive growing while ensuring the colony has at least 20 pounds of honey reserves.

2. Feeding New Colonies

For newly purchased nucs, packages, or splits, many of the frames in your brood box may be made of new foundation. Feeding heavily helps new bees quickly draw out the comb. Feed them as much syrup as they will consume until they begin drawing out the two outside frames in the bottom box. Once this happens, you can add an additional box and continue feeding.

3. Feeding for Comb Building on Honey Supers

Stop feeding once the top brood box is about 80% drawn comb and filled with bees and honey. At this point, add a honey super of drawn comb and allow the bees to fill it with nectar. If your honey super contains new, undrawn foundation, continue feeding until at least 3-5 frames are partially drawn. If the bees stop drawing comb after feeding is stopped, restart feeding for a few days, then stop again. It may take some trial and error to get them drawing comb consistently, especially if the honey flow hasn’t yet begun.

When to Start and Stop Feeding

By March, it’s time to switch to thin syrup (more like nectar). This means a 1:1 sugar-to-water ratio:

• 1:1 syrup: 1 part sugar (by volume or weight) to 1 part water.
• 2:1 syrup: 2 parts sugar (by volume or weight) to 1 part water.

If you purchase premixed syrup from a bee supply company, it will likely be 2:1, which has an almost unlimited shelf life. To convert it to 1:1 syrup, simply dilute it with about 20% water. Syrup made from granulated sugar has a shelf life of 7–10 days, so it’s best to use it quickly. You can also add Pro Health or Complete to the syrup, which tends to inhibit mold growth in feeders.

In general, 1:1 syrup is used to stimulate bees, help them draw comb, and rear brood, making it ideal during the spring, summer, and early fall. A thicker, 2:1 syrup is more readily stored by the bees and is typically used in the fall to help them store enough food for winter.

Feeding Syrup in Cold Weather

Cold temperatures can be a challenge since bees won’t drink cold syrup. If temperatures remain below 60°F, consider using smaller amounts of syrup in your feeders. This ensures the bees have access to syrup on warmer days while preventing the syrup from stagnating in the feeder.

Feeding and Comb Building

Warm weather is essential for comb building. While thin syrup (nectar) can stimulate the wax glands of worker bees that are two to three weeks old, cold temperatures will prevent them from building wax. Bees require warmth to mold the wax to build comb. Additionally, bees are highly efficient; they won’t build comb without a need for storage. If comb space is already available to store nectar, they won’t start building new comb. However, once the bees begin building on new frames, it’s a good sign they need more space, which means it’s time to continue feeding.

When to Stop Feeding

As spring progresses, continue feeding, even through April. Depending on the nectar flow in your area, some regions may see a minor flow by mid-April, with a primary flow by May 1. Once you observe a nectar flow, stop feeding unless you’re still trying to build comb.

With careful attention to your hive’s nutritional needs and timely feeding, you can help ensure your bees remain healthy and strong throughout the spring season!

Article cover photo credit: Phyllis Stroud