How to properly prepare sugar syrup for feeding bees
In winter and spring, bees often lack nutrition, so a substitute for honey taken by a person will come in handy. Knowing how to properly prepare sugar syrup for bees can preserve the health of the inhabitants of the hive and harmony in their family. The simplest version of the syrup is made from sugar and water. It is important to combine them in the right proportions to form a nutritional formula.
Knowing how to properly prepare sugar syrup for bees will help them winter safely.
Proportions of bee syrup ingredients
There are several options for the proportions of sugar and water:
- the same number. This syrup is easily absorbed by bees;
- the ratio of sugar and liquid is 3: 2. Most beekeepers believe this is the best choice.
A thinner syrup does not have the necessary nutritional value, and a thicker composition bees simply cannot process.
To make a classic syrup, pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil, then add sugar. Stirring constantly, wait until air bubbles begin to rise from the bottom and turn off the heat. After cooling, the syrup is ready for use.
An important point: only refined white sugar is used for feeding.
Feeding bees with sugar syrup for the winter will be more effective if honey is added to it. The result is the so-called invert, from which sugar is processed faster and easier into glucose.
To calculate the amount of ingredients in this case, the following proportion is used: for 1 kilogram of sugar, you need to take 40-50 grams of honey.
Add honey to the cooled syrup, because when boiled, it loses all its beneficial properties.
Vinegar is put in syrup for bees because acidified feed helps insects better endure the winter. Their fatty body develops better, which saves food and increases the amount of brood.
For 10 kilograms of white sugar, you need to take 4 ml of vinegar essence or 3 ml of acetic acid. The acid is added to the ready-made syrup cooled to 40 degrees.
In order for the bees to winter well, they need to be fed in the fall. For this, the finished syrup is placed in the upper feeders overnight. It takes about 6 liters at a time. Place the syrup directly into the honeycomb. An ordinary disposable syringe will help with this.
Alternatively, you can simply pour the syrup into a plastic bag, make a few small holes in it, and place it in the hive.
Experienced beekeepers add other useful ingredients to the syrup – needles, bee bread, etc. The main rule is that they are natural.
Vai nav kļūda, ka etiķis jāpielej mazāk (3ml) nekā etiķa esence (4ml)?