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SUGAR WATER AND CANDY BOARDS�MIKE WROBEL

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Sugar Feeding Demistified

by

Michael Wrobel

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Sugar Basics

  • Sugar is equal by volume or weight
    • … within a few percent
    • 1 cup of water weighs approximately 1 cup of sugar
    • 10 pounds of sugar has approximately the same volume as 10 pounds of water

​

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1:1 Sugar Water

  • 1 part sugar to 1 part water
    • By weight or volume
  • Typically used for spring build up
  • Encourages Brood Production
  • Encourages Wax Production
  • Consider use during a derth
  • Do NOT feed sugar water with supers on… it makes “Sugar Honey” and not “Nectar Honey”

​

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How To: 1:1 Sugar Water

  1. Measure out equal parts sugar and water
  2. Boil water on stove
    • Alternately, hot water out of your tap
    • In a pinch, maybe in the field, any water
  3. Turn off heat
  4. Pour in sugar
  5. Stir until the water goes from opaque to clear (yellowish)
  6. Let cool
  7. Feed to bees

​

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2:1 Sugar Water

  • 2 parts sugar to 1 part water
    • By weight or volume
  • Typically used in fall for winter stores buildup
  • Fed fast (large quantities) to encourage storage
  • Used to get the weight of the hive up for winter

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How To: 2:1 Sugar Water

  1. Measure out two parts sugar and 1 part water
  2. Boil water on stove
  3. Do NOT turn off heat
  4. Pour in sugar
  5. Stir until the water goes from opaque to clear (yellowish)
  6. Now turn off heat
  7. Let cool
  8. Feed to bees

​

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Sugar Candy

  • Used late winter/early spring for emergency sugar
  • Used by bees, if needed, on 40F+ days in January through April
  • Candy Process?
  • Mountain Camp Process?
  • A $6, 10 pound bag of sugar to save replacing with a Nuc the next spring at $180
  • Why not leave a super? Economics!!

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How To: Sugar Candy

  1. True ‘Candy Method’… OMG… Never again!!!
  2. Mountain Camp Method
    1. 10 Pounds of Sugar
    2. 1 Cup of Water (just enough to make it clump)
    3. 1 TBSP of Vinegar (inverts the sugar)
    4. Place in feeder

​

This is emergency sugar that you hope the bees don’t need

​

Guess what, in the spring, take any remaining clumps of sugar and make 1:1 by weight

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Warning

  • Brown sugar hurts your bees
  • Caramelized sugar hurts your bees

​

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Types of Liquid Sugar Feeders

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Types of Candy Sugar Feeders

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Warning!!

  1. Block off your upper entrance!
  2. Do not give ‘outside bees’ direct access to your sugar
  3. Do not entice your bees with lemongrass oil

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Questions?

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WINTER PREPARATION�MIKE WROBEL

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Preparing Your Hives�For Winter

by

Michael Wrobel

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Three Important Steps to Survive Winter

​

  1. Are your Varroa Mites under control?
  2. Do your bees have enough properly placed food stores?
  3. Did you help control the environment inside the hive?

​

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Are Your Varroa Mites Under Control?

  • Your mite treatments now will help get you through winter
  • This is the most important step to get through winter
  • You must reduce the viral load in the hive before the winter bees arrive

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Treating for Varroa Mites

  • You should have treated for mites in the spring
    • Before you placed your honey supers
    • Reputable Nuc suppliers should have treated the Nucs
    • Consider Formic Pro

​

  • You should have been testing for mites MONTHLY
    • If counts are high, use treatments that are approved for use with supers on
    • Consider Oxalic Acid or HopsGuard 3
    • Formic Pro may be temperature restricted
    • Make sure your treatment is appropriate for the expected temperatures

​

  • If you have not been aggressive after removing your supers

… you are behind the power curve!

    • With your honey supers removed you have a lot of options
    • Be aggressive

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The Last Mite Treatment of the Season

  • Treat for mites on the last warm day before Thanksgiving
    • Don’t test, just treat
  • Keep an eye on the long range forecast
  • Find a day that is 50F+ (preferred) and meets your schedule
  • Treat with Oxalic Acid Drip – Only ONE treatment is needed
    • With the winter bees in place, there is little capped brood for the mites to hide

​

​

​

https://scientificbeekeeping.com/oxalic-acid-treatment-table/

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Mite Testing

  • Are you really testing?
  • Are you testing before?
  • Are you testing after?

​

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Do Your Hives Have Enough Stores?

  • How do you know?
  • Leave a super of honey?
  • How do you get your hive up to weight?

​

​

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Weighing Your Hive

  • Weigh
    • Bottom Board
    • 2 Deep Brood Boxes (or 3 Medium Brood Boxes)
    • Inner Cover
    • Lid
    • Bees, Frames…
  • Wrap a rachet strap around the hive
  • With a friend and a scale lift slowly to weigh
  • Goal:
    • 130 Pounds for 10-Frame
    • 115 Pounds for 8-Frame
    • Goals for a Nebraska Winter (Dr Marion Ellis)

​

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Correcting the Weight

  • Food Stores MUST be in the brood boxes for the bees to survive the dead of winter
  • Add 1 gallon of 2:1 Sugar Water for every 10 pounds short
    • No need to reweigh
  • After weight is achieved, add candy board
    • The candy board is for emergency sugar in late winter and early spring
    • If needed, the bees will start using it when the temperature is closer to 50F

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Maintaining the Environment

  • Wrapping a hive will help maintain the temperature and humidity
    • Bees won’t have to work as hard
    • Helps seal drafts

​

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*Data provided by Brad Price

Insulation

Installed

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*Data provided by Brad Price

Insulated

Not Insulated

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8- and 10-Frame Hive Wrap Plans

From

BeeHive Guys

  • Safety first – WARNING – Styrofoam will kick back on a table saw just like wood
  • Always set your blade so that it barely exceeds the depth of your cut
  • Styrofoam can be cut with a box cuter (half depth cut) and a snap (YouTube it)
  • Use closed cell Styrofoam (blue stuff at Lowes and Pink stuff at HD and Menards

NOT the white stuff)

  • Try and find the Styrofoam sheets with the flat edges, not the tongue-and-groove
  • Styrofoam sheets have some pre-cuts. Be careful not to snap along these cuts
  • 1.5” Blue stuff (Lowes) is $36/sheet... The 1.5” Pink stuff (HD/Menards) is $50/sheet
  • If you are not building in bulk, I provide small quantities of the supplies at my retail bee supply store ( https://shop.beehiveguys.com )
  • If you are building in bulk (5 or more), I have a separate cut plan that is more efficient. Contact me at mike@beehiveguys.com
  • Black Gorilla Duct tape works very well. Highly recommended for longevity

​

​

​

​

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*The initial design provided

by Brad Price

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https://shop.beehiveguys.com

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https://shop.beehiveguys.com

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shop.beehiveguys.com

https://shop.beehiveguys.com

20”x20.5”

16 3/4”x20.5”

6+”

4”

90”

16 3/4”

20”

20”

3”

3”

16 3/4”

House Wrap: 40” x 90” 1

Foam 1: 20” x 20.5”x1.5” 2

Foam 2: 16 3/4” x 20.5”x1.5” 2

Foam 3: 13 ¾” x 20” Lid (not shown). 1

Bungee Cut at 79” (use marine bungee) 2

​

The 20.5” height assumes the use of a >2” high sugar cake box and 2 deeps

Use 3” space (vice 4”) if you don’t want to fold over for storage

Cut scrap piece for 3” or 4” temporary spacer

Use black Gorilla brand Duct tape when you fold over the house wrap

40”

16 3/4”x20.5”

20”x20.5”

13 ¾” wide 8-Frame Hive Wrap Plans

FLAP

8-FRAME

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shop.beehiveguys.com

https://shop.beehiveguys.com

(two long cuts at 20.5” from each long edge first)

20”x20.5”

Cut Plan for 2x 8-Frame Hives

Use Scraps to make 2x 3” spacers and 1x 4” spacer

Or 3x 3” spacers

If using a table saw, WARNING: Foam can pinch blade and kick back

Table saw blade should barely exceed height of foam

20”x20.5”

20”x20.5”

20”x20.5”

20”x0.5”

16 3/4”

x

20.5”

16 3/4”

x

20.5”

16 3/4”

x

20.5”

16 3/4”

x

20.5”

13 3/4”

x

20”

13 3/4”

x

20”

20”

16 3/4”

16 3/4”

13 3/4”

20”

8-FRAME

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20”x20.5”

19 1/4”x20.5”

6+”

4”

90”

19 1/4”

20”

20”

3”

3”

19 1/4”

House Wrap: 40” x 90” 1

Foam 1: 20” x 20.5”x1.5” 2

Foam 2: 19 1/4” x 20.5”x1.5” 2

Foam 3: 16 1/4” x 20” Lid (not shown) 1

Bungee Cut at 84” (use marine bungee) 2

The 20.5” height assumes the use of a >2” high sugar cake box and 2 deeps

Use 3” space (vice 4”) if you don’t want to fold over for storage

Cut scrap piece for 3” or 4” temporary spacer

Use black Gorilla brand Duct tape when you fold over the house wrap

40”

19 1/4”x20.5”

20”x20.5”

16 ¼” wide 10-Frame Hive Wrap Plans

10-FRAME

FLAP

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shop.beehiveguys.com

https://shop.beehiveguys.com

(two long cuts at 20.5” from each long edge first)

20”x20.5”

Cut Plan for 2x 10-Frame Hives

Use Scraps to make 2x 3” spacers and 1x 4” spacer

Or 3x 3” spacers

If using a table saw, WARNING: Foam can pinch blade and kick back

Table saw blade should barely exceed height of foam

20”x20.5”

20”x20.5”

20”x20.5”

20”x0.5”

19 1/4”

x

20.5”

19 1/4”

x

20.5”

19 1/4”

x

20.5”

19 1/4”

x

20.5”

16 1/4”

x

20”

16 1/4”

x

20”

20”

19 1/4”

19 1/4”

16 1/4”

20”

10-FRAME