How to Feed Bees
in Fall
and When to Stop

1. Why Fall Feeding Matters 

Stored honey is the bees' carbohydrates for the winter. They need this energy to maintain warmth in the winter cluster and keep adult bees and brood alive during cold temperatures. 

The biggest mistake beekeepers make with fall feeding is not knowing their current status and not forecasting what the bees will need for the winter. Before deciding to feed, beekeepers should be aware of the current needs of their colonies. A good inspection will reveal the amount of current resources, whether they need more for winter, and whether they have room to store additional feed. 

2. Do Your Bees Actually Need Fall Feeding? 

There are a few ways to assess whether a colony needs supplemental feed. Hive weight is one of the most practical. You can lift the hive from the back for a general sense of how heavy it is. An app-enabled hive scale can show accurate weights as well as trends in weight gains and losses. You can also count the number of frames of stored honey or syrup. 

A general benchmark is 40 pounds of stored honey or syrup for southern states, 60 pounds for the middle of the country, and 80 pounds for northern climates. For reference, a medium box full of honey can weigh 30 to 40 pounds, and a full deep can weigh 50 to 60 pounds. 

The quality of your fall nectar flow also matters. If your area has a strong fall nectar flow, bees may not need supplemental feeding. Find out from other beekeepers near you what they are seeing. Inspect your colonies so you know where they stand and can determine what they need. 

3. When Should You Start Fall Feeding? 

If you hope to harvest fall honey, you do not want to feed too early and risk harvesting "funny honey" that contains sugar syrup. You can feed if needed after pulling honey supers. 

If you wait too long to feed syrup, the temperatures may get too cold to allow the bees to properly dry and cap the syrup. At that point, you may have to choose whether to feed with a winter fondant patty instead. 

Beekeepers will typically want to first assess the fall nectar flow. If the flow is strong, you will not have to spend money on feed. If your fall flow is a dud, or the fall flow ends and your colonies are still light on resources, you may need to feed. 

Timing of fall nectar flows and feeding will vary greatly by region. Consult with members in your bee clubs to gain more understanding of your local conditions. 

4. What Should You Feed Bees in Fall? 

For fall feeding, use a 2:1 sugar syrup (two parts sugar to one part water by weight). A 2:1 syrup is more readily available to bees. It takes less time, effort, and energy from the bees to dry it down to a honey consistency. It also introduces less moisture to the hive environment. 

Once temperatures drop too low for liquid feeding, switch to a solid feed such as a winter fondant patty. 

5. Fall Sugar Syrup: Getting the Mixture Right 

The ratio for fall feeding is 2:1 sugar to water by the pound. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds. Mix a 10-pound bag of sugar with 5 pounds of water (approximately 2.5 quarts). Mix a 25-pound bag of sugar with 1.5 gallons of water. 

A 2:1 feed is harder to mix than 1:1. It helps to heat the water just to a boil. Add the water to the sugar so as not to scald the sugar. Mix vigorously until the sugar is dissolved. For mixing larger volumes like 25-pound sugar bags, it helps to mix in a 5-gallon bucket with a cordless drill and a mixing paddle. 

Use the table below as a reference for mixing 2:1 syrup with package sizes available at most supermarkets. 

6. Choosing the Right Bee Feeder 

Internal frame feeders like the HillCo 1-Gallon Frame Feeder or a hive top feeder like the Maxima Hive Cover Feeder Combo or the Hive365 Premium Top Feeder are good choices for fall feeding. With these feeders, only the colony can access the feed, and they provide a good way to monitor or track colony intake. 

A hive top feeder is very convenient for a beginner. It is easy to access and fill without needing to open the hive. For a larger apiary, frame feeders are an economical choice for larger operations. 

Entrance feeders should be avoided as they can draw bees from other colonies to feed on that source. That can escalate to robbing that colony of their resources and even the immediate or eventual death of that colony. Community feeding should be used with caution as the feed can attract other insects like hornets, which can predate on bees at the feeder, or yellow jackets, which can outcompete bees for feed.

7. When Should You Stop Feeding Liquid Syrup? 

Liquid feeding should end once daytime highs are consistently in the mid 50s and lower, and when overnight lows are consistently falling below freezing. If the colony is still light on resources at that point, a winter fondant patty is an option to provide additional feed.

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8. Common Fall Feeding Mistakes