Which syrup to choose for winter feeding?
The quality of syrups used for winter feeding of bees is very often at the centre of lively discussions.
What should be the main qualities of a syrup:
- A composition close to that of honey
- Easily assimilated by the bee
- Requiring minimal energy for conversion and storage
- Good solubility (no crystallisation)
- Good stability (no fermentation)
- High purity and appropriate viscosity
Choosing a winter feeding syrup: composition, digestibility and practical considerations
Selecting an appropriate winter feeding syrup is a critical and often debated decision in beekeeping. An ideal syrup should resemble honey in composition, be easily assimilated, require minimal energy for processing and storage, resist crystallisation and fermentation, and exhibit good purity and stability. The document compares different syrup types based on sugar chemistry and their physiological impact on honey bees.
The explanation begins with basic sugar chemistry. Simple sugars such as glucose and fructose are directly digestible. More complex sugars, including sucrose and starch, must first be enzymatically hydrolysed. In bees, invertase converts sucrose into glucose and fructose. Commercial syrups are produced either by enzymatic hydrolysis of cereal starch (maize or wheat) or by hydrolysis of beet sucrose. Because enzymatic reactions are never complete, starch-based syrups typically contain a mixture of simple sugars and residual complex carbohydrates.
Starch-derived syrups generally contain little or no sucrose but relatively high levels of maltose and other oligosaccharides. These complex sugars are poorly assimilated by bees. During winter, non-digestible sugars may accumulate in the rectal ampulla, increasing the risk of dysentery in early spring. Residual starch components may also appear in honey. The proportion of truly assimilable nutrients in such syrups can therefore be significantly lower than the total quantity supplied.
Inverted syrups derived from beet sucrose have a simpler composition, consisting mainly of glucose, fructose and a remaining fraction of sucrose. Their composition is closer to that of natural honey, making them easier to digest and less demanding metabolically. Their main drawback is higher cost.
Homemade syrup prepared from granulated sucrose dissolved in water represents a traditional option. When feeding occurs immediately after honey harvest and before winter bees emerge, this approach can be suitable. However, it requires preparation time, contains a higher water fraction that bees must evaporate, and has lower storage stability.
In conclusion, the optimal choice depends on timing and management context. Early feeding can successfully rely on sucrose syrup. When feeding occurs later, particularly once winter bees are present, a partially or fully inverted syrup is preferable. Among commercial products, beet-based inverted syrups appear physiologically more appropriate than starch-based alternatives due to their simpler composition and higher assimilable fraction. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
See also:
- Principles of Bee Feeding
- Successful Overwintering
- Practical Guide: 4.2 Feeding Syrup
- Practical Guide: 2.5 Dysentery
- Practical Guide: 4.3 Overwintering