The traditional substitute for honey is sugar solution. As a rule, sugar and water are mixed in a 3:2 ratio or, less frequently, on a 1:1 basis. This sugar is chemically identical to the sucrose contained in nectar and honeydew, the raw materials of honey. As a result, the bees have the necessary enzymes, such as invertase, and can make good use of the sucrose as nutrient.

The preparation of sugar solutions is always timeconsuming. Attention must also be paid to the microbiological instability of such feed, which limits its shelf life and thus the length of time the sugar solution can be used. As a result, sugar solution must often be prepared in batches.

The Feeding of Honeybees (PDF, 528.27 KB)