How to Feed Bees in a Top-Bar Hive

Preparing the Food (Simple Syrup)

• 1

  Fill a pitcher half-full with water. Pour the water into a pot and put it on to boil. Fill the pitcher with sugar while the water comes to a boil. Pour the sugar into the boiling water. Stir the boiling water to help the sugar dissolve further.

• 2

  Turn off the heat and let the simple syrup cool, if you're doing an autumn feeding. Fill the pitcher half-full with water and pour the water from the pitcher into the pot of boiled sugar water, turn off the heat and let the simple syrup cool, if you're doing a spring feeding.

• 3

  Fill a container half- to three-quarters full with the simple syrup.

• 4

  Float a few wood chips (at least 1 inch by 1 inch each) in the simple syrup -- the bees will rest on them when they're collecting the syrup (without the chips, the bees might drown).

Placing the Food in the Top-Bar Hive

• 5

  Drill a hole, roughly one inch in diameter, through the follower board so the bees can fly from the combs through the board, and get to the container on the other side that will hold the simple syrup.

• 6

  Place a piece of wood, on the side of the follower board opposite the combs, into the hive. Make sure the wood is large enough that it gets stuck (by the slanted walls of the hive) at least a couple of inches up from the bottom of the hive.

• 7

  Place the simple syrup-filled container on the piece of wood.

• 8

  Clean and refill the container as necessary.