Making Sugar Bricks for Feeding Bees

When it’s too cold to fly for weeks on end and you know your hives are light and need extra food, sugar bricks are one way to feed your bees. Sugar bricks are easy to make and take just two days and very little equipment. This method is the easiest we've found!
Products featured in this video:
Creamed Honey Mixing Attachment: www.betterbee.com/creamed-hon...
10 Frame Shim: www.betterbee.com/feeders/shi...
10 Frame Deep Rim Inner Cover: www.betterbee.com/wooden-hive...
10 Frame Insulating Foam Board: www.betterbee.com/wooden-hive...
This video was edited using Wondershare Filmora.

[@humblebee1]

closing the upper vent will help your bees maintain heat and use less food over the winter. Just a suggestion. The insulation under the cover will keep moisture from raining onto the bees. good video, thank you for the information.

[@betterbee1979]

Thanks for the input, K! We hope your bees are overwintering well so far.

[@alafferty1264]

Does the sugar board act as a moisture board? and does a moisture board need to be put on once the sugar board is gone?

[@annefrey8732]

@@alafferty1264 No, it doesn't absorb much moisture, so if you use a moisture board, just keep it on during and after feeding sugar bricks. Remember to leave a little hole up there for bees and air to go in/out of the hive.

[@alafferty1264]

@@annefrey8732 Got it. Thx

[@gerardomaddalena1450]

Hola, te recomiendo que en el invierno dejes la colmena con una sola camara, cuanto mas espacio tienen mas deberan trabajar para generar el calor necesario y por otro lado no creo que el azucar solido sea lo que esperan tus abejas, ten en cuenta que ellas toman el nectar de la naturaleza que es liquido. Mucha suerte y gracias por compartir tus experiencias!

[@John4.23-24]

Que tipo de comida recomiendas por el invierno

[@RickCobello-lg5ph]

10 oz water

[@shakamuni01]

was that a styrofoam insulation cover you had on top below the cover?

[@betterbee1979]

Yes! We use foam board insulation below the outer cover and above the inner cover in the winter months here in NY.

[@John4.23-24]

I have a horizontal Layers hive, could I use an empty frame to make a whole frame of sugar brick for winter, and just put that whole frame in the hive for winter? Where is the best area to put it as well!

[@amymusante9220]

So is Betterbee no longer recommending the recipe that use to be on your website that uses apple cider vinegar instead of water to make the bricks?

[@betterbee1979]

Hi Amy, Anne used to make sugar bricks the other way, with apple cider vinegar and citric acid, but found that it was not as foolproof as this way (and also not as easy to make). She said, "Bees invert the sugars in nectar. They can invert the sugars in sugar we give them. I don't think vinegar and all that liquid is absolutely necessary. The new way, which is really from Rusty Burlew's site, is more like a sugar bowl's sugar getting hard. Tiny amount of water, wait, ta-da!" We stand behind either method for making sugar bricks, but this way is easier with fewer ingredients!

[@hutch84jr]

@@betterbee1979 What about using the Honey B Healthy ,, I've used that in my sugar bricks with apple cider vinegar, no a lot of course, our bees have done fine with it.

[@benwicker5820]

Will rain dissolve it ?

[@betterbee1979]

Rain will dissolve these bricks, so we recommend storing them in a covered container while outside and adding them to your hives!