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Sugar water for bees calculator

How much sugar and how much water for your hives? Pick 1:1 or 2:1, by weight or by the cup, and the number of colonies: you get pounds of sugar, gallons of water and gallons of syrup, with metric alongside.

Syrup
Start from
gal

Benchmark: about 4 US gallons (15 L) of 2:1 for a full-sized colony that needs fall feeding (Honey Bee Health Coalition). A 3 lb package: at least 2 gallons of syrup if it has no frames of honey (MSU).

Result

  • 148lbof white sugar (67.1 kg)
  • 8.87galof hot tap water (33.6 L)
  • 20galof syrup (75.7 L)
  • 222lbof syrup by weight (100.7 kg)

That is 4 gal per colony, about 30 lb of sugar each.

How it is calculated

By weight or by volume

"1:1" means one part sugar to one part water. Michigan State University and the Honey Bee Health Coalition count the parts by weight: 1 lb of sugar to 1 lb of water, a 50% syrup, and fall syrup of at least 66% (MSU), which means 2 parts sugar to 1 part water by weight. The University of Florida gives 2:1 by volume. A US cup of granulated sugar weighs about 200 g (7 oz) and a cup of water about 237 g, so a recipe by the cup is thinner: 2:1 by volume is about 63% sugar, 1:1 by volume about 46%. Either works as long as you are consistent. A pint of water weighs about a pound, which is why "1 lb of water" and "1 pint" are interchangeable in a weight recipe.

The formulas

syrup weight = gallons × 3.785 L × density
sugar = syrup weight × sugar share
water = syrup weight − sugar (1 kg of water = 1 L; 8.34 lb = 1 gal)
gallons = syrup weight ÷ density ÷ 3.785

In "per colony" mode the volume is colonies × gallons per colony. In "sugar on hand" mode the syrup weight is sugar ÷ sugar share. For a volume recipe the result also gives cups: sugar ÷ 200 g, water ÷ 237 mL.

SyrupSugar shareWeight of 1 galSugar in 1 gal
1:1 by weight50%10.3 lb (4.7 kg)5.1 lb (2.33 kg)
1:1 by volume45.8%10.1 lb (4.6 kg)4.6 lb (2.1 kg)
2:1 by weight66.7%11.1 lb (5 kg)7.4 lb (3.36 kg)
2:1 by volume62.8%10.9 lb (5 kg)6.9 lb (3.12 kg)
Ready-made syrup, 77% solids77%11.6 lb (5.3 kg)8.9 lb (4.05 kg)

Densities are those of a sucrose solution at room temperature, rounded. Worked example: for 5 colonies short of stores at 4 gallons each, you need 20 gallons of 2:1, which takes about 148 lb (67 kg) of sugar and 8.9 gallons of water. At the US city average of $1.02 per pound of white sugar in September 2026 (Bureau of Labor Statistics), that is about $30 of sugar per colony.

Ready-made syrups

HFCS-55, the corn syrup most fed by commercial beekeepers, is about 77% solids, and a USDA SARE trial fed it alongside 67.5% sucrose syrup and Mann Lake Pro-Sweet 77 at one gallon a week, up to four gallons, with no difference in winter survival. Bought feeds are used as they come: the calculator gives the amount to buy and the sugar it holds. If your label gives a different solids content, the result scales with it. Store any syrup out of the sun and below about 80 °F (27 °C), because HMF builds up with heat and time.

The doses, regional targets and the rule against boiling come from our guide to feeding honey bees. Never feed with honey supers on, and finish fall feeding before the cluster forms; after that, switch to solid sugar with the fondant and sugar brick calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ratio of sugar to water for bees?

Use 1:1, one part white sugar to one part water, in spring and for packages, nucs and splits. Use 2:1, two parts sugar to one part water, in fall to build winter stores. Michigan State University gives the ratios by weight; the University of Florida gives 2:1 by volume. Pick one method and stay with it.

Is the 1:1 or 2:1 ratio by weight or by volume?

Both are used. MSU and the Honey Bee Health Coalition define 1:1 by weight (1 lb of sugar to 1 lb of water). Many beekeepers measure cups. A cup of sugar weighs less than a cup of water, so a volume recipe is thinner: 2:1 by volume is about 63% sugar against 67% by weight.

How much sugar is in a gallon of 2:1 syrup?

About 7.4 lb (3.4 kg) when the 2:1 is made by weight. To make roughly a gallon, dissolve about 7.4 lb of sugar in 3.7 lb (about 1.8 quarts) of water. For 1:1 by weight, a gallon of syrup holds about 5.1 lb of sugar and as much water.

How much syrup does a colony need in fall?

The Honey Bee Health Coalition puts it at about 4 US gallons (15 L) of 2:1 syrup for a full-sized colony that needs feeding, roughly 30 lb of sugar. It depends on region and on the honey already stored, so heft or weigh hives first and feed the difference.

Should I boil sugar water for bees?

No. Use hot tap water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Boiling, and adding acid such as vinegar, lemon juice or cream of tartar, raises HMF, a compound that is toxic to bees. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before you put it on the hive.

Can I use corn syrup or ready-made syrup?

Many commercial beekeepers feed HFCS-55, which is about 77% solids and does not crystallize. The Honey Bee Health Coalition notes colonies on HFCS can have weaker immune systems than on sucrose, and HMF builds up when it is stored hot. Hobbyists are usually better off with white cane or beet sugar.

What kind of sugar is safe for bees?

Plain white granulated sugar, cane or beet. Bees cannot digest several sugars found in other products, so avoid brown sugar, molasses, powdered sugar with cornstarch, candy and soda. Never feed honey of unknown origin, which can spread American foulbrood spores.

Sources

  1. Honey Bee Nutrition and Supplemental Feeding Guide (2024), Honey Bee Health Coalition
  2. Feeding honey bees, Michigan State University, Pollinator Apiculture Lab
  3. Overwintering Honey Bee Colonies in Northern Climates (ENY-161), University of Florida, IFAS Extension
  4. Beekeeping Calendar for the Northeast, Cornell University, CALS Pollinator Network
  5. Average price: sugar, white, all sizes, US city average (APU0000715211), US Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED
  6. Impact of Supplemental Feed Type on Winter Survival of Honey Bee Colonies (FS11-252), USDA SARE
  7. Evaluation of the risks for animal health related to the presence of HMF in feed for honey bees (EFSA Journal 2022;20(4):7227), European Food Safety Authority

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