Enter how much sugar you have, or how many litres of syrup you need, and pick the ratio. The tool gives the sugar and water for the batch, the finished volume, the concentration and the amount per hive. Ratios are by weight, the way beekeepers state them, and one litre of water weighs one kilogram — which is what makes the arithmetic easy to get slightly wrong.
1 = spring 1:1, 2 = autumn 2:1. Any value between 0.1 and 4 works.
To split the batch per colony.
Enter the sugar quantity or the syrup volume you need.
How it works
A 1:1 syrup is equal weights of sugar and water: 5 kg of sugar and 5 litres of water. That is the thin spring syrup used to stimulate brood rearing, close in concentration to nectar. A 2:1 syrup is two parts sugar to one part water — 10 kg of sugar to 5 litres — the thick autumn feed the colony can store and cap with little work.
The finished volume is less than sugar plus water suggests, because dissolved sugar takes up its own space rather than disappearing. The tool models it as water volume plus sugar volume at a sugar density of 1.59 kg/l, so 5 kg of sugar in 5 litres of water gives about 8.1 litres of syrup weighing 10 kg — a density of roughly 1.23 kg/l, which matches published figures for 1:1 syrup.
Enter a hive count and the batch is divided for you. Working the other way is often more practical: if you want 20 litres of 1:1 to go round, the tool tells you it takes about 12.3 kg of sugar and 12.3 litres of water. The ratio field accepts any value between 0.1 and 4, so a 3:2 or 1.5:1 mix is possible if that is what your practice calls for.
Practical examples
A 1:1 spring batch from 5 kg of sugar
5 kg of sugar and 5 litres of water make about 8.1 litres of syrup weighing 10 kg, at 50% sugar by mass — the classic stimulative feed.
A 2:1 autumn batch
10 kg of sugar with 5 litres of water gives roughly 11.3 litres at 66.7% sugar. Thicker syrup means less water for the bees to evaporate before capping.
Working back from 20 litres
Need 20 litres of 1:1? That is about 12.3 kg of sugar and 12.3 litres of water — useful when your feeders, not your sugar sack, set the batch size.
Splitting a batch across eight hives
12 kg of sugar at 2:1 makes about 13.5 litres of syrup: roughly 1.7 litres and 1.5 kg of sugar per hive across eight colonies.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ratio by weight or by volume?
By weight, which is how beekeepers state it and how this tool reads it. Since a litre of water weighs a kilogram, 1:1 by weight is also 1 kg sugar per litre of water — but 2:1 by weight is not 2 litres of anything, so mixing the two conventions is where errors creep in.
When do I feed 1:1 and when 2:1?
Thin 1:1 in spring stimulates brood rearing and mimics a nectar flow. Thick 2:1 in late summer and autumn builds winter stores, because the colony has to remove less water before capping the cells.
Why is the finished volume less than sugar plus water?
Because sugar has volume of its own — about 0.63 litres per kilogram — rather than adding a litre per kilogram. In practice dissolved sugar takes up slightly less space than that, so treat the volume as a close estimate and the weights as exact.
Should I use hot water to dissolve the sugar?
Warm water dissolves it faster, especially for 2:1. Do not boil syrup with sugar in it — overheating can caramelise sugars, which is harmful to bees. Warm, stir, and let it cool to ambient before feeding.
What sugar should I use?
Plain white granulated sucrose. Brown, unrefined and raw sugars carry ash and other solids that bees cannot process well, and molasses-rich sugars are associated with dysentery.
Can I feed honey instead?
Only your own honey from colonies you know to be healthy. Bought or unknown-origin honey can carry spores of American foulbrood, which is exactly the kind of risk that ends an apiary.
Can I add acid, essential oils or feeding stimulants?
Beekeepers do add small amounts of acid to invert the sugar or oils as feeding stimulants, but doses and legality vary by country and by whether the hive is in production. Follow local regulation and product labels; this calculator only handles sugar and water.
Is it safe to feed while honey supers are on?
No. Sugar syrup fed during a flow can end up in honey destined for sale, which is adulteration. Feed after the harvest, with the supers off.
How much syrup does a colony need for winter?
That depends on climate, colony size and what is already stored, and is usually judged by hive weight rather than by a fixed figure. Ask a local association — regional practice is more reliable than any number a calculator could print.
How long does syrup keep?
Not long, especially thin syrup, which ferments and moulds within days in warm weather. Mix what the bees will take in a few days, keep feeders clean, and store any surplus cold.
Can I use it for candy or fondant?
No. Sugar candy and fondant are made by boiling to specific temperatures and have their own recipes. This tool is for liquid syrup.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser.
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