LindenNora · Uppsala, SE · Beginners · Aug 31, 2026

At what temperature do bees stop taking syrup? Trying to plan my feeding window

Third year in Uppsala and I've been caught out before — two Septembers ago I was still feeding in October and the syrup just sat in the feeder going mouldy. This year I want to actually understand the cutoff instead of guessing. I've read bees stop taking syrup somewhere around 10°C but I don't know if that's daytime high, overnight low, or syrup temperature. And WHY do they stop — is it that they can't leave the cluster to reach the feeder, or that they can't dry it down once it's in the comb? Trying to work out my last-syrup date so I know when to give up and switch to fondant instead.

#fall-feeding#syrup#fondant#winter-prep

▲ 9 votes 💬 3 replies ✅ Solved

3 replies

SkaneBees · Aug 31, 2026 · ✅ Accepted answer

It's both reasons, and the ~10°C / 50°F figure means sustained daytime temps. Below that the bees cluster and won't break away to visit a feeder even 10 cm above their heads. And ripening is the bigger problem: they must dehydrate syrup down under 18% water and cap it, which takes warmth and fanning workforce they no longer have. In Skåne my rule is all syrup finished by end of September; after that it's fondant on the top bars, eaten in place with no processing. Work backwards from your local date — a colony needs 2-3 weeks to take down and cap its winter feed.

AlpineCarnica · Sep 1, 2026

SkaneBees has it right. One refinement: warm 2:1 syrup given in an insulated hive-top feeder buys you perhaps an extra week at the margins, but it's a rescue measure, not a plan. If you're reaching for tricks like that you started too late. In Tyrol I aim to have feeders OFF by mid-September and hefting done.

LindenNora · Sep 1, 2026

Thank you both — counting backwards makes it obvious. Uppsala nights are already single digits, so if they need 2-3 weeks to ripen it, my real deadline is basically now, not October. Starting the 2:1 tonight and I'll keep a fondant block in reserve for a December heft that comes up light.

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