Sugar syrup calculator — 1:1 and 2:1 by US pints
US extension shorthand: one pound of sugar to one pint of water is 1:1. Two pounds to one pint is 2:1. Enter sugar, pick the ratio, get water. Then record the feeding in HiveFlow so the next visit is not a guess.
By weight/volume shorthand used in US beekeeping (1 pint of water ≈ 1 lb). Not a lab recipe. Do not feed honey from unknown yards. Never give inverted syrup advice as veterinary treatment.
Spring stimulation is usually thin 1:1 so bees can draw and the cluster can move it. Fall stores are usually thick 2:1 so you pack calories without drowning the box in water. That is the whole calculator.
HiveTracks, Apiary Book, and HiveBook will let you type “fed 2:1” in a note. HiveFlow puts the feeding on the hive timeline next to the calendar reminder so the next yard visit is not a forum screenshot.
- Weigh the white sugar you will dissolve (pounds).
- Choose 1:1 for spring stimulation or 2:1 for fall stores.
- Mix with the pints of hot water the calculator returns. Cool before feeding.
- Log the feeding on the hive in HiveFlow with date and ratio.
Questions people type next to HiveFlow
- How do you mix 1:1 sugar syrup for bees?
- US shorthand: 1 pound of white sugar to 1 pint of water. Heat the water, dissolve, cool. This calculator does the pint math for any sugar weight.
- How do you mix 2:1 syrup for winter?
- 2 pounds of sugar to 1 pint of water. Thicker, less water in the hive. Still not a substitute for a full box of capped honey.