FEEDING · FREE CALCULATOR
Mix bee feed by weight without doing ratio math in the yard. Calculate 1:1 spring syrup, 2:1 heavy syrup, 3:2, or a custom sugar-to-water ratio from the sugar you have or the finished batch you want.
Calculator + methodology reviewed September 11, 2026.
FEEDING
Mix 1:1, 3:2, 2:1, or a completely custom sugar-to-water ratio. Ratios are calculated by weight, with approximate finished volume shown for field planning.
The ratio is sugar weight to water weight. Finished gallons are an estimate because dissolved sugar changes solution density and volume.
For a 25 lb bag of sugar
Weight calculations are exact for the selected ratio. Volume figures are approximate at about 20°C and are for batch planning.
FIELD GUIDE
Beekeeping syrup ratios are most reliable when sugar and water are compared by weight. A 1:1 batch uses equal weights of sugar and water. A 2:1 batch uses two parts sugar for every one part water. Because dissolved sugar changes final volume, this calculator keeps the recipe weight-based and shows volume only as an estimate.
If you start with a desired finished weight, the calculator divides that weight among the sugar and water parts.
At 2:1, 25 lb of sugar pairs with 12.5 lb of water, making 37.5 lb of finished syrup. The tool also estimates water gallons and finished volume for bucket and feeder planning.
Alabama Cooperative Extension describes light syrup as 1 part sugar to 1 part water by weight and heavy syrup as 2 parts sugar to 1 part water by weight. Their guidance uses light syrup for spring and summer supplementation and heavy syrup for building fall stores. Local colony needs still matter, so this tool reports the recipe rather than deciding whether a colony should be fed.
Not here. Ratios are by weight, avoiding the ambiguity caused by different ingredient densities.
Yes. Use sugar-on-hand mode or a bag-size preset to calculate water and approximate finished syrup.
Sugar dissolves into water, so dry sugar volume and water volume are not additive.
Alabama Cooperative Extension — Supplemental Feeding for Honey Bees. Last reviewed September 11, 2026.