• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GardenFork - Eclectic DIY
  • May I Email You?
  • Podcast
  • Articles
  • Video
menu icon
go to homepage
  • May I Email You?
  • Podcast
  • Articles
  • Video
  • Follow Me Here:

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • May I Email You?
    • Podcast
    • Articles
    • Video
  • Follow Me Here:

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Video » Bee TV

    Mountain Camp Method for Winter Feeding - Beekeeping 101 Video

    by Eric · This post may contain affiliate links, its one way we pay the bills. · 10 Comments

    The mountain camp method of feeding your bees sugar during winter is the best way I've found so far to provide bees with an emergency food source. For whatever reason, honeybees may run through their winter food stores, and need additional food to get through the tough winter months. The mountain camp method provides this back up food source in a brilliantly simple way. Watch our intro video and follow up video, then read through the rest of this beekeeping 101 post.

    Mountain Camp Method How To

    Mountain Camp Method Beekeeping 101

    Before I started to use this technique, every fall I would make sugar patties for the top of the hives as an emergency feed. They work fine, but making sugar cakes is a pain. This does the same thing.

    The mountain camp method of feeding honeybees emergency sugar is pretty simple. And that's why I love it. Here's how to do it:

    • Lay a sheet of newspaper over the top of the hive, cutting it down so there is space around the inside perimeter of the hive box.
    • Pour granulated sugar on top of the newspaper.
    • Spray the pile of sugar with water so it crusts over.
    • Place a spacer shim and/or an insulated inner cover over the pile of sugar.
    • Tilt and strap your hives down for winter.

    watch beekepeing videos insert copyWe built these DIY insulated inner covers that have a spacer built in to allow for sugar feeding, be it sugar syrup in zipper bags or pollen patties. If you don't use a cover with that allows for this, you can build a simple spacer out of 1"x3" common pine. I haven't seen a spacer that's deep enough for sale anywhere. They are easy to make.

    Insulated Inner Cover with built-in spacer for sugar feeding

    Insulated Inner Cover with built-in spacer for sugar feeding

    Mountain Camp Method Beekeeping 101

    Simple spacer allows for dry and wet sugar feeding. Easy to build.

    This pile of sugar on top of the hive provides a second benefit, it absorbs moisture in the hive during winter, and prevents condensation from dripping back down on to the bees. Wet bees in winter is a very bad thing.

    Questions I have gotten about this method:

    Can I feed them this dry sugar instead of sugar syrup in the fall? No. You still need to feed the bees sugar syrup in the fall. Watch our Sugar Syrup Feed videos.

    My bees have plenty of honey and I fed them sugar syrup during the fall, why do I need to do this? I do the same thing in the fall, but the dry sugar is an emergency winter feed. Sometimes bees run out of their own stores, or sometimes they can't get to them. Below is a photo of bees taking up sugar I provided them. If I hadn't provided the bees with this emergency sugar, they would be dead now.

    Mountain Camp Method Beekeeping 101

    Why is it called mountain camp? From what I understand, a person who goes by that name posted this method online a while back and the name stuck.

    winter beek check list watchCheck out more of our beekeeping 101 and winter prep videos and posts:

    Winter Bee Inspection Video

    Build an Insulated Inner Cover

    Let us know your comments below, thanks!

    « Natural Weed Control in the Vegetable Garden - GF Video
    Letter Writing and Diners - GF Radio 392 »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vince Busche

      April 12, 2016 at 9:08 pm

      My mountain camp feeder had sugar left over so I have saved it. To use again in winter. Or should I discard this? Also put Bee Pro/powder sugar/water in brick form in the feeder. There is also some of this left ov er.

    2. Eric

      April 22, 2016 at 1:34 pm

      you can re-use the sugar as long as it is clean, not sure about the Bee Pro. thx!

    3. John and Diane

      October 19, 2016 at 10:58 am

      We live in South Central Alaska, just outside Anchorage. Winters are chilly here, and lengthy, though it doesnt get much below -20F where we are. We're intending to attempt wintering over and are really interested in the granular sugar emergency feeding method you describe. Because of the extended cold (continuously below freezing weather expected from late October through mid April along with very limited sunlight) and the associated very dry air, we're concerned about the bees having sufficient moisture. Any thoughts? We keep a heated water bucket for our dogs and I suppose we could do something similar for the bees, but this will take some thought.
      Thanks,
      John and Diane

    4. Gary Miller

      November 23, 2016 at 7:32 pm

      John and Diane,

      Have you spoken with other beekeepers in your area to see what they do? I would be very concerned about the amount of moisture a heated water supply would produce in the hive. The freezing temp for 2:1 is -10C. You should seriously consider the mountain camp method of feeding. Sugar draws moisture from the air and will supply some moisture that way, plus you spray the dry sugar down when you place it in the hive. No need to re-invent the wheel here, find a tried and true method that works and start from there. Talk to other local beekeepers. You might also want to try the baggie method where you place the syrup in a Ziploc bag and place the bag right on top of the frames, thus keeping it closer to the warm cluster and at the same time providing all the water they need.

    5. Mike Koss

      January 21, 2017 at 10:09 pm

      Can you use eucalyptus oil to spritz the sugar mountain and if yes how many drops in a normal size spray bottle (like in the video) to water is safe to use? Thanks, Mike

    6. Eric

      January 30, 2017 at 11:12 am

      @mike, no, sorry. at this point i would not use anything other than the essential oil mixes like Honey B Healthy. thx!

    7. John Gordon

      January 01, 2018 at 8:07 pm

      It’s been in the 20’s and 30’s for the last two weeks or so with another week of the same temps. If my bees are clustered will they be able to feed and keep clustered enough to survive until the weather breaks?

    8. Eric

      January 05, 2018 at 12:16 pm

      @John, At this point its coin toss. Its all about prepping the hives in the fall to make sure they have enough food and are healthy. I have found the bees use the dry sugar at the end of winter, early spring, when they need it most. thx!

    9. Mary Kay

      January 11, 2018 at 9:04 am

      What types of essential oils do you use and have you ever tried it? I was thinking lavender or a citrus one.

    Trackbacks

    1. How do I feed bees dry sugar without newspaper? - Welcome to Foster Bees Australia says:
      January 19, 2022 at 8:43 pm

      […] warm day and I want to put dry sugar in my hives so they have extra food. I'm going to use the mountain camp method which calls for laying a sheet of newspaper over the tops of the frames and pouring dry sugar over […]

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Become a Monthly Supporter of GardenFork. Click Here To Learn More

    Pages

    • About
    • Let's Stay Connected With Each Other
    • Maple Syrup Evaporator Information
    • May I Email You?
    • Pizza Oven Plans & Make Pizza Videos
    • Privacy Policy
    • Radio
    • Terms of Use & Affliate Information
    • The GF Amazon Shop
    • Want More GardenFork? Here You Go:

    My lawyer makes me do this part: Visitors agree to our Terms Of Service and Affliate Information - Use This Information At Your Own Risk

    Produced by GardenFork Media LLC, Brooklyn, NY ©2021 All Rights Reserved