Sugar Syrup Ratio Calculator

Enter a target batch size to get the sugar and water amounts for 1:1 or 2:1 syrup.

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Ratio

Ratio used —

Sugar needed —

Water needed —

Ratios are by weight: 1 lb sugar : 1 lb water for 1:1, 2 lb sugar : 1 lb water for 2:1. A cup of sugar (≈200 g) weighs less than a cup of water (≈236.6 g), so equal cups of each does not reproduce the true ratio — weigh ingredients on a kitchen scale for accuracy; cup amounts above are approximate.

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Sugar Syrup Ratios for Feeding Bees

Beekeepers feed two standard syrup ratios depending on the season. 1:1 (one part sugar to one part water, by weight) is thin and used in spring to stimulate brood rearing when natural nectar is scarce. 2:1 (two parts sugar to one part water, by weight) is thick and used in late summer or fall to help a colony build winter stores quickly, since bees spend less time evaporating water out of a syrup that is already concentrated.

Both ratios are defined by weight, not by volume, and that is the source of most of the confusion around mixing syrup. A cup of granulated sugar weighs about 200 grams, while a cup of water weighs about 236.6 grams — so a "cup of sugar to a cup of water" mix is not actually 1:1 by weight, and the gap gets larger at 2:1. Weighing sugar and water on a kitchen scale, in pounds, kilograms, or grams, gives the true ratio regardless of what container is used to measure it.

To mix a batch, warm the water gently (it does not need to boil) and stir in the sugar until it fully dissolves, then let the syrup cool before feeding it to the hive. Feed syrup fresh, and discard any batch that ferments or turns cloudy rather than feeding it. A sudden drop in how much syrup a hive is taking is worth checking the hive for.