Gardeners are being urged to use a spoonful of sugar water to help tired bees during the July heatwave, as temperatures are set to soar again. The Met Office has forecast highs of 33°C in London, with the heat spreading north across the UK later in the week.
Why Bees Need Help
While many garden plants thrive in sunshine, bees and bumblebees often become exhausted in hot weather and may die without assistance. Bee populations are already under severe threat from habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change, making it crucial for gardeners to help when possible.
According to BBC TV show Gardeners' World, a simple sugar solution can revive a tired bee. The advice states: "It's not uncommon to find bumblebees at an apparent standstill appearing tired...to get them back on their feet, you can mix a sugar solution by mixing equal parts warm water and sugar. Place near the bee's head in a bottle cap or something similar, and it should stick out its proboscis to drink, energise and warm up."
When to Use Sugar Water
Bee defence organisation Beevive.com explains that tired bees are common in cities due to fewer flower stops: "Animals and insects are required for pollinating 80 percent of our flowering plants. All of our crops and vegetables such as broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes etc… would disappear, which would have disastrous effects on our ability to get food and rear livestock."
However, gardeners are warned to use the sugar water trick only as a last resort for individual bees, not as a general feeder. Leaving sugar water out continuously can do more harm than good. Beevive.com cautions: "Instead of giving one tired bee support, people were being encouraged to use these solutions in gardens and on window ledges. This is terrible for the hive because, unlike nutritious pollen and nectar, this solution will not feed the bee larvae properly and can also cultivate bacteria over time. Putting these out for bees will teach them to go there and leave the flowers unpollinated as the RSPB also warns. In the long-term, it could even end up getting an unsuspecting beekeeper prosecuted as his 'honey' turns out to be only sugar syrup."
Alternative Methods to Help Bees
Before resorting to sugar water, gardeners should first try to place the bee near a high-nectar flower such as buddleia, sunflowers, or knapweeds. If that fails, then sugar water is appropriate. The RSPB recommends a mixture of two tablespoons of white, granulated sugar with one tablespoon of water, served on a spoon or in an eggcup. They advise against leaving out honey or large containers of sugar water, as these are not viable long-term solutions for bees.
By following these guidelines, gardeners can help support bee populations during the heatwave without causing unintended harm.
