Off The Record

Here’s Why You Should Put A Spoonful Of Sugar In Your Backyard

Published on February 3, 2024

Fans of the English broadcaster David Attenborough asked his fans to help save the world’s bees by doing something very simple: giving the bees a spoonful of sugar.

Since then, bee lovers all over the world have been sharing pictures of the bees drinking sugar water from spoons.

“This time of year bees can often look like they are dying or dead, however, they’re far from it. Bees can become tired and they simply don’t have enough energy to return to the hive which can often result in being swept away,” the post read. “If you find a tired bee in your home, a simple solution of sugar and water will help revive an exhausted bee. Simply mix two tablespoons of white, granulated sugar with one tablespoon of water, and place on a spoon for the bee to reach.” The post has even inspired a hashtag #savethebees.

According to ABC News, the idea makes sense. The article says that people should avoid using pesticides and keep flowering plants in their grounds. Just watch out for the kind of sugar you use if you go the sweet way.

The Department of Primary Industries says that white sugar (sucrose) should be used to make up for honey that isn’t available in the hive and to keep colonies from going hungry.

Honey bees get nectar, which is made up of sucrose, from flowering plants and store it as honey for use in the winter and other times when growing plants aren’t around. As the nectar ripens, an enzyme that is naturally found in flower nectar and is added by bees changes the sugars in the nectar from sucrose (nectar) to fructose and glucose.

People have said that feeding bees can help keep honey bee populations from going hungry when they are already weak.

“In the last five years the bee population has dropped by one-third. If bees were to disappear from the face of the earth, humans would have just four years left to live,” it said.

Stopping more bee population losses is very important for saving food sources around the world.

Bees pollinate about 80% of the world’s flowering plants, which means that all three bites of food rely on them. The buzzers pollinate up to 75% of fruits, nuts, and vegetables just in the US.

Bees have been going missing all over the world because of colony collapse disorder, a strange mass disappearance in which healthy bees leave their nests and never come back.

Global warming, habitat loss, and parasite infections are some of the other reasons why bee populations are falling around the world.

You should put on your Mary Poppins pants and get some sugar to help the bee’s medicine go down!