Has anyone had any experience of adding vinegar to sugar syrup to lower the pH. I have two weak hives that will need some help, no I do not have honey to give them. I am feeding in the hive some semi fondant it is soft sugar candy, pure sugar. Thank you in advance.
May I correct my spelling "vinegar" ?
I'm not sure of the ratio but I think to make sugar water last longer you add a table spoon of vinegar to the gallon. Maybe someone will verify the ratio.
Jim
Hi Paus,
This subject has been discussed frequently, on this forum and where ever beeks congregate.
Please click the link for one discussion from 2006:
http://www.beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=6711.0
Too bad that newbees never got the opportunity to meet Finski.
Salvo
Thanks, I looked for "vinegar" and nothing came up, probably because everyone else knows how to spell.. I did learn to use spellcheck and that I can make an online correction. Thanks everyone
paus
Man, get over the spelling. Have you ever seen any of my post. I spell so bad that half the time it is the cause of me not even knowing what I wrote. The other half is that half the time I don't know enough to write. Its all good. I don't know the answer to your vinegar question. I put a tiny bit in my sugar block cause I heard it inverts the sugar. I never put anything in liquid sugar water that I feed cause I want as little smell as posible cause I have a fear of robbing. The feeding I do is in the hive and they always took the sugar water with nothing.
Good luck
gww
I have tried it. It set off a massive robing frenzy. Feeding syrup always risks setting off robbing. Adding anything with scent increases this greatly. If you want to lower the pH use Ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24477034
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3896/IBRA.1.51.3.07
http://www.jas.org.pl/Improvement-of-the-composition-of-pollen-substitute-for-honey-bee-Apis-mellifera-L-through-implementation-of-probiotic-preparations,0,76.html
Thanks Michael, These articles were something I had never heard about bees. I did have to put my thinking cap on but I had forgot where I put it. When my wife told me where it was, I reread all of the articles, Good read. Now to figure how many units to add to sugar syrup. I am thinking "Fruit Fresh" is a ready source of ascorbic acid and easy to use. Thanks again everybody.
I do both, Vinegar (organic) and Ascorbic Acid. I usually mix 6 qt of sugar to 5 qt of water. With measuring spoons I add a "smidgen" of Ascorbic Acid and one tablespoon of vinegar per quart of sugar plus other stuff. My bees do great.
I would have a target of 4.5pH. You will need something to read that. How much will depend on your water etc. Typically I have 7 grams of Ascorbic acid to five gallons of 5:3 syrup...
Actually 12.5 lbs is in the posted recipie it should be 25 lbs of sugar in this for 1:1 . I would edit it but long been locked. I have contacted Lauri since and she open feeds the weaker 1:2 when she is working nuc to keep robbers away from the nucs she is working.
Tanks for the info on correct PH I will look for a kit..
http://www.beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=44468.0
Quote from: Michael Bush on January 10, 2017, 12:52:05 PM
I would have a target of 4.5pH. You will need something to read that. How much will depend on your water etc. Typically I have 7 grams of Ascorbic acid to five gallons of 5:3 syrup...
Any idea why Lauri would be adding vinegar, ascorbic and citric? Just personal preference? So the ascorbic would take the place of all three? I know you have your quantities down but what do you check with pool ph strips?