Can you make it in advance and keep it in fridge? Or is best to just make as you need it?
I say either is OK. I am interpreting stored in the frig as months, not years. The more sugar, the less of a chance of mold.
Maple syrup stored in my frig last a long time, like over a year. Karo syrup, yuckie corn syrup last over a year. Just so you know, do not feed corn syrup to bees. I was just making a point of longevity, not endorsing.
Cheers
Yeah I?m thinking like a gallon or so. For a week.
That will not bee a problem. I keep the excess in the fridge for longer than that.
Jim Altmiller
Do you need to store syrup in the fridge? I have some 2:1 left over from last fall that?s been in my unheated garage all winter, but now that it?s warming up should I put it in the fridge?
Add some citric acid to preserve the syrup, 1/2 to 1 tsp per 10 litres, Add till it tastes like weak lemonade.
It lasts a lot longer. Smell it and if it smells ok, taste it. If it smells funny, toss it.
Jim Altmiller
I bought a dozen quart mason jars and filled each with the appropriate amount of dry sugar.
I have been adding hot water to the jars when I return with empties from my two backyard hives. So I have a quart jar of syrup on the hive and a quart jar ready as a replacement stored at room temperature.
There is no risk of spilling syrup when transferring from a bulk container to a feed container. I don't have larger mixing containers to manipulate or clean. My garage has a lot more storage space than my refrigerator. It takes about the same amount of time to dissolve the sugar into the hot water as it does to boil more hot water for the next jar.
I have yet to use the top feeder or the frame feeder I bought, each of which would have at least a gallon of syrup at hive temperature when filled.
Therefore I don't think storing a quart of syrup without preservatives until it is fully consumed by the colony is a problem. When they stop taking syrup I will not have an excess amount of waste.
I am prepared to abandon this initial approach if the rate of syrup consumption increases dramatically.
Am I missing something? Do I need the preservative now and/or if I change to the larger feeders?
Quote from: sawdstmakr on April 26, 2019, 12:16:50 AM
It lasts a lot longer. Smell it and if it smells ok, taste it. If it smells funny, toss it.
Jim Altmiller
I just learned recently - by accident - that if you add Honey Bee Healthy to the syrup, it prevents mold formation. Posted in another thread on HBH.
Don't make it until you need it. Make it as thick as is practical. If your water isn't too hard, you should be able to make 2:1. If your water is hard you may have better luck with 5:3. Never make 1:1. It won't keep well and won't accomplish anything that 5:3 won't do just as well or better. Add some Ascorbic acid to the water before adding the sugar. This will help it to keep, disrupt the microbes less, and is good for the bees.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24477034
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3896/IBRA.1.51.3.07
http://bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm