Sugar Syrup & Fermentation

[neurobee]

So the other day when I inspected my hives I noticed that my sugar syrup smelled funny. It probably had fermented. I wasn't sure, though, so I thought I'd leave it on a while longer. The next day I was showing the hive to my friend, and when I opened it, he noticed the smell as well. So I dumped the syrup. The next morning I refilled my hive top feeder with a fresh batch.

So a few questions:
1) Leaving fermented syrup accessible to bees -- does it hurt them? Or are they smart enough not to drink it?
2) Is it usually just the smell that cues you that your syrup has gone bad? It didn't look much different.

3) Should I have sprayed out or cleaned out or washed out (besides just dumping the bad syrup) the hive top feeder before adding a new batch, or will the new batch of syrup likely be ok.
4) Is it a good idea to clean out all the drowned bees from the syrup each time you inspect? Or will tossing the syrupy bees in the summer (when less nectar is available) create a robbing enticement?

[Vance G]

You paid too much for your bees to take a chance harming them with spoiled feed.  Dump it!   Consider putting some essential oils in it to increase it's appeal to the bees and also it's shelf life.  Consider going to the somdbeekeeper.com website and listen to the fatbeeman podcasts.  Have a pen and take notes.   

[S.M.N.Bee]

You should always wash a feeder that has had bad syrup in it. The yeasts that were fermenting the syrup need to be killed or they will just start over on the new batch. Wash the feeder with water and bleach or oxyclean. Then rinse well.

John

[Brian D. Bray]

So the other day when I inspected my hives I noticed that my sugar syrup smelled funny. It probably had fermented. I wasn't sure, though, so I thought I'd leave it on a while longer. The next day I was showing the hive to my friend, and when I opened it, he noticed the smell as well. So I dumped the syrup. The next morning I refilled my hive top feeder with a fresh batch.

So a few questions:
1) Leaving fermented syrup accessible to bees -- does it hurt them? Or are they smart enough not to drink it?
2) Is it usually just the smell that cues you that your syrup has gone bad? It didn't look much different.

1. It won't hurt them because they won't use it.  I would recommend feeding only what the hive can consume in a 24 hour period.  Extend the life of the syrup by adding 1 or 2 Tbsps of Apple Cider Vinegar to change the PH.
2. Clues to spoiled syrup are smell, cloudiness, and mold or fungi on surface. It will gradually turn black.

3) Should I have sprayed out or cleaned out or washed out (besides just dumping the bad syrup) the hive top feeder before adding a new batch, or will the new batch of syrup likely be ok.
4) Is it a good idea to clean out all the drowned bees from the syrup each time you inspect? Or will tossing the syrupy bees in the summer (when less nectar is available) create a robbing enticement?

3.  If the syrup has gone bad it is best to clean the feeder, residual droplets of spoiled syrup left in the feeder will cause the new syrup to spoil quickly.
4.  Yes, remove the drowned bees, this is one of the things speeding the spoilage.  Evaluate the type of feeder you have and alter it to prevent bees from drowning in it or opt for a different type of feeder that will greatly reduce or eliminate drowning.  One of the easiest and best types of feeders to use is a jar with perferated lid placed in a hole in the center of the hive top.  The jar can be left it place whether feeding or not, or a few tops can be altered to use as feeders and replaced with normal tops once the need for feeding is past.

My rules on feeding:
1.  Use a feeding method that allows for easy refilling, little or no loss of bees, of limited capacity so bees are more likely to use it up in a short period of time, and the least disruption of the hive while refilling the feeder.
2.  Feed bees from a swarm or package no more than one month after hiving.  After than they should be able to subsist on their own. 
3.  If feeding a nuc or split, especially if using drawn comb, feed for 5-7 days, then remove feeder for the same period.  This allows the bees to process the syrup and consolidate it, leaving some room for the queen to lay eggs.
4.  Over feeding will lead to the hive becoming honeybound, decreasing or eliminating the ability of the queen to grow the hive through brood production.  In the worst case senario over feeding can lead to the loss of the hive.
5.  Feeding a hive after 1 May is counter productive unless said hive is either a newly established nuc, split, or swarm.  A hive is much healthier surviving upon what it forages for then being force fed simple syrup that lacks a balanced diet.
6.  When in doubt, it is better to under feed than to over feed. 

[neurobee]

Thanks! Great advice. Looks like I'll stop feeding, clean up my feeder, and perhaps look into the upside-down drip feeding method.

[Kathyp]

i would add a couple of exceptions to Brians advice.  feeding one month is usually good enough, but if the weather is bad, or you have hived a swarm when there is no flow...like a late in the season swarm...you may need to feed more.  Brian and i had a spring where we had hives starve, or come close to it, because the weather was so bad.

feeding after the 1st of may depends on weather and flow.  here, our weather may be winter-like in early may.  we might have many days of cold and rain when the bees will not forage.  they will be raising brood and consuming stores, so if you do not keep an eye on things, they can starve.

how much, and how long you feed should depend on what you see in your hive.  it's also safe to say that if they are not taking it, they do not need it.