Feeding Bees

[IbNup]

A friend of mine made pear perserves this fall. He decided he did not like the results. He asked if I wanted to feed the sugar syrup in the perserves to my bees. The perserves are made with pears, sugar, water, and about 1 teaspoon of fruit pectin in about one and a half bushels of pears. Should I use the syrup or pass on it?

[Hemlock]

If the sugar syrup was BOILED at any time during canning it will be toxic to the bees.

[AllenF]

Pass it on.............down here.   :-D
So just what was wrong with it, pears a little dark or what?

[Robo]

If the sugar syrup was BOILED at any time during canning it will be toxic to the bees.

:?

Can you explain?   Boiling sugar syrup alone will not make it toxic.  I can't speak for the pears though, if that is what your referring to.

[D Coates]

All I can figure is carmelization that can occur if the sugar gets scorched while inattentively boiling syrup.  If syrup is not brown it hasn't been scorched it's completely safe in my books.  Now adding the pears is a completely different twist.  I would not use it for winter feeding.  The just like scorched syrup, pears could create diarrhea that the bees can't deal with if it's too cold to take cleansing flights.  If it's stable (canned, frozen, etc) and will stay that way to Spring I would use then for feed.

[Hemlock]

Yes caramelization.  Thanks D.  To keep sugar from caramelizing while boiling the 'heavy' sugar must be kept from the bottom of the pot (heat source).  To achieve that one must maintain a constant stirring action.  Yes a rolling boil will self stir.  But up the point where the solution begins to 'Roll' the sugar can settle on the bottom and scorch.  So how much sugar gets caramelized can be dependent on how attentive one is during the boil.

I didn't say not to use it.
I think IbNup should find out how it was canned first.

[AllenF]

I just want to find out what's wrong with those preserves.    :-D

[Michael Bush]

My mom had some strawberry preserves that didn't set one year.  We used it as pancake syrup.  I still dream of that syrup... that's what I'd do with it...

[indypartridge]

Now adding the pears is a completely different twist.  I would not use it for winter feeding. ... pears could create diarrhea that the bees can't deal with if it's too cold to take cleansing flights.

Bingo! Wait until spring to feed it to the bees, or use it as pancake syrup as Mr. Bush suggested. Or maybe it would go well on top of some vanilla ice cream.

[AllenF]

Or pass it down..............  :-D

[IbNup]

He didn't like the texture of the pears.