Sugar syrup question

[Lesli]

Hey All,
Everywhere I see that 1:1 sugar syrup, equal parts water and sugar. But one is liquid and one is dry, and I'm wondering if I'm making it correctly. So how much water per 5 lb bag of sugar?

[Robo]

Lesli,

Here is how I do it.

http://robo.hydroville.com/v12/content/view/14/2/

Simply pounds of sugar to pints of water.  so your answer is 5 pints of water.

[Lesli]

Thanks! I remembered that a pint=a pound, but then started to worry. I probably worry about my girls waaay too much.

[New_Bee]

I use the weight method -- 1lb of sugar = 1lb of water....

[BigRog]

Would it make a difference if you used fructose?

[madcapper]

Hi
I understand, because it is everywhere, a pound of sugar to a pound
of water.

I don't have a scale. :?

how much is a pound of sugar? :?:
a cup 2 cups ????

I need the measurement in cups, I buy sugar in huge bags and then
seperate it into other containers and seal them, so I can't just grab
a 5 pound bag and go from there.

thanks

[latebee]

From my winemaking days I remember that 2 cups of sugar is almost exactly one pound. :lol:

[Finman]

Hey All,
Everywhere I see that 1:1 sugar syrup, equal parts water and sugar. But one is liquid and one is dry, and I'm wondering if I'm making it correctly. So how much water per 5 lb bag of sugar?

When I give winter sugar for bees, 50% liguid is too wetty.  We give in finland 64-66% sugar content.

Fill bucket with sugar and pour hot water on it to the level of sugar. So you have about 66% sugar content.

Put 10 kg sugar and 6 kg water and you have 63% sugar content. Or same with  libs.'

This is not difficult.

But if my aim is to speed upp brooding I give 20% sugar liquid.

[madcapper]

thank you "latebee" :D

you won't believe how hard it is to find that information. :o

so what I have been able to put together is this:

two cups of sugar = one pound
one pint of water = one pound

so for fall feeding the mix will be 4 cups sugar + 1 pint water = feed syrup

as for "finman" reply : I only have one hive and I just started trying to get them to start feeding to make it through winter.
so a 5 gal bucket would go bad before I could use it all, at least until I get a top feeder to poor it into.
lately the nights are getting into the high 50's mainly low 60's
and the hive is from a swarm I caught about a month ago.
there is only about 2,000 bees I would guess

and I definitly want them to make it

thank you both again

[Robo]

I would recommend making sugar candy to feed them thru the winter.  The benefits are:[list=a]

• It doesn't go bad
• It can be placed right near the cluster
• It doesn't add any moisture to the hive like syrup does
• It helps remove moisture from the hive
[/list:o]
I make a 2" or so box the same size as a super (19 7/8 x 16 1/4) with a luan bottom. Add an entrance and cover with 1/2" hardware cloth.
 

click image for larger view

Make up a batch of sugar candy and pour in through the hardware cloth and let it harden.  I then simply put it on top of the hive (with screen side down) in place of an inner cover.  


click image for larger view

Any moisture in the hive will condense on the candy and allow the bees to eat the sugar.

[tejas]

I use 2 1/2 quarts water to every 5 pounds of sugar and it seems to work well. Plus it fills up a one-gallon container.

[golfpsycho]

I'm guessing Robo is talking about feeding fondant.  Maybe Robo will put his fondant recipe on the bb so everyone can learn to make it.  It's pretty good stuff in a pinch.

[Robo]

I'm guessing Robo is talking about feeding fondant.  Maybe Robo will put his fondant recipe on the bb so everyone can learn to make it.  It's pretty good stuff in a pinch.

Not quite fondant, but more like rock candy.  I'm not sure if fondant has enough moisture to mold (as in turn green) or not, so it might work just as well.   By using the hard candy, I can safely store left overs from one year to the next without it going bad. And once it hardens, no more stickiness :lol:

Here is my winter preparation scheme (has the candy recipe too).
http://robo.hydroville.com/v12/content/view/20/2/

[qa33010]

I see it set on top of the box.  Has anyone tried to make the candy and secure it in a frame set up only for feeding?  Or would that be a bad idea?  If it's hard enough wouldn't it bee okay, or would moisture make it a health hazard?

David

[Robo]

I see it set on top of the box.  Has anyone tried to make the candy and secure it in a frame set up only for feeding?  Or would that be a bad idea?  If it's hard enough wouldn't it bee okay, or would moisture make it a health hazard?

David

Haven't tried it,  but there are some 'cons' I can think of:

1. The warmer humid air rises in the hive and condenses on the top.  Having the sugar on the top absorbs this moisture (preventing dripping into cluster) and helps soften then sugar for the bees to consume.  Putting the sugar down in the box wouldn't help with the condensation.
2. The cluster moves up as winter goes on.  With the sugar on top,  no matter where they come up they will hit the sugar when the stores end.  Having frames on the outer sides may go missed or may not be accessible if the weather remains cold.
3. Frame won't hold as much sugar.
4. You would have to open up the hive to check on how much is left.
5. You would have to open up the hive to add additional.
6. The hard sugar tends to become brittle and crack (fondant would sag), so keeping it in the frame may be an issue.

[Hi-Tech]

If I am feeding through a drought like I am now, I use 3 quarts of water per 5 lb bag of sugar. For normal feeding, i use 2 quarts of water per bag.

[qa33010]

Thanks Robo

I hadn't thought of it that way.  Sounds like a great system! :D

David

[KONASDAD]

ROBO-Love your blog. One question about your candy recipe and method. When you pour the syrup into thre frame w/ screen, how thick does your candy become? secondly, what temp is candy when you pour?

[Robo]

One question about your candy recipe and method. When you pour the syrup into thre frame w/ screen, how thick does your candy become?

It becomes pretty hard, depending on what temperature you cook it to.  I usually get it somewhere between the hardness of a pressed salt lick and rock candy.  I usually get impatient cooking and it ends up on the softer side.  The softer it is seems like the more likely it is to crack when it takes on moisture.  That is why the hardware cloth is nice.  Once I pour it and it hardens, I don't care if it cracks and breaks away from the wood,  because the hardware cloth keeps the chunks from falling down into the hive.  One thing I have noticed is that the bees seem to eat the edges first (speculating that is where the condensation forms) and this reduces the area "holding" onto the wood and then it is more likely to break away from the wood.

 secondly, what temp is candy when you pour?

I try to get it around 260F.


Another thing I have found to work fairly well on hives that are marginal on stores  and depending on how tough the winter turns out,  is to feed the candy above the inner cover.

At first I made the candy in loaf pans, but then found 9x9 foil pans for like 3 for $1 that are even better (no more getting the wife upset about sticky loaf pans).   I run inner covers with 2 holes like this:

 
I then just lay the candy block over the holes once the bees work their way to the top.

There are some pictures here:
http://robo.hydroville.com/v12/content/view/23/2/

These were from the loaf pan days, and that particular one looks to be the last pan in a batch and the sugar had started to cool down and harden when I was pouring.(hence the rough looking top).

The nice part about this is you can do it in the Spring to just those hives that need it,  and you don't have to open them up and get them chilled to feed them.