Basics of fermenting

[Finman]

.
If you have cooked at home own berry jelly, you know the basics. Jelly must have 50% sugar. When you open the jar, sugar content hinders the fermenting and moulding. That is why supermarket jelly has 50% sugar too.

Apple jelly of Lidl has 20% sugar. You must be quick to eate it, because it gets mould in few days.

Pollen patty may have 20% living baker yeast, but when it has 50% sugar, it does not ferment. If it makes bubbles, add sugar.

So, why 66% syrup ferments in rapid feeder box and makes even mold?
- Moist warm air rises to the feeding box. It condensates onto the cover. Then it rains to the syrup surface. It dilutes the surface. Fermenting generates more water and so it starts. The longer the box is over the hive, the more rain is in the box.

Pure syrup is difficult to start fermenting. Microbia needs some more nutrition, than mere sugar. Dead wasp is enoug in syrup. Soon it is surrouded by mold.

All kind of dirty in the box adds fermenting. So get a feeder which is easy to clean. Poly feedes are not good in this. The cover gets easily black mould because it has that condensation and old dirt.

 

[Finman]

.
How to avoid fermenting in feeder box without thymol?

- Use clean feeder
- give such amount that bees eate it in couple of days
- If the box has solid sugar on bottom, it keeps the rest of syrup strong. The main meaning is however to maximize the sugar content.

- If the hive is slow to take syrup in, keep a break and continue after one week. Look into hive if the reason is amount of brood.

Give warm syrup in the morning that bees suck it off during warm day. If syrup become cold during night, bees do not want to take it. It takes time to warm up again. Newpapers sheets over the feeder keeps it warm.

 

[kazmcc]

Thanks Finman. I didn't know this, I haven't had much experience of feeding yet, luckily, so will keep this in mind.

 

[For want of a better word]

We are going to use the non fermenting type feed this Autumn for the Italians.... comes in an IBC, possibly too much for the two hivers

The Pure Native Cornish Amm will not probably need to be fed as they will have set aside their own provisions for the winter...a very thrifty bee!

Yeghes da

Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

.
I have had pure Finnish Black Mongrels 30 years and they needed their winter food anyway. Is it 15 or 20 kg in winter, it makes no difference. I have had 40 years Italian bees, really many strains. No problems with their wintering ig they are Finnish strains. Clusters are big and I need not worry about them. No isolation starvings. They take care themselves.

I take all honey off. They try to resist my idea. But Black Mongrel wanted to keep all themselves. They were pure blooded bad asses.

But never mind, Tamar Valley has no real winter. It is prolonged autumn.

We have two seasons in Helsinki: Summer and autumn. Summer has lower snow cover.

 

[Finman]

The Pure Native Cornish Amm will not probably need to be fed as they will ...

Yeghes da

Yeghes da

Extract all honey off and look what happens

.

 

[wessexmario]

I have had pure Finnish Black Mongrels 30 years...

now I'm confused... are they pure or mogerels?

I have had 40 years Italian bees, really many strains. No problems with their wintering ig they are Finnish strains.

now even more confused... Do they speak Finnish with an Italian accent?

We have two seasons in Helsinki: Summer and autumn. Summer has lower snow cover.

Is it still the Vappau Sima season in Finland?

 

[Finman]

.
Pure mongrels . Yes they were. Hot blooded.

 

[midnight sun]

.
If you have cooked at home own berry jelly, you know the basics. Jelly must have 50% sugar. When you open the jar, sugar content hinders the fermenting and moulding. That is why supermarket jelly has 50% sugar too.

Apple jelly of Lidl has 20% sugar. You must be quick to eate it, because it gets mould in few days.

Pollen patty may have 20% living baker yeast, but when it has 50% sugar, it does not ferment. If it makes bubbles, add sugar.

So, why 66% syrup ferments in rapid feeder box and makes even mold?
- Moist warm air rises to the feeding box. It condensates onto the cover. Then it rains to the syrup surface. It dilutes the surface. Fermenting generates more water and so it starts. The longer the box is over the hive, the more rain is in the box.

Pure syrup is difficult to start fermenting. Microbia needs some more nutrition, than mere sugar. Dead wasp is enoug in syrup. Soon it is surrouded by mold.

All kind of dirty in the box adds fermenting. So get a feeder which is easy to clean. Poly feedes are not good in this. The cover gets easily black mould because it has that condensation and old dirt.

Good post Finman. Useful.

 

[Jeff Buzz]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge it is appreciated.

Jeff