Coloured Thymol syrup

[Spanker]

ive just made some thymol mix for feeding syrup but dont want it in next years honey if there's any left.
Can you add food colouring to the syrup to spot it in the frames of the super so it could be removed? or is this not advised.

if so would the colour stain the wax? or would the bees just process it out?

i thought i saw a thread on this but cant find it

P.s if anyone local to me needs any lecithin ive loads left and with only a couple of hives ive plenty of thymol emulsion.

 

[Curley]

One of the little stated advantages of adding thymol to your syrup is that if your nose works even fairly well, you can tell if the stores are syrup by a little scratch and sniff exercise

there are tales from WWII of green sugar been made available to beekeepers (can't remember why it was green) and green tinged honey appearing in jars.

 

[For want of a better word]

Sugar was eventually taken off rationing in September 1953... I was four years old and remember for the first time having my Gran's iced buns with white icing.... wondered why they were always green before... !

 

[SDM]

It's not a bad exercise to do anyway. Adding food colouring to autumn feed will show how careful you need to be about where your feed ends up in spring.
I'm not sure I'd trust my nose to spot thymol after months at hive temp.

 

[mike99]

One of the little stated advantages of adding thymol to your syrup is that if your nose works even fairly well, you can tell if the stores are syrup by a little scratch and sniff exercise

there are tales from WWII of green sugar been made available to beekeepers (can't remember why it was green) and green tinged honey appearing in jars.

I don't know this for certain but I suspect the reason to make it green was to show it wasn't ration sugar and therefore exempt from the weekly personal allowance. Like Farm Diesel being coloured red as it sold under reduced tax. I used to live in Canada and people used to use farm fuel for their personal cars. the RCMP used to stop cars and siphon fuel out of the carburetor to check and if found, the driver would be fined.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I used to live in Canada and people used to use farm fuel for their personal cars. the RCMP used to stop cars and siphon fuel out of the carburetor to check and if found, the driver would be fined.

we do the same here - siphoned straight from the tank, and as well as the obvious red dye, if the scallywags think they're being clever by filtering the dye out (a simple procedure which I shan't mention here) there are also more than one 'invisible' chemical markers which they won't find simple to remove.

 

[Spanker]

I'll give it a go,just looked in the cupboard I've only got black food colouring,I don't suppose they'll mind����

 

[For want of a better word]

I'll give it a go,just looked in the cupboard I've only got black food colouring,I don't suppose they'll mind����

https://mixthatdrink.com/skittles-vodka-tutorial/



Chons da

PS

(Finnie.. my favorite little swow fairie... leave out the Vodka!!)

 

[Poly Hive]

Curley it's not stories it happened. My first wife's granny had direct experience of it, the green dye and it was a real eye opener for many beekeepers at the time as they had no idea of how honey was moved around the colonies.
PH

 

[For want of a better word]

https://mixthatdrink.com/skittles-vodka-tutorial/



Chons da

PS

(Finnie.. my favorite little swow fairie... leave out the Vodka!!)

BTW the Thymol mix I make to stop mould forming in my sugar syrup feed 2:1
( 1 liter of water to 2 kg sugar)

30g of thymol dissolved in 5ml isopropyl alcohol in water bath
140 ml water with one teaspoon of lecithin warmed and mixed to make an emulsion.. strained to remove any lecithin lumps

Add two solutions together in a jar with lid and shake to mix.
Warm if it sets before adding 5ml to each gallon ( 5liters) of your sugar mix.



THE ABOVE IS WHAT INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTS CALL BUCKET CHEMISTRY AND THE WRITER CLAIMs NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS USE

Just for the record!

Chons da

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’ve edited two posts for the same reason as the ones dealt with earlier
This is the beginners section and might confuse some with bad advice even though Cheers, I’m sure you were joking.
Now be good. Please

 

[Beefriendly]

The confusion is in having a complicated unnecessary step.
I will personally guarantee you will get no mould or bacterial growth in your syrup if you do the following.
Make a 2000X concentrated stock by dissolving 20g of Thymol Crystals in 100ml of Isopropyl alcohol (Iso-Propanol) or Surgical spirits.
Takes about 2 to 3 minutes to dissolve the crystals with a little shaking...No heating required.
Add at rate of 0.5 ml to every litre of your syrup (either thick or thin..... makes no odds)
Job done.
You syrup will now keep fresh for a very very very very long time....years if need be.
And as I say above I will guarantee if you follow these instructions you will not get any moulds etc.
It worked for Manley in 1946 and it still works today.

 

[Walrus]

The confusion is in having a complicated unnecessary step.

What confusion? Now I am confused...I thought this thread was about coloured sugar syrup?

 

[Swarm]

No confusion, just carry on doing what you normally do.

 

[Beefriendly]

What confusion? Now I am confused...I thought this thread was about coloured sugar syrup?

Apologies, forgot to mention you can add edible food colourings to it as well so you can check it never ends up in your supers next year....

 

[pargyle]

No confusion, just carry on doing what you normally do.

I'm confused about what confusion we are talking about ? But there again ... I seem to be in a state of permanent confusion so it's not that confusing....

 

[For want of a better word]

I'm confused about what confusion we are talking about ? But there again ... I seem to be in a state of permanent confusion so it's not that confusing....

Pargyle... its just your age!

Not to mention the Oozlum bird.... sorry wrong thread

Chons da

 

[pargyle]

Pargyle... its just your age!

Not to mention the Oozlum bird.... sorry wrong thread

Chons da

Is that the bird closely related to the short legged Oomegullis bird known to nest only in areas of rock strewn desert and so called after the male of the species' cry as it comes into land ...

....The old ones are the best ones ....


Oops.. sorry .. BEGINNERS SECTION WARNING....There is no such bird as the Oomegullis .. it became extinct as a result of natural abrasion.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Have you two been drinking the stuff?

 

[Beefriendly]

Have you two been drinking the stuff?

Pair of Thymol sniffers if you ask me