How long can winter syrup be stored for?

[Loubee]

I made a job lot of syrup about 6 weeks ago, used some in the feeder and stored the rest in glass bottles with screw top lids, (yup, the Jacob's Creek variety seem to work well!)
Anyway, the bees have completely taken the syrup and they are still flying in the sunshine, so will 6 week old syrup be ok and is it still ok to top them up if I do it in the middle of a sunny day? I don't want to make them ill or cool the colony.
Thanks

 

[Frisbee]

As long as it isn't fermenting it should be fine. In future when you make it up you want to put some thymol solution in it, this will prevent any fermentation starting.

Frisbee

 

[Hebeegeebee]

It's usually candy that's given during the winter. ... You could always freeze your syrup or use some to make candy with ?

 

[Loubee]

Thanks - I have got some candy/fondant from a bee suppliers. Freezing the syrup also sounds like a good idea - Ta

 

[Hombre]

Have you nothing better to put into your freezer? I guess that you aren't talking a large amount of syrup.
If you make up a thymol tincture then a small amount in the syrup will prevent fermentation and will allow it to be kept almost indefinitely, leaving plenty of room in the freezer for ice cream and other foods that are not good for you, but very nice.

In this thread Hivemaker explains how to make up thymol stock tincture etc. post #2.

 

[Finman]

.
If you add sugar that is is really strong, and you do not let moisture in, nothing happens to syrup.

 

[JCBrum]

Finman is, as usual, correct.

Sugar on it's own is an almost perfect preservative. Thymol is not necessary. Hence it's use to preserve fruit (as jam).

It's the water content of syrup that allows yeasts and bacteria to multiply. Sugar is a desiccant, and so, the absence of water in the organisms kills them.

Sugar is also hygroscopic, and so will gradually absorb moisture from the air, which can be prevented by sealed containers.

Just make your stock syrup as near a saturated solution as possible, and keep it in full, airtight, containers.

When it is diluted with lots of water for consumption by bees, then thymol is useful.

 

[JCBrum]

p.s. Alcohol has similar properties.

Most people like both sugar and alcohol, but be under no mis-aprehension, in sufficiently large quantities, they are both absolutely, completely, terminally, fatally, ...... lethal !

.

 

[Nopants]

p.s. Alcohol has similar properties.

Most people like both sugar and alcohol, but be under no mis-aprehension, in sufficiently large quantities, they are both absolutely, completely, terminally, fatally, ...... lethal !

.

I wondered Why my Bees looked drunk!