How long does sugar syrup last

[ShinySideUp]

I made up a few litres of SS but found that the bees no longer need it as there is plenty of 'heft' in the hives. It is in sealed tubs but with an air gap. How long will it last before it 'goes off' -- mouldy, sublimation, or whatever happens to old sugar syrup?

 

[Eyeman]

Add some of Hivemakers thymol recipe and it will prevent any degradation

 

[theeggman]

Add some of Hivemakers thymol recipe and it will prevent any degradation

Have a read of this thread. www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6513

 

[For want of a better word]

If you have not added thymol... add some fresh apple juice to it and turn it into cider!

HMFF can be produced in sugar solutions... particularly if you added vinegar or tartaric acid ( cream of tarta).. as recommended in some of the beekeeping books.
Unwise to keep if too long to feed bees on.

Yeghes da

 

[ShinySideUp]

Hmm, I think I'll dump it down the drain, no point risking my bees and now we're in fondant territory and I have 12.5 kg of that it's a [terrible Americanism coming...] no-brainer.

 

[Poly Hive]

If I remember rightly Manley left syrup for 18 months and found that due to the thymol it was fine to use.

No need to chuck it, after all it cost a fair bit to make.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Hmm, I think I'll dump it down the drain, no point risking my bees and now we're in fondant territory and I have 12.5 kg of that it's a [terrible Americanism coming...] no-brainer.

Boil the water off... add some
glucose to syrup bring to 115 to 117... cool... you could even make a thin fondant as in Beecraft this month!

Yeghes da

 

[ShinySideUp]

If I remember rightly Manley left syrup for 18 months and found that due to the thymol it was fine to use.

No need to chuck it, after all it cost a fair bit to make.

PH

TBH it cost £1.72 (4kg sugar from Morrisons) plus water and a little heat so compared to the honey I've given away free it's a drop in the ocean.

And why, you may ask, have I given my honey away? Because it's my first year and I want other people to be impressed with my work (it's a self-confidence thing) and it means that next year they will be willing to pay for it as they've already said it is gorgeous.

I might add that since this is my first year and I've had start-up costs (hives, bees, suit, equipment etc.), a quick back of the envelop calculation would mean that to get my money back on the honey I've produced each jar would be a tad over sixty quid a pop! Good job I'm not in this for the money.

 

[madasafish]

I might add that since this is my first year and I've had start-up costs (hives, bees, suit, equipment etc.), a quick back of the envelop calculation would mean that to get my money back on the honey I've produced each jar would be a tad over sixty quid a pop! Good job I'm not in this for the money.

Is that all?

 

[ShinySideUp]

Is that all?

It's enough but it's not my most expensive hobby. It still hasn't exceeded the price of my saxophone and my camera equipment doesn't bear thinking about the price of which would buy me a brand new small car! Beekeeping is mere loose change in comparison.

PS No, I'm not rich, I just keep blowing my money on 'stuff'.

 

[Millet]

Just thinking here but do bees not spew food of any sort into each others gobs over and over again thus reducing the moisture and and adding enzymes in the process making it bacteria free or is me missing something.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I try not to think about that when I'm eating honey.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Just thinking here but do bees not spew food of any sort into each others gobs over and over again thus reducing the moisture and and adding enzymes in the process making it bacteria free or is me missing something.

I understand they transfer nectar from bee to bee for transportation within the hive and enzyme processing. The moisture reduction is achieved by evaporation.

 

[Kenson]

Wrong thread. Sorry

 

[Millet]

I understand they transfer nectar from bee to bee for transportation within the hive and enzyme processing. The moisture reduction is achieved by evaporation.

Yes John i know that i realized my mistake after the edit time had passed, what i was thinking though will bees pass syrup among each other like nectar and in the process add enzymes and what ever else to help stop it from going moldy.

 

[For want of a better word]

Yes Honey is bee spit!

Yeghes da

 

[Millet]

Yes Honey is bee spit!

Yeghes da

Well that cleared that up..

 

[Bobl]

I know the feeling, my wife reckons the 10 1lb jars we got this year (after 3 years of beekeeping) is worth more than gold. Apart from the hives I forked out for a four frame extractor this year - better get more next year or I may be sleeping in the Apiary.