mixing sugar syrup

[sahtlinurk]

i got ten hives and mixing sugar and water 2:1 is a bit of pain. so what i did. lifted the cage as high as i could in my nine frame honey exctractor, ziptied some mixing sticks to the bottom of the cage ( picture), one 13lb bucket of hot water, one 13lb bucket of sugar, mix it, when solved add another bucket of sugar and mix it as long all disolved. took about 15 min to get it done. be aware of plastic gears, they might get damaged if you crank too hard. worked brilliantly. so one more use for your honey extractor. it gave me two and a half buckets of syrup in one go with 1 bucket of water and two buckets of sugar.

cheers
Lauri

 

[simonrp]

A cunning plan!

 

[REDWOOD]

Necessity is the mother of all invention, well done and I'm sure we will see more inventions on syrup production

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

You realise what you've done, don't you?

Started a long debate as to whether the mixing sticks should be SN or DN, or Manley frame sides.

And whether it's wise to provide ventilation during the process, by using matchsticks to prop the lid open.


All this just as Forum members have nothing to do for the next six months but squabble.


Dusty

 

[burren]

 

[oliver90owner]

I wouldn't recommend it for the 'electrificated' versions with 80W motors, if the cage gets anywhere near the liquid.

Personally I would mix by hand for five minutes and the job would be about done.

BTW, what was the significance of a '13lb bucket'? Were these by weight or volume?

 

[simonrp]

Yep, that would be a great way to overlod the motor!

 

[andybeehive]

I use a paint stirrer, electric drill, near boiling water and a large 35kg bucket with tap. Only use this bucket for this as it now pongs of thymol......

All done and bottled in a few minutes just hose off the bucket and stirrer on the drive

 

[m100]

I'd be extremely wary of doing it on any extractor that used plastic or cast gears regardless of whether they used hand cranking or a motor. When extracting, if the level of honey rises too much and contacts the frame lugs protruding from the bottom of the cage, the load increases very significantly.

For very small batches up to about 5kg sugar I use a mix of just boiled water (one kettle full) and hot tap water in a stainless bucket. Stir for a few mins by hand and leave for 30 mins.

Larger batches are done with an electric drill (usually cordless) with speed control and a two speed gearbox on its lowest setting plus a 50 litre drum and a paint mixer paddle.

100% hot water out of tap, drill on slow speed, 25kg sugar batches mixed in a few mins and then decanted out into 12 litre containers that are both easy to carry and pour.

If anyone needs to do huge batches a twin tub washing machine is the way to go.

Images not to scale!

 

[itma]

I wouldn't recommend it for the 'electrificated' versions with 80W motors ...

I'd be extremely wary of doing it on any extractor that used plastic or cast gears regardless of whether they used hand cranking or a motor. When extracting, if the level of honey rises too much and contacts the frame lugs protruding from the bottom of the cage, the load increases very significantly. ...

It would be perfectly reasonable to use the extractor as a very large mixing bucket with a very convenient syrup-dispensing tap.
However, using the cage and rotation mechanism as a stirrer would produce loads dramatically different to those the mechanism was engineered for.
There are plenty better ways (less risky to the machine) of doing the stirring. A catering-size kitchen spoon is half way to the canoe paddle!

Don't forget the old jam-makers' dodge of pre-warming the sugar (for a decent time) in a very low (80C indicated?) oven. The warm sugar then barely chills the hot water, so the brew stays hotter for longer, and dissolves the sugar more easily.

 

[Profdon]

crystallising sugar syrup

My syrup is crystallising in the feeder and blocking it. I have not had this problem before. Why should it happen? How can I prevent it?

 

[For want of a better word]

Don't forget the old jam-makers' dodge of pre-warming the sugar (for a decent time) in a very low (80C indicated?) oven. The warm sugar then barely chills the hot water, so the brew stays hotter for longer, and dissolves the sugar more easily.


Not so much of the old!!!
I do that !

 

[sahtlinurk]

well, its up to people themselves how they want to mix their sugar/water.worked for me. as long the syrup level wont touch the bottom of the cage its fine and not to over crank is also important. just one way of doing it. concernig the bucket sizes - doesn't matter as long as you got your 2:1 mix.

cheers
Lauri

 

[For want of a better word]

My syrup is crystallising in the feeder and blocking it. I have not had this problem before. Why should it happen? How can I prevent it?

Welcome to the loonie forum !
Either sugar was not dissolved.. or not enough water added?

May be good idea to remove your exact address BTW !

 

[Luminos]

My syrup is crystallising in the feeder and blocking it. I have not had this problem before. Why should it happen? How can I prevent it?

Welcome to the forum Profden

I suggest the water isn't hot enough - it should go from a milky colour to clear, or pretty much clear.

 

[itma]

My syrup is crystallising in the feeder and blocking it. I have not had this problem before. Why should it happen? How can I prevent it?

Welcome!

Is it a contact feeder? Crystals blocking the mesh at the bottom?

Sugar may not be fully dissolved, or the syrup might be too strong.
Its supposed to be 2 parts by weight of sugar to one part by weight of hot water.
Use the same weight units for both sugar and water. Don't heat (let alone boil) after mixing, and if really needed, strain off any sugar that you really can't get to dissolve ... 2 should go into 1 though! (And it should stay in solution at normal 'cold' temperatures.)

And for autumn feeding of a full colony, a contact feeder may not be the best option if you need to get their weight up a lot. Big contact feeders are a bit of a syrup-flood risk, and small ones may need frequent refilling.

 

[itma]

... concernig the bucket sizes - doesn't matter as long as you got your 2:1 mix.

cheers
Lauri

Lauri, it sounds as though you are mixing 2 buckets full with 1 bucketful -- which would be measuring by volume ... which would be different from others' "2:1" measured by weight.

 

[Poly Hive]

A good alternate is two frame feeders, one on each side of the brood box, especially useful for insulation in a timber brood over winter. Fill using a watering can.

Single tub washer makes an excellent syrup maker if you can source one.

PH

 

[Birds&Bees]

Profdon, I'm having the same problem for the first time this year despite teh mixtures remaining the same. I'm using rapid feeders (ie not the up side down buckets with the mesh). What I have been doing is to remove the plastic up side down cup thing and add a small amount of water to the crystallised solution. Over a couple of days the bees desolve the sugar and take it down.

 

[Ely]

Haynes book on beekeeping still advocates matchsticks