Thymol crystals sugar surup recipe ?

[Gwenyn11]

Hi has anyone got a good recipe for making winter feed with thymol crystals in the mix to stop it fermenting?
Also how do you feed your bees home made sugar surup or ambrosia?

Thanks

 

[MandF]

Here is a thymol syrup recipe - http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6513

For feeding syrup, I use a rapid feeder, over a crownboard with feed holes.

Ambrosia/fondant can also be put over a feed hole, but in winter (when it is more often used) it is normally placed directly on the frames so the cluster can move to it.

What feeder do you have at the moment?

 

[herefordshirehoney]

My question is where do you get isopropyl alcohol or surgical spirit from?

 

[Tom Bick]

Ebay or google it

 

[tonybloke]

any good chemist will supboth ply isopropyl alchohol and surgical spirits

 

[hedgerow pete]

firstly try the video section for my fantastic video made by a fantastic superstar with added sequins

secondly surgical spirit can be brought at boots or any other chemist from the high street easily, if you cant se it ask for it and they will have it behind the counter, a couple of quid for a bottle that will last years before you use it up

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Great thanks for the replies - do you add it to every batch of sugar syrup regardless to ensure it doesnt ferment?

 

[Finman]

Hi has anyone got a good recipe for making winter feed with thymol crystals in the mix to stop it fermenting?

Give to bees 60% syrup and give that size dosage that they suck the stuff in 2 days.

Fermenting derives from case that condensation water returns to the surface of syrup and dilutes it.

But dont keep syrup one week on the hive. Beeding box keeps the hive cold and bees have difficulties to cap the syrup.

Syrup gets mold if the feeding box is dirty.

.



.

 

[Gwenyn11]

I have always used ambrosia because friends of mine buy it in a 1000lt tank. An old beekeeper told me he uses vodka to mix the crystals?

 

[Finman]

An old beekeeper told me he uses vodka to mix the crystals?

as an old beekepers I mix the head with vodka and I give to bees mere syrup.

 

[Luminos]

as an old beekepers I mix the head with vodka and I give to bees mere syrup.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

firstly try the video section for my fantastic video made by a fantastic superstar with added sequins

secondly surgical spirit can be brought at boots or any other chemist from the high street easily, if you cant se it ask for it and they will have it behind the counter, a couple of quid for a bottle that will last years before you use it up

Just had a look at its getting "this video has been removed by the user" =)

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Went to make this today after getting all the bits yesterday only to be stumped at my Braun kitchen scales not being accurate enough. Time to order one those eb**y jobbies. Looks like first lot of syrup will have to be done without it.

 

[alanf]

Went to make this today after getting all the bits yesterday only to be stumped at my Braun kitchen scales not being accurate enough. Time to order one those eb**y jobbies. Looks like first lot of syrup will have to be done without it.

Small scales are useful - listed as for postage. The cheap ones are sent from Hong Kong so take a couple of weeks. In the meantime, start with the smallest quantity you know is fairly accurate, pack size or kitchen scale. Divide in two, and again and again. 80g becomes 10, 10 becomes 1.25 and so on. Or if you have syringes, make stock solution and dispense by volume, 10g in 100ml, one ml is 0.1g for instance.

 

[Beezer]

Hi has anyone got a good recipe for making winter feed with thymol crystals in the mix to stop it fermenting?
Also how do you feed your bees home made sugar surup or ambrosia?

Thanks

Buy Ambrosia and give them some good stuff. Get together with some other beekeepers or you local association and buy bulk.

Ambrosia doesn't ferment.

Much simpler and the bees will thank you for it.

Sugar syrup is old hat!

 

[farbee]

Buy Ambrosia and give them some good stuff. Get together with some other beekeepers or you local association and buy bulk.

Ambrosia doesn't ferment.

Much simpler and the bees will thank you for it.

Sugar syrup is old hat!

But cheaper isn't it and does the job pretty much as well.

 

[Winker]

Buy Ambrosia and give them some good stuff. Get together with some other beekeepers or you local association and buy bulk.

Ambrosia doesn't ferment.

Much simpler and the bees will thank you for it.

Sugar syrup is old hat!

in a 14KG jerry can of Ambrosia there is only 9KG of sugar. Total cost form the shops of 9KG of sugar is around £8. 14KG of Ambrosia costs upwards of£16 some places even sell it at £25 pluss postage.

So you are being charged twice the price at a minum for adding some watter heating it up and mixing it for you.

I did Ambrosia last year, but this year im going with 2:1 DIY + some thymol crystals

 

[BILL.HEARD]

But cheaper isn't it and does the job pretty much as well.

Have used just sugar for 40 yrs, no problems with wintering on it. a lot of the problems I see is to much feeding of fondant, I feed syrup as required in Sept. and leave well alone until March/ April.

 

[Norton]

Spot on!

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Made my mixture up last night ended up with a really milky look mixture.

I work in litres so wanted to build a calculator to ensure I put the right amount to the sugar syrup. By my maths if you convert an imperial gallon to 4.54609 litres. Which makes 1.1 ml a litre (minor rounding but 1.1ml makes it easier for end user!)

So with 0.11ml to every 0.1l in mind i've built the following:

http://logics.co.uk/thymolcalculator.aspx

Would someone be able to check i've got my maths right???

Thanks,
Chris