Syrup Mold

[Sungold]

I've tried many (too many)different styles of feeders. I have not like most of them as they leak, drownd the bees or lack fill capacity. This year I tried the polystyrene hive top from Betterbee. I like it, (doesn't leak, very few drownings and it has great capacity. Just one issue, the syrup seems to grow mold rather quickly. Is there anything (aside from HBH, it tends to set off robbing) that can be safely added to sugar syrup to retard mold growth?

[Michael Bush]

Some have tried lemon juice.

[Sundance]

I was just reading from hennajoy's website that thymol retards spoilage in syrup.

I use Vit C in hummingbird feed.

[Lesli St. Clair]

Vinegar.

[Sungold]

Lesli,

"Vinegar"

Do you use this? At what concentration? Do the bees consume the syrup just the same as untreated?

[wayacoyote]

As these have suggested, I've read that it is the acidity that retards the mold. I'm not sure what the target acidity should be.

WayaCoyote

[stonybrook]

Hi All,

I've used both lemon juice (1 TBS, to 1 Gal Syrup), which is also said to help prevent the bee-stored "honey" made from sugar syrup from crystalizing in the comb, and vinegar (I used white vinegar - 1 tsp to 1 gal 2:1 syrup) In my experience the lemon juice appeard to help cut down on the mold and spoilage. The times I tried the vinegar, it seemed to me that the syrup rapidly (within a day or so) began giving off a punget odour, almost like the vinegar bacteria was converting the sugar to vinegar in the top feeder! It did appear prolong the time before the mold started forming in the syrup though, and the bees appeared to happily take it up with no observable stomach problems I could see. I also frequently use HBH (honey b healthy) in my syrup - it appears to help a bit in preventing the crystalization of the stored syrup, and retard the mold growth. (and a spray bottle of sugar syrup/HBH has worked wonders for me misting a disgruntled hive - it definately does have a "calming effect" on my bees when I use it as such!) HBH, however is getting a bit pricy nowadays.

Over in the FGMO forum (admist the "tempest"), one of the guys posted a URL for a description of using Thymol to help prevent syrup spoilage.
the url is:

http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/thymolx1.html


Happy bee-ing

-t

[DocOz]

I've always been told to not use WHITE vinegar but APPLE CIDER vinegar instead. I've read somewhere to use 1tbs/gal. I've used it once but my bees go through the syrup faster than mold can grow!

[chemistbert]

Most all "apple cider" vinegar is made by flavoring white vinegar instead of fermentation of cider. White vinegar is made in bulk by fermantation of distilled alcohol.

[Randy Bagrowski]

If you use thymol, all of your equipment will stink like Listerine mouthwash for the rest of your life!. I used thymol maybe 4-5 years ago and I still have empty buckets that stink!

As for vinegar. Dave Eyre from the BeeWorks uses 2 Tbls per gallon of Aplle Cider Vinegar. He claims it eliminates Nosema too!. I don't know if it does or not, but at 2 T per gallon it makes a very effective anti-mold syrup!

[Lesli St. Clair]

Others beat me to the answer, but yes, a couple of tablespoons per gallon of syrup (and I used cider vinegar) prevented mold. Shrug. No difference in how the bees took it, and no harm to them that I could see.

[BMogardo]

Will vinegar also help prevent early fermentation of the sugar syrup. I seem to get more fermentation spoilage with sring feeding of 1 to 1 than I do in the fall.

[Chef Isaac]

Yes, vinegar will help prevent dermentation/spoilage. It is common to have more mold in the sugar water in the sping because the temps are fluxuating from cold to hot all the time while in fall, they are somewhat stable temps... at least here they are.

[Michael Bush]

Yes, 1:1 spoils much more quickly than 2:1