Can sugar syrup go "bad"?

[margee14]

we have two hives that are acting very differently. One hive - the "stronger" hive is sucking down over a gallon of sugar syrup a week. The second hive - which we had to re-queen is not using up much syrup at all. Last week when we were giving the hives sugar syrup there was still a lot of syrup left in the weaker hive. We added some syrup and let it bee. Yesterday when we looked, there was still a lot of syrup left so we did not add any more. I was thinking about it today and I wonder if the syrup has gone "bad". I am wondering if we should remove the feeder, dump it out, rinse it and re-fill with some new syrup. We are using the Brushy Mountain hive top feeder.

Thanks for any help!


Margee

[Barry Digman]

It won't hurt to clean it out. It's just sugar and water, and if the temps and all are right you can have a Petri dish going.

[devdog108]

i changed mine when they stopped taking it and when they re-found it, they went gangbusters....

[Ravenseye]

Syrup can go bad. Won't hurt to clean and refill. Even the inside of my feeder pails get moldy and need cleaning between refills.

[alpha6]

Adding EO's will keep your sugar syrup from going bad.

[jack Jones]

Adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of bleach to each gallon of syrup keeps it fresh in this hot alabama weather. The bleach has no adverse effect on the bees and it changes the smell and appears to reduce robbing of my nucs.

[DiverDog]

So how long does it take to go bad? Can you see the mold in it or does it look the same? I only have a quart feeder and they take it pretty quick so I dont think it goes bad but I like to make a 1/2 gallon at a time and put the remainder in the fridge. I have been feeding the hummingbirds the syrup too and they seem to love it. Much more action than last year.

[margee14]

The syrup looks fine. We always add Honey B Healthy to our syrup mix. I think I will dump out the feeder, rinse it and re-fill. I am on Cape Cod and our weather has been cool and rainy the last two weeks. Today is finally sunny but only 72 degrees.

[Ravenseye]

If they're using it that fast, making up a little more and keeping it in the fridge will be fine. You probably don't even need it in the fridge. I have about ten gallons just sitting in the barn.