Question

[JordanM]

I have been feeding my bees 1 1 sugar water but about a month ago somebody gave me a jar of honey that they did not use anymore. I mixed this honey with some water then added it to the remaining quart jar that already contained sugar water. I took the jar off today and opened it up and smelled it and it sure smells like liquer. Can someone tell me if this is in fact mead or just a good tasting drink?

[janvanhamont]

When you feed honey to the bees you should not mix it with water . If the bees do not take it within a few days, the mixture will ferment depending on the temperature and is then no longer suitable for the bees.
Janvanhamont

[JordanM]

yes i took it off, so is it really liquer?

[Ben Brewcat]

Well it's technically mead with sugar added I suppose.

[JordanM]

o thats cool. I was reading today about how you can turn sugar, sucrose into wine. Has anyone tried this?

[Ben Brewcat]

Wine is made with fruit (typically grape). Sugar "wine" would be more towards hootch... technically alcoholic, and as pleasant to drink as kerosene :). Even unprocessed sugar, in the form of cane juice used as a wash for rum distillation, has some flavor from the natural cane.

[JordanM]

o i dint know that thanks
you sure know ur alcohol Ben

[shughes]

i would use caution when feeding honey from a apiary other then your own. the honey can still contain foulbrood spores that you can possibly spread to your own apiary.

[JordanM]

Thanks for the heads up. I will never do that again i think ill stick to sugar water.