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2 to 1 sugar water is crystalizing in feeder

12K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  Hoosier 
#1 ·
My 2 to 1 sugar water is crystalizing in feeder. Anyone know a remedy?
 
#13 ·
#12 ·
I read about the hydrolosis reaction and 'invert sugar' yesterday after a PM from AKDan. Here is a wikipedia explanation. AKDan, look here for more about mixing sugar and water to reduce granulation, as well as some general feeding information. :)
 
#17 · (Edited)
Sorry to be so late with a reply, but I wanted to be sure that everything worked out. Y'all were right; my water was not hot enough when I added the sugar. I cleaned out the $15 "Plastic 10 Frame Hive Top Feeder" from Brushy Mountain on hive #5 by removing all of the sugar crystals with a heavy hose spray. Then I brought the two remaining quarts of 2/1 sugar water to a boil while stirring. I put it in two days ago, and there is no crystallization. My next batch will be 5:3 ratio, Thanks! Joe
BTW, FYI Some of you might remember my earlier writing how those Brushy Mountain feeders didn't work and had killed a lot of my bees. My son (owner of Hive #4) told me that his had worked great this spring... hmmmmmm, geeeeeee, surely it was not MY fault that they didn't work for me! Well, I figured it out (somehow ? it had to be my wife's fault)... Anyway, I have them on both hives #1 and #5, and there is no problem(s) with them whatsoever. Serving tray Serveware Tray
 
#20 · (Edited)
Sorry to be so late with a reply, but I wanted to be sure that everything worked out. Y'all were right; my water was not hot enough when I added the sugar. I cleaned out the $15 "Plastic 10 Frame Hive Top Feeder" from Brushy Mountain on hive #5 by removing all of the sugar crystals with a heavy hose spray. Then I brought the two remaining quarts of 2/1 sugar water to a boil while stirring. I put it in two days ago, and there is no crystallization. My next batch will be 5:3 ratio, Thanks! Joe
BTW, FYI Some of you might remember my earlier writing how those Brushy Mountain feeders didn't work and had killed a lot of my bees. My son (owner of Hive #4) told me that his had worked great this spring... hmmmmmm, geeeeeee, surely it was not MY fault that they didn't work for me! Well, I figured it out (somehow ? it had to be my wife's fault)... Anyway, I have them on both hives #1 and #5, and there is no problem(s) with them whatsoever. View attachment 2918
Folks, there are several things that have to be done to this top feeder before it can be used, e.g., you have to make a frame for it; you have to caulk all four corners to close off the tunnels to the other end; you have to fix the white covers so that they can be removed easily by cutting the plastic push-down tabs to about a half inch; you have to make a top bar in three parts, the middle section with two ends leaving a slot for the bees to go up and into the feeder area. My wife will be getting a fancy-butt phone soon that will do everything, including make videos, so I'll make a video showing it all for YouTube. If you should order one, be SURE to tell Brushy Mountain not to install the white end covers; they're almost impossible to remove without ruining them.
ETA You also have to make several sizes of boards to cover it and the top of the hive. I have five different sizes cut to cover all areas, depending on wherever I decide to place the feeder.
 
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