5:3 fall sugar water mix

[Hoosier]

Woo hoo! I got one right!

You're close, but it would depend on what you call two cups of sugar:
"2 7 oz. cups" =14 ounces of sugar divided by 5 = 2.8 ounces 2.8 X 3 = 8.4 ounces of water The .4 of an ounce would be significant if you were making a large quantity.
2 8 oz. cups = 16 ounces of sugar divided by 5 = 3.2 ounces 3.2 X 3 = 9.6 ounces of water; that's very significant.

[shannonswyatt]

Boo hoo, I'm still wrong!

[Hoosier]

http://butterbaking.wordpress.com/conversions/
We measure by standard cups = 8 ounces or whatever is being measured, i.e., a cup full of feathers would not be 8 ounces and 4 cups (a quart) of feathers would not be 32 ouncesl.
A measurement of sugar being 7 ounces = only 200 grams = 7.05472 is not a CUP that can be compared to a cup of water (ALWAYS 8 ounces).

[shannonswyatt]

Nobody told me that to keep bees I had to know how to cook!

[mgolden]

Tell me more how I'm wrong.

I weighed a full quart of sugar and a full quart of water and did the math.

Was taught the Imperial system and metric system in grade school and am comfortable working in either.

A baking chart is laden with approximate conversions of volumes.

[curios1]

i have been useing just by volume 1 to 1. and 2 to 1. my bees cant tell the difference and they take it in just the same. OH WELL !

[Hoosier]

curios1, LOL

[Hoosier]

Tell me more how I'm wrong.

I weighed a full quart of sugar and a full quart of water and did the math.

Was taught the Imperial system and metric system in grade school and am comfortable working in either.

A baking chart is laden with approximate conversions of volumes.

Your math was right if you use 26.6 ounces instead of 31.04077 ounces of sugar per quart.

[Hoosier]

...A baking chart is laden with approximate conversions of volumes.

That's true, e.g., the absolute weight of a cup of sugar is 226.8 grams; however, since granules of granulated sugar vary in size it's almost always given as 220 grams per cup.
Using 226.8 grams per cup, we get 907.2 grams per quart = 32.00021 ounces.

[Myron Denny]

I bought several barrels of junk sugar (warehouse sweepings), the last 8" of the first barrel was so hard a rock bar would not break it loose. I set the barrel on it's side in the yard and sprayed water in it. The bees have cleaned all the hard sugar out. I now throw 2 shovels of junk sugar in the barrel and spray it with water, I am getting all kinds of flying insects but still mostly bees. I am not mixing this at all, The bees are taking it. What kind of problems am I going to experience?

[shannonswyatt]

You could end up like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NhUFWQV_yU

[mgolden]

No value in any further discussion and complicated mixing ratios.

Two volumes of sugar to one volume of water = 5:3 and bees will be happy.

[Hoosier]

You could end up like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NhUFWQV_yU

Yep, either that or his bees could end up moving to Big Rock Candy Mountain when those barrels are empty.

[Michael Bush]

I wonder if the hardness of water affects the amount of sugar that will dissolve. I never could get 2:1 to dissolve well and it crystallizes very quickly. And I'm adding it to boiling water and continue to heat until it dissolves. Yet others say they can get it to mix with hot tap water. I assume they are measuring correctly and that there is some other difference such as water hardness to explain this. If I could get 2:1 to work consistently and not crystallize I would do that, but since it doesn't I do 5:3. As far as weight and volume, the bees just aren't that picky. We aren't making anything that is that critical. It's not a chemistry formula. It's not a recipe for something really touchy. It's just syrup.

[Hoosier]

I agree. Mine is still crystallizing even with 5:3, but not as much. I think it's because it's sitting in a top feeder, the one I've mentioned before, and the sun is pounding down on the cover board all day long. That's probably causing a lot of evaporation. TopFeeder sm 423 plastic.jpg

[Ben Franklin]

Yep, and it ought to make about two gallons for you. Be sure that it boils somewhat as you stir it.

I tip I would highly suggest is to pour the sugar slowly into the Hot water. As the sugar has air around it, when you pour a lot in at once it will boil over. I learned the hard way. Not only does it burn it is hell to clean up.

[shannonswyatt]

When I mixed it I just took hot water from the tap, put it in the Microwave for a bit (not a rolling boil or anything) and then poured it into the sugar. I'm not making it by the gallons though. My guess is that it probably less work to pour the sugar into the boiling water though, as I have to stir the thick solution for a while, whereas the boiling water probably does more of the work. Be careful though, I seem to remember that when you put sugar in water it raises the boiling temp. I would think that it would be very easy to get a big mess of burned up sugar if you didn't pay attention, as the super heated water could potentially boil away quickly and as Ben Franklin mentioned, that stuff is going to be murder cleaning up.

[Hoosier]

I give up. Even with 5:3 ratio mine is still crystallizing in my top feeder. I'm going with a 1:1 ratio, 4# sugar to 2 quarts (or more) of water, hoping to melt all the sugar crystals in the feeder. I used my hive tool to break up the crystals into small pieces hoping the warm, thin sugar water would/will melt the crystals.

[Myron Denny]

I am guessing everyones water will be a different ph. I am also guessing the ph has as much to do with mixing and crystalizing as anything. I have extra hard well water, I do not know what the ph is??? There are times in the winter when I end up with crystallized sugar in the jar or top feeders. I have very little crystalizing in the summer.

[BeeCurious]

I keep a lid on the pot when making syrup. In general, my water is hot but not boiling when I add the sugar. I lower the heat and stir to keep the sugar off the bottom.

I think a lot of water can be lost if the pot is left uncovered. Especially if the water is allowed to boil.