I am a third year beekeeper and have done the 1:1 both ways. If going with the unheated water, I put it into a large clean plastic container with the sugar and shake it a lot. As long as your quantity is small enough for the bees to consume it in a day or two this works pretty well. I have had the sugar in unheated syrup sink to the bottom of a hive top box feeder when the shaking was insufficient and it was one more thing to clean out.
This year I am only feeding a nuc with a quart jar so I am heating the water - I don't necessarily boil it -- just heat it hot enough so that the syrup is clear and not cloudy -- i.e. the sugar has melted. Heating this little bit is convenient so I figure why not.
In the fall, however, with a 2:1 mix, you pretty much have to heat/boil it to get it blended.
i just use hot tap - mine is set to 130 degrees - i like a warm shower!!!!!
easy way to make it is in a 5 gal bucket - pour in 1 gallon of water and stir in 10lbs of sugar - if you dump it all in at once - its hard to stir but if you add 1/3 at a time it stirs fast
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could
be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Beesource Beekeeping Forums
A forum community dedicated to beekeeping, bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, honey production, health, behavior, hives, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!