[BeeGora]

Currently feeding my bees a 2:1 mixture of sugar syrup but since I go to work early in the mornings I don't care to get up any earlier to make it up. Also, I don't like putting it outside overnight because it gets overrun with ants before the bees ever get there in the mornings. I was wondering if I could make a batch the day before and keep it overnight in the house without refrigerating it then put it out the next day before I leave for work. Will it spoil if it sits at room temperature for around 12 hours?

There's several reasons I didn't want to refrigerate it. The main one being my wife doesn't want jars of sticky syrup sitting in the fridge. Plus I don't like putting it outside cold. The jar sweats and the bees don't want it until it warms up. Just wondering what the rule of thumb is for keeping sugar syrup.....

Thanks.

 

[drlonzo]

The rule of thumb is the heavier the syrup the longer it takes to start fermenting. Also if you use HBH or essential oils it takes longer for it to spoil. Going by your scenario mentioned you will be fine. I routinely make up syrup using boiling water and wait for it to cool down inside the house prior to serving the bees. It takes about 12 hours or longer till it becomes room temp most times as i make up 5 gal at a time. The hotter the inside of the house is the quicker it will spoil....

 

[Andrew Dewey]

How are you feeding it? That could be the cause of your ant problem. You should be feeding so that the bees have 24 hour access to the syrup.

 

[waynesgarden]

My rule for keeping syrup is to keep it in the hive. Sounds like you are open feeding. If you feed inside the hive, as Andrew says, the bees will have 24 hour access to it.

Wayne

 

[BeeGora]

I'm using outside feeders and I try to put out enough that the bees will finish it off during the daytime. The bees leave it once it gets dark and that's when the ants come out. I think drlonzo answered my question. Typically from the time I make it to when the bees finish it off is less than 24 hours. Thanks for your replies.

 

[FlowerPlanter]

HBH or essential oils are bad for your bees.

 

[Andrew Dewey]

Although outside a/k/a Boardman Feeders are sold and included in many beginner kits, my take is they should be used for water or thrown in the trash - for syrup NEVER. You want to put the feed where the bees are and that is inside the hive!

 

[challenger]

Take a sprayer or some other way fill frames of drawn comb. I have found that super saturated syrup at more than 2:1 will be difficult to get to ferment. I have also added a tiny amount of bleach to syrup to keep it from fermenting. A tiny bit goes a long way. I open feed in the spring but if I open fed now I would feed more yellow jackets than bees I think. I am in SE NC BTW