Two questions about syrup fermentation

[ugcheleuce]

Hello everyone

This year my sugar syrup seems keen on fermenting. I have not had this problem last year. I have had to swap out fermenting sugar syrup several times already. It's getting a bit expensive :-|

Last year, my syrup was 2:1, but this year, my syrup is 1:1. Would that affect the fermentation? Does syrup that has more water in it ferment quicker?

Is there any way that I can unferment the syrup, i.e. rescue it so that I can feed it to the bees again (or at least harvest the sugar from it)? The quantity are not huge... less than 15 litres.

Thanks
Samuel

 

[Erichalfbee]

Last year, my syrup was 2:1, but this year, my syrup is 1:1
There's your answer. Saturated sugar solution won't ferment, yeast can't live in it, whereas a more dilute one will.
I don't know about rescuing it. Make rum?

 

[drex]

It varies with the type of yeast but in general temps over 140F will kill yeasts. It will not unferment it, but will stop further fermenting, and as erica says 2:1 will not ferment as readily as more dilute. So I suggest you heat, add more sugar, until no more dissolves, let it cool and decant the liquid syrup off any sugar which comes out of solution as it cools. Provided it has not been fermenting for too long should cause no harm.

 

[For want of a better word]

Boil it.. then when cool add Thymol.. to hivemaker's recipe... use lecethin as the emulsifyer, not honey as suggested by some who are somewhat ill informed!


Yeghes da

 

[Karsal]

Thymol

Boil it.. then when cool add Thymol.. to hivemaker's recipe... use lecethin as the emulsifyer, not honey as suggested by some who are somewhat ill informed!


Yeghes da

Thymol is your answer as per hivemakers recipie. I've had a jar of 2:1 sugar syrup on a shelf in my garage for just over a year now. Followed the recipie to the letter and I've had no fermentation at all.

 

[Finman]

.
If syrup starts to ferment, add Sugar.

.

 

[Millet]

.
If syrup starts to ferment, add Sugar.

.

How do we/i add sugar..what method do we/i use..

 

[BeeJayBee]

The only way you may be able to 'unferment' syrup is to heat it enough to evaporate the alcohol. Once it's warm you can add more sugar to make the solution more concentrated, but is it worth the effort?

Remember 1:1 syrup in Spring; 2:1 (sugar:water) syrup in autumn - or use fondant!

 

[ugcheleuce]

Remember 1:1 syrup in Spring; 2:1 (sugar:water) syrup in autumn - or use fondant!

I know, I know, but I tried 125:1 this autumn, because my 2:1 syrup from last year crystalised too quickly and clogged the narrow passages of my feeders. Also lots of beeks in my region saying that they create syrup using cold methods (e.g. the drip method), and I can't get more than about 1.5:1 with a drip.

 

[For want of a better word]

I know, I know, but I tried 125:1 this autumn, because my 2:1 syrup from last year crystalised too quickly and clogged the narrow passages of my feeders. Also lots of beeks in my region saying that they create syrup using cold methods (e.g. the drip method), and I can't get more than about 1.5:1 with a drip.

Any one tried a heater in the feeder?














































Yeghes da

 

[Finman]

I know, I know, but I tried 125:1 this autumn, because my 2:1 syrup from last year crystalised too quickly and clogged the narrow passages of my feeders. Also lots of beeks in my region saying that they create syrup using cold methods (e.g. the drip method), and I can't get more than about 1.5:1 with a drip.

I can tel with 53 years experience that 1:2 syrup does NOT crystallize in the feeder.

I took away now the feeders and they all had 1-3 mm solid sugar on bottom.
Perhaps 100-200 g. It harms nothing..

But arrange fermenting .... 1:1 syrup does not ferment, but it it gets moisture outside and syrup gets a diluted layer, that ferments. When moist air condensates onto feeders cover, it driples onto syrup, and fermenting is possible.

ucghleure. You should be more carefull when you handle water and sugar. Do so little dosage that bees eate it in couple of days.
And you have not measured truly those sugar and water amounts. Sugar does not crystallize or ferment with those values.

If bees do not take fast the syrup, feeder is perhaps too cold. Cover it, that syrup stays warm.

Problem is not sugar water relation, but you are not carefull when you handle that food stuff called syrup.
.

 

[drex]

Sucrose. Sucrose has the greatest solubility of the disaccharid sugars. Browne in his "Handbook of Sugar Analysis" states that, at 20°C, 204 grams are soluble in 100 cc. of water. Thus at room temperature about 2 grams of sucrose are soluble in 1 cc. of water. At 100°C. 487 grams of sucrose are soluble in 100 cc. of water. For solubilities at other temperatures see Table 5.

Read more: http://chestofbooks.com/food/scienc...Of-The-Sugars.html#.VjMo-cSQGK0#ixzz3q2OgX1lm

 

[Finman]

.
I have got crystallized syrup so that I heat quite up the solutIon, and I can add more sugar to it. When it cools down, syrup is easy to "freeze" and crystallize.

But if you put sugar to container, and then add hot water to the same level as sugar was, it cannot go wrong. If some solid stuff is on the bottom of feeder, it means nothing.

But if syrup stays many days without cover, moisture goes into surface and fermenting starts.
.

 

[bontbee]

.
I have got crystallized syrup so that I heat quite up the solutIon, and I can add more sugar to it. When it cools down, syrup is easy to "freeze" and crystallize.

But if you put sugar to container, and then add hot water to the same level as sugar was, it cannot go wrong. If some solid stuff is on the bottom of feeder, it means nothing.

But if syrup stays many days without cover, moisture goes into surface and fermenting starts.
.

I've got to say it - Finman knows what he's talking about...but I find that a bit of stirring helps, too.

 

[Finman]

I've got to say it - Finman knows what he's talking about...but I find that a bit of stirring helps, too.

Yeah. I allways forget that.