Making Sugar Syrup for Feeding Bees

[@mark-wn5ek]

My gut tells me that you're just a good guy Bob. Practical, easy going, knowledgeable and a teacher. Thanks for sharing parts of your operation.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks for the comment.

[@alexayounginsong2641]

@@bobbinnie9872 You deserve, Bob!

[@joer5627]

Thank you Bob. What is a normal day at the shop for you is fascinating to us backyard beekeepers.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks.

[@joer5627]

Bob Binnie at Blue Ridge Honey Company how are the overwintered Nucs coming along?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We are feeding them now. Expect them to be ready for pick up next week.

[@joer5627]

Wonderful. I’ve made a double screened bottom board and will use it tomorrow. Colonies are bursting at the seams.

[@JeromeBeeFarm]

Awesome. I like how you open the bags. Box knife dump. Love your videos. I think people wonder if I'm a bootlegger when I buy 4 25lb bags at WalMart.

[@bobbinnie9872]

We've had the same question asked of us.

[@melissasharvest2493]

That's a great setup. Thanks for sharing!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you.

[@charlesthomas5737]

See you at the Honey Convention in Knoxville, TN next week. great video.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Look forward to it.

[@fernandomillon511]

Thank you for all the great info Bob. I really do appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience. I searched the videos but could not find the topic where you mentioned making your own honey bee healthy mix of lemongrass, spearmint etc.. would you mind sharing that recipe and ratio?

[@whosranch]

Great video Bob thanks for sharing.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ThatBeeMan]

Bob. At 1:04 in the video, I can see two fittings doing a great job of agitation. The lower fitting has a T on it so I'm lead to believe that there is a third fitting below the water level. Is this the case and if so, what direction is that fitting pointed? I will be making a mixing tank similar to this next week and I assume you've done some experimentation to get the sugar well mixed in yours. Thanks again for such helpful videos and whatever else you can tell me about the mixer.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The lower fitting is actually an elbow and points sideways in the tank to produce a swirling affect. The upper fitting points to the center of the tank and helps break up the sugar that piles up in the center. Only two fittings.

[@ThatBeeMan]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks Bob!

[@arcelcinmrahoglu5962]

Salam siz qış sərbətləməsini necə düzəldirsiniz. Şəkərəi qaynadırsınızmı və siropun xarab olmaması üçün nə əlavə edirsiniz. Təşəkkür

[@ishaksoukkou4195]

What is the preferred focus at the beginning of spring after getting out of winter

[@bobbinnie9872]

Three things. 1-Make sure the queen is alive and doing well. If not we combine the queenless colony with a good one. 2-Make sure the colony has plenty of food. Equalize colonies. We will take sealed brood with nurse bees out of large colonies and donate to small colonies.

[@ishaksoukkou4195]

Do you add the invertase enzyme to the sugar solution to make it a monosaccharide, or do you prepare the sugar with water and let the bees convert the sucrose into monosaccharide

[@bobbinnie9872]

We do not add enzymes to the sugar syrup.

[@framcesmoore]

Ha hope u are well I found a lot of your videos they are great does the bees store the 1-1 syrup also when do u start the 2-1 syrup I live in Virginia hampton roads area thanks again for the videos u do they are great Have a good week

[@bobbinnie9872]

They do store 1 to 1 just not as much as 2 to 1. 1 to 1 stimulates them more.

[@lavrynenkopavlo4164]

Great, but a lot of effort. Is easier use Pomp for dirty water like Honda. Use Euro cube and both hoses ( entry and exit) put inside , to make circle. It mix even in cold water and very fast

[@markspc1]

Hey Bob if it spoils (ferment I suppose) you can always make some moonshine, he-he !

[@bobbinnie9872]

I'd never get anything done.

[@kevinwright8823]

Great videos!!! I've learned so much! Thank you

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks.

[@patrickwalther1074]

Good evening Bob, will the trash pump also circulate 2:1 solution? thanks for answering! Pat

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, with no problem.

[@patrickwalther1074]

great to know, thanks Bob!

[@babybeeapiaries8667]

What was in the tote on the other side of the truck as you are loading the tote you just made sugar water in? It looks much darker than the one you just made. Maybe it's just lighting.

[@bobbinnie9872]

It was just sugar syrup. Could have been the lighting.

[@pasekapskov]

Hello Bob, please tell me when you prepare syrup with a concentration less than or equal to 1:1 and put it in glass jars on young bee hives, how do you deal with the possible fermentation of the syrup. So that it does not sour in warm weather and sunlight?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We use 1 teaspoon of bleach per gallon of syrup. This amount does not effect the bees and will help for a short time.

[@pasekapskov]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you.)

[@badassbees3680]

I would like to mix a 55 gallon barrel but how do I keep it from spoiling? I have a lot of it turned gelatinous waste before

[@kaistumer198]

Baddest Bees Just make 2:1 Sugar to water (2lb sugar : 1 lb water) that won‘t spoil. Else add chlorine or thymol

[@bobbinnie9872]

A small amount of bleach will buy you time. If we know it will take awhile to use the syrup we add one cup of bleach to a tote. Honey B Healthy at it's recommended dose will also work or lemon grass oil which is the main ingredient in Honey B Healthy.

[@babybeeapiaries8667]

I've used apple cider vinegar and it has helped keep it from spoiling as fast.

[@PhillipHall01]

Good Video! Bob what is the size of your stainless steel mixing tank? (Measurements) thanks!

[@bobbinnie9872]

36" high x 56" dia.

[@ishaksoukkou4195]

How much water and sugar did you put in this tub?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We usually put in 1250 pounds of sugar and enough water to finish with 250 gallons of syrup. This makes a mixture that is close to 1 to 1.

[@ishaksoukkou4195]

@@bobbinnie9872 This amount is used in the breeding season

[@hartvillehoneybeefarm6402]

I am looking for a large stainless mixing tank like yours. I wonder is you can share with me where you purchased it from?

[@bobbinnie9872]

My brother-in law builds all of our stainless equipment but he doesn't do it for others. You might try Dadant or Maxant.

[@navarra4]

Ok. I see this on a large scale but being new to this. Can you explain how to mix a small amount for a couple hives please

[@bobbinnie9872]

We mix our syrup 1 to 1 sugar and water. Weight or volume, it doesn't matter. They're close to the same. When I first started I used to heat water on our kitchen stove in a large pot and stir in the sugar until it dissolved and then let cool. A bit messy but it worked. The water only needs to be hot but not boiling to work. Thicker syrup needs hotter water than thin.

[@stanobannon8355]

Bob Binnie at Blue Ridge Honey Company 0

[@randomnesca2869]

Don't these white plastic containers develop mold inside? If so how do you clean them?

[@bobbinnie9872]

The feed buckets can develop mold. To clean simply we splash and roll around a mild bleach solution in the bucket, let sit for a few minutes, and then wash out with hot water.

[@patrickwalther1074]

Good morning Bob. can you give any exact allegation on the amount on bleech per US gallon (or better cc per liter)? Is there any chemical reaction on bleech and sucrose? Pat

[@AdyT2009]

What kind of pump is the one that mixes the syrup (I don't know what kind of pump should be with the rotor open?)

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's a "trash" pump.

[@bgodard]

Curious where you look for sugar in the truckload quantities. I haven't had much luck in my search. Ideas?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Jerry Latner at the Dadant outlet in Florida.

[@bgodard]

@@bobbinnie9872 thanks!

[@ke6gwf]

Have you ever noticed any difference between cane sugar and beet sugar? Do you have any preferences between the two, or do you even know which one you are buying? Lol I think beet sugar is generally cheaper, and most food products that list sugar as an ingredient are using beet sugar, unless it is specifies Cane Sugar, so I suspect that's what you are using, but I am curious if you have heard of any differences.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I have never used beet sugar but I've heard that for bees there is little difference between the two for bees.

[@ke6gwf]

@@bobbinnie9872 if you bought sugar at Walmart, you have probably used beet sugar lol Unless it specifically says cane sugar, most companies will use whatever happens to be cheapest, and they are around the same price, so it goes back and forth, but beet does tend to be a little cheaper, though maybe that's not the case over in your area. I used to haul out of a giant beet sugar factory in Nampa ID, and everyone from Sysco to Almond Roca to Safeway to Ghirardelli chocolate etc used it, both in bulk for production, and in store brand bags and boxes, and it was a surprise to me, because I assumed that if it said sugar, it was cane sugar. They are both like 99.7 percent sucrose in any case, and most people can't tell the difference, but I was wondering if the remaining impurities (remnants of the plant, plus processing chemicals, both of which are different between the two) might effect bees. If you haven't heard or seen any, they probably don't notice, but you might consider the difference if you are ever trying to figure out a strange situation, similar to what you were talking about with the interactions with different chemicals in old comb. I see at 1:23 that it's Domino Cane Sugar, so it's PROBABLY cane.. Lol

[@andrewsherwin2664]

Is that your new hummerbee I caught a glimpse of?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Andrew. Yes it is and we've been very pleased with it.

[@trichard5106]

Thanks !!

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

How much per lb is it when you buy that much?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Sugar has recently gone up and I just ordered a load to be delivered next week for 43 cents per pound. This includes the freight cost.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks for the info Bob.I have to drive 20min north and i get mine from Rural King in 10 lb bags for 49cents per lb.Six months ago i payed 38cents per lb.

[@wildman166]

Very interesting , but I have 3 colonies ha ha ha . And I do not need a semi full of sugar . But very cool to see how big honey companies do their business . Thanks

[@19vendetta19]

I already know how to mix syrup for my operation but I have a curiosity question for yours. Since you begin adding sugar while the water is running, how do you get the ratio correct? An inline water meter?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We are adding water well after the time it takes to get all the sugar in. We have a mark on the tank for 250 gallons and fill to that.

[@19vendetta19]

Thanks for the response. It looked like the water was flowing faster, and I was curious if there's a better way I could be doing it.

[@honeybeeashok]

👌

[@campdavidsonfunctionaltrai8583]

1 to 1 in the spring and 2 to 1 in the fall?

[@bobbinnie9872]

2 to 1 if you want to put on weight quickly. We actually start fall feeding early (late summer actually) and use 1 to 1 because it provides a better affect on the bees. We want it to affect them like a nectar flow does. You may have already watched our video "Is Feeding Sugar Syrup Good or Bad for bees" where I talk about the reasons why. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYa2lYOMps6NqZI

[@jeffcotton526]

I remember you stating in another video about sugar feeding the bees that research done in India indicated that a 1:3-1 water to sugar ratio was proven best for comb building, brood build-up and overall health of the larvae and adult bees. Have you ever tried that approach? If not, do you plan to try it out in a small section of one of your apiaries to test it out? Many thanks in advance. My landlord won't let me keep bees and I don't have transportation, also retired, so I live out my beekeeping desire vicariously through the KZbin videos of 628DirtRooster, Mr. Ed, Kamon Reynolds, JP The Beeman, and others. I hope you're doing well in these difficult times right now and that you have a prosperous 2020 beekeeping season!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Jeff. We do thin our syrup down to about this ratio when we are simply trying to build colonies and not just put on weight. Thin sucrose syrup like that is very stimulative to the bees.

[@3Beehivesto300]

The tires on your forklift look different. The red fork lift.

[@bobbinnie9872]

They're the tires that came with it. I didn't order anything special except that we had them filled with foam so it can't get a flat tire.

[@radheshyama1135]

Is “Morena Pure Cane Sugar” OK to feed bees? Also, is “White Satin Powdered Amalgamated Sugar” made from beets OK to feed bees?

[@gabrielstewart6426]

White, refined, and powder are ok to use. Do not use brown sugar or molasses

[@zongshunliang9928]

How do you calculate the concentration. And proportion

[@bobbinnie9872]

One to one sucrose syrup weighs a little over ten pounds per gallon so 5 pounds of sugar in a gallon puts you close to 1 to 1. We have about 250 to 260 gallons in our totes so we usually mix in 1300 to 1500 pounds. The batch in this video happened to get 1650 pounds so it's a bit thicker than 1 to 1.

[@zongshunliang9928]

@@bobbinnie9872 good

[@taddrienstra7247]

Do you cook your syrup and invert it?

[@bobbinnie9872]

No, we only heat the water enough to dissolve the sugar.

[@aissa2506]

Hello , i am a beginer beekeeper , and i have a qeustion " is feeding a date paste good for bees or bad ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

I don't have any information on feeding date paste but in general bees do poorly on anything but nectar and sugar. I would advise against it without good information.

[@aissa2506]

So sugar is best

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@aissa2506 For alternative feed I would say yes.

[@xtremetravelworld]

where i can buy 2000lb tote of sugar cheap ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

I don't know of any cheap sugar at this time.

[@xtremetravelworld]

@@bobbinnie9872 where I can buy sugar in 2000lb tote

[@AmbrosianBeeCo]

Hi Bob - who is your contact at Domino for semi loads of sugar? Thank you.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Jerry Latner at Dadant in Florida has sugar contracts and we purchase from him.

[@mileawayhoney2802]

10 - 25 pound bags in a 55 gallon drum is the 1 to 1 mix.

[@zongshunliang9928]

Why do commercial beekeeper in the United States prefer a two medium-sized box to a standard Langley deep box ? more brood?

[@gonnagetya1433]

I think you are confusing hobby beekeepers preferring two mediums as it's easier for them to lift. Commercial people generally use deeps as they have equipment to move things around.

[@jlv2267]

What ratio do you find works best?

[@bobbinnie9872]

For most of our feeding we usually feed around 1 to 1. We want the bees to treat it like nectar. If you can do this it's healthier for them than feeding thick syrup. If we are simply trying to stimulate and draw out comb just a little thinner than 1 to 1 gives the best results. And of course if we're trying to put on weight fast we may thicken it up to 1 1\2 to 1. See our video "Is feeding sugar syrup good or bad for bees" for more info on this.

[@koz6670]

where do you get sugar for cheap?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Anywhere I can. I stay in contact with sugar outlets and watch for the best truckload price. The price has gone up lately and there isn't any inexpensive sugar right now.

[@koz6670]

@@bobbinnie9872 do you know where the best price is for a small beekeeper not buying truckloads?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Walmart had the best deal a few weeks ago on 25 pd bags. Sams club also has the best deal at times. Good luck.

[@koz6670]

@@bobbinnie9872 ok thanks so much

[@scottpierson7495]

Bob the Honey they make from Sugar syrup is that honey or how do you separate and keep them from storing it. I need to come work for you for a week next spring if possible I will trade labor for Knowledge. Been at this a few years I think I’m doing good but just can use your experience and help thank you sir.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Scott. We never feed in such a way that syrup can become harvested honey. We feed to build colonies or to get them ready for winter but never when honey supers are on. Contact us in February about next spring.

[@scottpierson7495]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you Bob

[@sometimesitjustbeesthatway3070]

Ha and I just made 15 gallons today. Thought I was doing good.

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's all relative.

[@sometimesitjustbeesthatway3070]

Bob Binnie at Blue Ridge Honey Company yes sir. At the moment I only have 11 hives. But they do go through it pretty fast. I’m going into my second year. Had one dead out so far. So feeding strong now and fixing to get the OA going ASAP.

[@roshaven7196]

It’s a sugar jacuzzi!!!