# My syrup turned rock hard



## fngrpepr (May 9, 2010)

I made up a batch of 2:1 syrup last night, poured it out into plastic pitchers and let it cool. Came home from work today intending to take it out to pour into my feeders, and it's rock hard. Doh!

Any ideas what happened? Can I reconstitute this or liquefy it again?


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## fordtractornut (Jul 4, 2010)

Hi sir.
I am not sure what happened to your syrup.
here is my process.
1: heat 1 gallon of water to a boil. Approxamately 4 lbs
2: add 4 lbs of sugar to boiling water and stir until water is clear.
3: add another 4 lbs of sugar to water and stir until it is clear.
once the sugar has been added, i do not let mixture come to a boil.
once the mixture is clear, i take it off the stove and pour it into a 5 gallon pail.
I repeat this process until the 5 gallon pail is full.
then in the pail, i add the juice from 1 hole lemon, and a large soup spoon of apple cider vinagar.

so far, the hives are loving it.
and there is verry little to no crystalization so far.

good luck.


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## apis maximus (Apr 4, 2011)

I know you said you left the syrup to cool...but did you heat and bring water to boil before adding the sugar when you made the syrup? It sounds like your solution was supersaturated and the sucrose turned back to crystal form. Supersaturation is an unstable state. The sugar molecules will begin to crystallize back into a solid at the least provocation. Stirring or jostling of any kind can cause the sugar to begin crystallizing. It is also possible you added more sugar than the 2:1 ratio...I mean the saturation point of sugar in solution, is different at different temperatures. The higher the temperature, the more sugar can be held in solution.
Usually, when water boils and also some acid is added to the solution, it will keep most of the sucrose molecules, broken up in their two components: glucose and fructose. If a high number of the sucrose molecules are broken up, when the syrup cools, it will have a smaller chance of going back to crystal form. Also adding an acid to the solution will also help at keeping the sugar molecules from getting back into sucrose crystals. 
Yes, you can reconstitute...break the sugar candy, add water, slowly heat up and readjust the ratio so that your new solution will be again 2:1. Adding some acid ( Vitamin C, vinegar, cream of tartar, lemon juice) can help prevent the mishap again.
Hope it helps.


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## slickbrightspear (Jan 9, 2009)

here's what I do if I have to feed put 25lbs of sugar in a 5 gallon bucket add 1quart of water start stirring keep adding just enough water to make it where it will pour. put a sheet of newspaper down on the hive and pour in however much of the sugar I want the hive to have the next day it will have hardened up like fondant. you ever had any sugar that absorbed enough water that it hardened up in the back it will be a little harder than that. what ever the bees don't eat by spring gets thrown in a bucket and turned to syrup in the spring if they need it. during the winter it will also absorb moisture and keep it from dripping back on the cluster. I have intended to try this with corn syrup and leave out the water alltogether but have never gotten around to it maybe someone else has tried that.


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## RogerCrum (Jun 19, 2011)

One gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds so it takes 16.64 pounds of sugar to make 2:1 syrup. At that saturation, it crystalizes at the drop of a hat. The 5:3 syrup recommended by Michael Bush is much less touchy but is an effective feed.


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## fngrpepr (May 9, 2010)

I reheated my pitchers until I could dump everything back into my big pot, and then slowly warmed it up until it went to syrup, then added lemon juice. Cooling on the stove now-- hopefully stays that way until tomorrow morning so I can pour it into the feeders!


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## PappyMAINEiac (Sep 23, 2006)

fordtractornut said:


> 1: heat 1 gallon of water to a boil. Approxamately 4 lbs
> 2: add 4 lbs of sugar to boiling water and stir until water is clear.
> 3: add another 4 lbs of sugar to water and stir until it is clear.
> once the sugar has been added, i do not let mixture come to a boil.


You are making 1:1 syrup. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs. So to one gallon of water you will need 16 lbs. of sugar not 8 for 2:1. Just so ya know.


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## Slow Modem (Oct 6, 2011)

How much lemon juice is in a lemon? A cup? A couple of tablespoons? I'll probably get mine out of a bottle, so a measure would help.


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## DUKPT (Apr 8, 2011)

You may have let your water boil for to long.
Water starts boiling at 212, and will continue to increase in temperature.
I was pulling the water right at boil and not having very good luck disolving 2:1.
With a thermometer, you can boil right to 230. It makes a big difference in dissolving the sugar. 235 is where you will start making Rock Candy. You may have been to hot.


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## StewRoten (May 22, 2010)

Slow Modem said:


> How much lemon juice is in a lemon? A cup? A couple of tablespoons? I'll probably get mine out of a bottle, so a measure would help.


Most lemons are a bit smaller than a coffee cup.


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

DUKPT said:


> You may have let your water boil for to long.
> Water starts boiling at 212, and will continue to increase in temperature.


 I think you may not be correct on this point, boiling water only gets to 212 and no hotter. All the extra energy used to try to get it hotter just turns the liquid to vapor (steam).......If you keep boiling once the sugar is added then yes that can get hotter than 212.....


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## brushmouth (Jan 17, 2010)

HONEYDEW said:


> I think you may not be correct on this point, boiling water only gets to 212 and no hotter. All the extra energy used to try to get it hotter just turns the liquid to vapor (steam).......If you keep boiling once the sugar is added then yes that can get hotter than 212.....



In order to reach hard ball (candy making term) stage the mixture must reach a temperature of 260 F.
Only bring to the start of a boil, then use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice if your attempting
to convert the sugar to inverted sugar. 

Be aware of creating a caramel with the syrup if it is overheated.
I have read that it is toxic to the bees to some degree.?
Likely one of the reasons most beekeepers avoid boiling all together. 

BTW: I fed inverted syrup to nucs and hives through out last winter without problem.

BM


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## jeff123fish (Jul 3, 2007)

Is everyone mixing their syrup by weight :scratch: I've always mixed mine by volume and never had any problems with it crystallizing even when i feed my bees in late feb.


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## PappyMAINEiac (Sep 23, 2006)

jeff123fish said:


> Is everyone mixing their syrup by weight :scratch: I've always mixed mine by volume and never had any problems with it crystallizing even when i feed my bees in late feb.


Don't worry Jeff the difference between weight and volume is negligible. What I do is if I only want 1 gallon, I pour 5 lbs of sugar into a 1 gallon pail and with the sugar still in the pail stir in water until you get to the 1 gallon mark. Then dump into a pot. Heat mixture while stirring until it clears (about the time that whisps of steam start. Then cool.
I know this is @ 1 lb short of sugar. It is just easier for a one gallon hivetop plastic feeder. It works, they like it and I haven't had any problems yet.


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## Sid from Texas (Jan 24, 2011)

Water boils at 212 but adding solids will increase the boiling point as it also lowers the freezing point. (Which is why they "salt" the roads in winter). You guys may be talking about the same thing but with minor differences.

The "rock candy" recipe has sugar in the water, thus raising the boiling point. The other fellow is right that water boils at 212 and does not get hotter, the extra heat escapes as vapor.

The recipe for sugar syrup using a gallon of water and 5 pounds of sugar does not make 1:1 syrup. it is basically 5:8.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

I still mix it the old way I guess!! I put 6 cups of sugar in a bucket feeder then add 3 cups of hot tap water and stir, stir, stir!! I have not had a problem with crytalization or the bees not being able to consume it. Its a clean bucket after a couple days!


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## Pyrotechnician (Feb 21, 2011)

I heat up to a boil 15 pints of water and then add 25lb of sugar, mix it up until I no longer see crystals on the large spoon, let it set for one day (to cool) and its worked great this fall. This should be a 5:3 ratio.


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