# Best Sugar Syrup Ratio To Give The Bees?



## Beesilly

Hello everyone, 
I have read that 1:1 and 1:2 are to be used to feed newly installed honeybees. Which one is better? I think the 1:2 would be better for me, because I can make more syrup with less sugar... but that's just me. Also, for anyone interested... http://www.beecare.com/indexDynFrames.htm?http://www.beecare.com/Feeding/Feeding.htm&1. A simple way to make some sugar syrup. 
Have a good night! 
Beesilly


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## WVbeekeeper

*Making Invert Sugar Syrup*


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## Beesilly

Very nice blog. That was interesting, and i will take sometime to read the rest of it. Just a question, simulative feeding, is that to simulate the bees to build comb?
Thanks
Beesilly


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## Michael Bush

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm#ratios


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## drobbins

WV

an honest question because I don't understand
why go to the trouble of inverting the sugar?
I thought that was one of the primary processes the bees did when they make honey
what is nectar? I thought it was sucrose and they inverted it to fructose and glucose 
I'm VERY likely wrong
enlighten me with some chemistry
perhaps inverting it just makes life easier for bees you're trying to help out?
just asking out of ignorance
this is organic chemistry stuff I know nothing about

Dave


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## WVbeekeeper

Invert syrup is 15% less sweet than noninvert syrup. The bees can't smell it as strongly. They are less likely to try to rob a hive when using entrance feeders or hive top feeders because the odor is not as strong and is less appealing. When using invert syrup for pollen patties it helps the patties retain moisture for a longer period of time. Invert sugar takes longer to mildew if you make a quantity of it. The bees can metabolize it more easily. It won't crystallize as quickly as regular sugar syrup (especially when put into a cell of wax in a frame) and has a longer shelf life. I'm sure that there are other benefits.


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## Beesilly

drobbins said:


> WV
> 
> an honest question because I don't understand
> why go to the trouble of inverting the sugar?
> I thought that was one of the primary processes the bees did when they make honey
> what is nectar? I thought it was sucrose and they inverted it to fructose and glucose
> I'm VERY likely wrong
> enlighten me with some chemistry
> perhaps inverting it just makes life easier for bees you're trying to help out?
> just asking out of ignorance
> this is organic chemistry stuff I know nothing about
> 
> Dave


Drobbins, I do not know any of this stuff. So I decided to research. Take a look at this...http://www.bb.iastate.edu/necgex/Nectar.htm It seems that nectar is sucrose, fructose and glucose, but it mostly depends on the source. I think I'm misunderstanding this, as my mind is not very smart in science
If im wrong please tell me so!
Beesilly


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## BEES4U

*Ratios*

Just to help you:

A one to one can be expressed as 1:1 which means one part sugar to one part water.
A two to one means two parts sugar to one part water. 2:1
Try to read the syrup directions that is include with a case of canning jars.
Good Luck,
Ernie
Lucas Apiaries
[email protected]


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## Beesilly

Thank you Ernie! Things are clearing up now!
I think I'm going to use WV's inverted sugar syrup recipe because of all the advatages. 
Thanks everyone!
Beesilly


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## the kid

you tell how to inverte useing cream of tarter ,, how much lemon do you use . 
the kid


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## Joseph Clemens

Beesilly said:


> Very nice blog. That was interesting, and i will take sometime to read the rest of it. Just a question, simulative feeding, is that to simulate the bees to build comb?
> Thanks
> Beesilly


Beesilly, I think you mean stimulative, rather than simulative. We feed the bees to "stimulate" them to do things they usually only do when they are getting lots of feed, natural or otherwise. Here is the definition of simulative: (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/simulative). Simulate is when something pretends to be something else, like using an imitation to simulate something else.


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## Michael Bush

Beekeepers often try to _simulate_ a nectar flow to _stimulate_ brood rearing.


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