# Can sugar water be stored at room temperature, and for how long?



## concrete-bees

id keep it in the dark -- cooler is better - 

maybe 2 weeks but -it will start to sour and smell of alcohol -- so just smell it before you give it to them 

but try to only mix what you need at the time


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## Ravenseye

It takes a while so don't worry. Cool is good but not always possible.


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## bhfury

It will keep longer if you add a little HBH - at least that's what I've been told. Don't use it if you are adding honey supers.


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## Tom Brueggen

Logically to me, sugar water, or any food for that matter, can only spoil if there is bacteria/fungus available to make it begin to break down. Thinking on fermenting (as would be the fear with sugar water), that requires yeast, wild or cultured. If you sterilize and pasteurize you should be OK. I was just thinking about mixing up a bunch and pressure canning it, but the time that would go into all that just so I could grab a quart jar from time to time is not worth it. I just keep a bag of sugar ready in a pinch and use hot tap water to mix it quickly. Normally I plan it better and mix a 5 gallon batch and put it all out, as I always have a few nucs with jars and a few struggling colonies that I can give it to.


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## Michael Bush

The stronger the syrup, the longer it keeps. If you boil the water, it keeps longer. If you lower the pH to 4.5 or so it will keep longer. If you put it in the fridge, it will keep longer. If you only make what you need today, it's not an issue...


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## bwdenen

I made up 5 gallons of invert sugar syrup and then the weather turned too cold to put it on(go figure that would happen in Ohio). After 3 weeks I noticed green floaters. The invert sugar is supposed to keep much longer. I've had it keep for months before, don't know what I did different this time.. Oh yeah, I did keep it inside this time.?


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## drlonzo

Michael - How do you lower the pH of the syrup ?


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## Gilligan

drlonzo said:


> Michael - How do you lower the pH of the syrup ?


Vit c pills crushed in, apple cider vinegar but that may incite robbing depending on method of feeding.


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## Michael Bush

>Michael - How do you lower the pH of the syrup ? 

I dissolve Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in the water before adding the sugar. My target is 4.5. My water changes pH as it is exposed to the air, so I usually fill a bucket and let it set overnight. Then boil it, then add the Ascorbic acid then after it dissolved add the sugar. I haven't worked out the formula for my current location (I just moved here) but at the old location that was 7 grams of Vitamin C for five gallons of 5:3 syrup.


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## drlonzo

Michael - now that raises another question. What do you use 5:3 syrup for?


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## Michael Bush

>What do you use 5:3 syrup for? 

Anything I need syrup for. It keeps better than 1:1. There is less to haul around for the amount of sugar I'm giving them. It mixes easier than 2:1 (I can't get 2:1 to dissolve very well and it crystallizes quickly). I need to boil the water anyway to make it keep longer and as long as it's boiling 5:3 dissolves very nicely.


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## drlonzo

Ok, so that brings on another question Michael. I've been sitting here reading on your website about feeding and all the methods etc. I can tell you don't try to stimulate early brood build up and try to leave enough honey till spring for them. So normally what people do with 1:1 is stimulate brood and comb building, but heavier mixes stimulate honey storage in most cases (i know they pull it down into the hive to use it in either case, but is it an issue with the 5:3 mix on a new hive?


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## Michael Bush

I think the idea of 1:1 for stimulation was to save money on sugar... I don't see any difference as far as stimulation in the spring between 1:1 5:3 or 2:1. It does make a difference in the fall it seems as they will stock away the 2:1 or 5:3 more quickly with less water to get rid of and it seems to do less to stimulate them in the fall. In the spring they were anticipating a buildup. In the fall they are anticipating winter...


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## mpgreer

(hopefully not off op's topic) so michael, would you feed a new package 5:3? i was worried they'd go through a 1 gallon baggie feeder of 1:1 quicker than i wanted them to. i don't want to disturb them too much in the first 5+ days. i hadn't thought of increasing the concentration of sugar.


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## Michael Bush

>would you feed a new package 5:3?

Yes, I would. When I feed a package that's what I do.


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## Gilligan

mpgreer said:


> (hopefully not off op's topic) so michael, would you feed a new package 5:3? i was worried they'd go through a 1 gallon baggie feeder of 1:1 quicker than i wanted them to. i don't want to disturb them too much in the first 5+ days. i hadn't thought of increasing the concentration of sugar.


I've been feeding my two foundationless hives (one swarm, one large rescue) 2:1 (maybe a bit less) and they took it down and were building comb like no body's business.


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## drlonzo

Michael Bush said:


> >would you feed a new package 5:3?
> 
> Yes, I would. When I feed a package that's what I do.


Michael - When feeding the 5:3 mix in spring with a package v/s 1:1 - have you noticed a diff in the speed that they draw out new comb?


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## Michael Bush

> When feeding the 5:3 mix in spring with a package v/s 1:1 - have you noticed a diff in the speed that they draw out new comb? 

No. They draw comb very quickly either way.


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