This question, asked by a reader, perplexes me because I’ve never had any 2:1 syrup crystallize. In fact, several different times in the past I’ve had a half gallon or so sit in the fridge all winter long with no problem.
The next question, then, is what did I put in it to prevent crystallization. The answer is nothing. Whenever I store syrup–which sometimes happens after I make too much in the fall–I don’t put anything in it. It’s just two parts sugar to one part water.
My suspicion is that people who have problems with crystallization are boiling the water after they measure it. Boiling–even for a short time–causes water loss through evaporation. Even heating the water just short of boiling drives off a lot of water.
The result of the evaporative loss is that the proportions are no longer 2:1–you are trying to dissolve 2 parts of sugar into less than 1 part of water. The sugar dissolves when the water is still hot but then crystallizes when it cools.
So here are my recommendations:
- Don’t boil the water. I use hot tap water or I heat the water only slightly before adding the sugar. Dump the sugar in all at once before the water cools. It takes more stirring, but it works.
- If you insist on boiling the water, add some extra–maybe an ounce or two–to compensate for what is going to boil away.
- Alternatively, you can measure the water after you boil it.
If you have a container of crystallized syrup, you can add water to re-dissolve it or you can feed it to the bees inside an empty super. Either way you don’t have to waste the sugar.
Rusty
One beekeeper told me they were told to boil the syrup for x-number of minutes to sterilize it. For those who are worried about bacterial growth, it is fine to boil the syrup but it must be done with a lid on. This minimizes evaporation and also washes down sugar crystals that splash up onto the side of the pot due to violent boiling action. It only takes one crystal on the side of the pot that gets poured into your feeder to beget more crystals.
Here’s a really good point from HB over at Backyard Bee Hive Blog (see above): a lid is an elegant solution to the problem. You can boil the water or syrup without losing it, plus it keeps the side of the pan free of crystals. A gold star for HB! Thank you.
I thought boiling the syrup made it toxic to the bees…
Chloie,
Sugar that becomes scorched or burnt is not good for bees. But the act of boiling syrup doesn’t make the sugar toxic. For example, bees are routinely fed hard candy, which is made by boiling sugar syrup until it reaches a very high temperature–usually 234 to as much as 266 degrees F. This long boiling time drives off the water and causes the syrup to turn into a solid. Solid sugar is much better for winter feeding than syrup.
On the other hand high-fructose corn syrup, when heated only slightly, produces a toxic substance called hydroxymethylfurfural. HFCS should never be heated or even stored in warm places.