> Jerry Fries wrote:
> > Jerry,
>
> My experience is that 2:1 or over tends to granulate in the comb far
> more quickly than a concentration of slightly less than 2:1.
 
There should be no difference, if it is properly mixed.  The bees
should reduce the water to less than 18%  immediately on storing it.
If not, look out!
 
> The
> big bendfit of heavy syrup is that you can get 100 lbs into the hive
> in just a few days.
 
Additionally, bees don't drown in thick syrup the way they do in thin
syrup (due to density and surface tension), so open feeders  and
hive top feeders work much better with the thicker syrup.
 
> So it doesn't matter much if the bees see it as
> nectar or not it is not a long term source.
 
Thin syrups can stimulate brood rearing, and in the fall, the
additional moisture to be driven off can causethe hive interior to be
damp.
 
If the bees don't take it, the thick syrup is much slower to ferment,
and it does not pick up the colour of the materials it touches the way
that thin syrup does.
 
Moreover, since I feed 80,000 pounds of 66% each fall, I don't want
to be trucking an extra 10 or 20,000 pounds of water around the
country and providing the extra storage space for it.
 
Make it thick syrup for me.
 
BTW, I prefer thick syrup in the spring too.  Same reasons.
 
 
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>