>         The book that I used to get me started; "Practical                    
>         Beekeeping" Garden Way Publishing, Copyright 1977; specifies          
>         tartaric acid to be used to retard crystallization. I could           
>         never find 'tartaric acid' and always wondered if 'cream of           
>         tartar' as found in the kitchen was the same stuff. Never             
>         had the courage to try it. Sounds like I should be glad I             
>         didn't.                                                               
>                                                                               
>         I have a friend and fellow 'keeper who has an Armenian                
>         gentleman as his mentor. This guy squeezes 1 lemon                    
>         into their sugar syrup batch. sorry I don't know what a               
>         'batch' is in volume. This sounds like it would do the same           
>         as the vinegar mentioned elsewhere in this thread.                    
                                                                                
Regarding the vinegar:                                                          
                                                                                
I do a little open feeding in drums from time to Time.                          
                                                                                
Today I stopped at a yard and looked in the drum.  Hmmm... Smelled              
like vinegar!                                                                   
                                                                                
Water -- being lighter than syrup, sits on top, andin the weak sugar            
solution that forms there, fermentation occurs -- and proceeds right            
through to the vinegar stage.                                                   
                                                                                
What happens to nectar in flowers if the bees (or other insects, bats,          
etc.  don't get there in time?)                                                 
                                                                                
Are wilting flowers full of vinegar?                                            
                                                                                
I suppose it is possible that over many eons,  bees must have                   
quaffed a lot of vinegar. Maybe they are used to it?                            
                                                                                
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/>