So the published reports are quite variable depending on group size, outside temperature, activity level (and there are more extreme measurements in the literature).  But just to work through a calculation, assume a 3 lb package at 70 fahrenheit uses 1 ml per gram per hour (or 1.35 mg of sugar per gram per hour).  Converting this to a more practical figure with some rounding off, it would be about a tenth of the weight of the swarm in sugar consumption per day.


 
That’s about what I figured also,  but I don’t think its right (hence my query)  It doesn’t pass the logic test.

Traditionaly we use about 1.5 lbs of 77% solid HFCS  or.85 lbs of sugar  for a 3lb package.
At 10% then they would consume that in  2.5 days (3lbs x 10% =.3 lbs per day,  so a hair under 3 days the sugar is gone.  Many times the syrup will last 5-8 days.
The other kicker is the elevated temps of the cluster,  I still suspect its because they uptake to much sugar in order to gain access to the moisture (us drinking pop on a hot day)  

My suspicion I am trying to balance is that  somewhere around .25 lbs (4 ounces) of sugar is enough,  and that the remaining 14 ounces of water (1lb 2 oz is what I put in them) will slow or stop the mitigate the weight loss of the bees.

My research so far shows the moisture loss of the bees is (the shape of the curve) very similar for both fed and unfed bees.


Charles

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