Invertase Invertobee 50-W: Invert Syrup at the Lowest Cost per Tonne

invertobee 50-W at a glance:

Same list price as Invertase Invertobee 50-C (€62 per package), but a higher yield: 360 g of Invertase Invertobee 50-W is enough to invert 1,200 kg of sugar syrup (600 kg sugar + 600 kg water), at a real material cost of around €0.38/kg. The condition: 50-W works only hot, at 50-60 °C — it requires a heating setup. If you already have the equipment to heat the mixture, it's the lowest cost-per-tonne option in the Invertobee range.

Why choose Invertobee 50-W

Invertase Invertobee 50-W is designed for beekeepers who already have an active heating setup and want to minimise cost per tonne of syrup produced:

• Lower enzyme cost per tonne. 360 g treats 1,200 kg of syrup (versus 50-C's 1,000 kg with 300 g): at the same list price, enzyme cost per tonne drops from €62 to around €51.70. 
• Higher yield per package. A single 360 g package covers 1,200 kg of finished syrup — fewer reorders for high-volume operations.
• Fast, predictable inversion. 12 hours at 50-60 °C, a fixed and short time — useful for planning production on industrial-style schedules.
• HMF under control. < 5 mg/kg — slightly above 50-C's zero (an expected effect of heat exposure), but well within safety limits for bees.
• In use since 2015. Chosen by thousands of professional beekeepers in 29 countries.
• 15 days to change your mind. Returns accepted within 15 days of delivery on unopened products (details in point 8). 

Every ingredient is food-grade for human consumption: acidity regulators (lemon powder, tartaric, malic and citric acid) and texture regulators (glucose, maltose and other sugars).

Don't have a heating setup, or prefer to work cold? Choose Invertase Invertobee 50-C — same list price, zero heating required, already works from 17 °C. In short: 50-C for the cold process, 50-W for the lowest cost per tonne if you can heat.

How it compares on cost to the competition

Invertobee 50-W's enzyme cost, heating included, is around €56.70 per tonne of 1:1 syrup (€51.70 enzyme + ~€5 heating per tonne). The most direct enzyme competitor available online, at the same stated dosage, costs around €84 for the same tonne of syrup — Invertobee 50-W is therefore around 32% cheaper, even accounting for the heating cost 50-W requires and which the competitor doesn't explicitly state.

The calculation compares the dosage stated by the cheapest  competing enzyme available online with Invertobee's list price, both scaled to a standard 1,000 kg batch of 1:1 syrup (50% concentration).

How to prepare invert syrup with Invertobee 50-W: step-by-step recipe

1. Weigh the ingredients. For 1,200 kg of finished syrup: 600 kg white granulated sugar + 600 kg clean water. Use only white beet or cane sugar — avoid raw sugar, brown sugar or syrups containing molasses.
2. Combine sugar and water. Pour the water into the tank first, then add the sugar. Mix until dissolved.
3. Bring the mixture to 50-60 °C. Unlike Invertobee 50-C, 50-W necessarily requires a heating setup: it is not formulated to work at room temperature.
4. Weigh and add the enzyme. Use a scale to measure 360 g of Invertase Invertobee 50-W per 1,200 kg of syrup (600 kg sugar). Dissolve the powder in a little water separately, then pour it into the main batch and mix well.
5. Hold the temperature for 12 hours. This is the fixed inversion time at 50-60 °C — not reducible by lowering the temperature further, unlike 50-C.
6. Feed the bees. The syrup is 100% inverted, with HMF < 5 mg/kg. It keeps for one week: prepare only the quantity you'll use within that period.

Full guide: this is the base recipe for Invertobee 50-W. For the full step-by-step guide to preparing invert syrup — including cost math for different volumes — see our dedicated guide "How to prepare invert syrup for bees".

Why heating matters — and what changes versus 50-C

Unlike Invertase Invertobee 50-C, which works even at room temperature, Invertobee 50-W is formulated to perform best in a narrower, warmer range (50-60 °C). The advantage of this choice is economic: at the same price per package, the enzyme works on a larger quantity of syrup (1,200 kg instead of 1,000 kg), lowering the cost per tonne. The price to pay is the cost — modest but real — of the energy to heat the mixture, which we include in full in the point 6 calculation, for an honest estimate of total cost.

For the scientific analysis on the benefits of enzymatic inversion versus simple syrup or acid inversion (2013 Apimondia study on average lifespan and gut health of honey bees), see our article "The benefits of using invertase" — the findings apply to both Invertobee products, 50-C and 50-W.