Bee Candy (Fondant)

[Bob Shaw]

Last weekend I checked my hive and was pleased to see it has survived the winter.  I want to make sure the bees have enough food to survive the next few weeks.  I know it is too cold to give them sugar water via my hive top feeder so decided to make some bee fondant and have not had much luck.

My first attempt was using this recipe from the New Jersey Beekeepers Association:

http://www.nnjbees.org/how-to/articles/bee-candy-recipe/

I poured it over wax paper in two eight-inch square pans but after it cooled it stuck to the wax paper and was not easy to work with.

My second attempt was from this recipe

http://jackshoney.com/Bees/Fondant_101_files/

I put this mixture in one-gallon baggies but again it is too liquid and not easy to remove from the baggie.

I think what I am looking for is something that is more solid and easy to remove from wax paper or a baggie but is not as hard as a rock.  Suggestions?

Also I wanted to put the fondant on top of the frames under the inner cover but the bees were at the hole and I didn’t want to break the cluster so I put the messy fondant on top of the inner cover with a couple of spacing boards between the inner cover and the top cover.

Thanks for any advice you can give me on this or other suggestions for feeding during this time.

Bob Shaw

[Jeannette]

I also have a question about where to put the fondant. 

We made fondant from this recipe (http://www.tngun.com/bee-fondant-recipe/) and it turned out great.  Three 3/4 inch patties that we formed in a pie pan. 

I went out this morning to give them to the bees. Happily when i opened the hive, there were a lot of bees!  They were hanging out in the top frames, which makes me think it's good that I'm feeding them.   

But they also didn't seem so happy that I was opening up the hive, immediately crawling out of the hole in the inner cover and flying about when I pulled off the inner cover. Ultimately, I put the three fondant pieces over the inner cover using a spacer frame. I put the insulated board (we made this board by putting unprocessed wool in a three inch frame for its insulating properties) on top of that and then of course the telescoping cover on top of everything. 

I'm a little nervous that I made the wrong decision about putting the fondant on top of the inner cover. Should I try to go back in and move the fondant pieces?  

Any advice is appreciated. 
Jeannette 

[Dan Curran]

I would make sure that the sugar is directly above the cluster. My preferred method of feeding is with a 2" spacer rim below the inner cover using the "mountain camp" method--put a sheet of newspaper or two on top of the hive body and dump sugar on top of the paper. Mist with water while dumping in order to make it start to clump, otherwise when the bees chew through the paper it all falls through the cracks and you will find your sugar sitting on the bottom board come spring...

Dan

[N. Andersen]

Someone else asked for recipes on Feb 3 and you can find them on the site here.  Here's what I chipped in:

I got this from the Kentucky Dept. of Agriculture.  http://www.nkybeekeepers.com/uploads/Winter_Feeding.pdf

I scale it up, and make it in a deep pot.  I also cook it to 250 degrees.  At 238 it sometimes doesn't set fully.  Be careful, it's as hot at molten lava.  Once it cools a bit, I whip it with an electric hand mixer, immediately pour it into pie tins and let it solidify.  In fall, on my overwintering hives, I place a 2 inch shim under the top cover.  Then on days when it's windless and near 40 degrees, you can pry open the cover and slip one of these cakes in in a matter of seconds with minimal heat loss.  The quickness of the process is why I favor this over feeding dry sugar or syrup.  Plus, less added moisture.  I usually put a cake in in fall, and then look for any opportunity in Jan or Feb to at least check on them and replace as necessary.  That's been a challenge this year, but I replaced them the other day when it was in the 20s but windless.  I've had real good luck with this, and I find that more often than not I have honey stores left in spring.  The bees spend quite a bit of time in the dead space the shim creates (warm and dry?) and may even prefer the cakes to feeding on honey frames towards the outside of the hive.  See what you think.  At worst, you'll learn something about candy making.  

I think the key thing is the temperature.  A lot of fondant recipes go for the 235-238 range and it doesn't always set up.  I overcook to 250, whip it, and end up with a hard product.  The bees just chow down right through it.  

[William Palmer]

Hi Group; Fondant can bee purchased at most bakeries and cake shops. Comes in a tub and is spreadable but thick like icing on a cake. This takes the danger out of 250 degree sugar.  You only buy what you need.

                   Good Luck     William Palmer        East Troy Honey.

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[N. Andersen]

I would add one thing, and it's in response to Dan's post about feeding sugar in the "Mountaincamp" method.  I tried this one year, and I found that come spring I had quite a bit of fermenting sugar in the hive.  The smell was quite distinct, and multiple hives.  It's possible I had a moisture problem that exacerbated this situation, but I was wondering if others have seen this as well. They seemed to move sugar crystals to cells and then they fermented there.  The frames seemed rather unkemp (in a bee hygiene sort of way).   It compelled me to go to feeding hard fondant cakes which don't seem to cause this, but I'm always interested in other peoples experience.  

[Dan Curran]

Since I started wrapping my hives and using Bildrite inner covers, my bees have been dry and happy--I don't see any excess moisture in the top of the hive. I have seen conditions like you mention in the late winter/early spring in unwrapped hives. The sugar turns as hard as a rock, and when I come back to check on the bees 3 weeks later I can just push the hardened sugar from the edges on top of the cluster.

Dan