# Queen Candy ?



## LT (Aug 17, 2006)

I seem to have a problem making queen candy for the cages. Can anyone give me some pointers? Mine is to runny most of the time.

Has anyone tried marsh mellows pushed in the end? I was told this works but not sure. Thanks


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## wildbranch2007 (Dec 3, 2008)

LT said:


> Has anyone tried marsh mellows pushed in the end? I was told this works but not sure. Thanks


marsh mellows work just fine but your queen will be released alot sooner, works for me.

mike


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Marshmallows work. Candy is better.

I had the same problem with runny candy. Couldn't work enough sugar into syrup

I now heat the syrup first.

I use invert syrup from Kelley. HFCS will work, as will honey. I quit using HFCS, and if yopu use honey, it has to be of a known source and free of disease.

Add a 2 pound bag of powdered or confectioners sugar to mixer bowl.
Heat 1 cup of syrup in microwave until hot.
Add syrup to sugar and mix well with dough hook.
Knead what extra sugar into the "dough" you can.

Candy will stiffen as it cools.


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

Queen candy comes out best if you use invert sugar syrup. You can make this by boiling 2 quarts of water, then add 8 pounds granulated sugar and dissolve. Then add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tartar and continue to boil for 20 minutes while stirring. Use this inverted syrup to make queen candy. The remaining syrup will keep for several months in a sealed container.


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## adamf (Jan 28, 2006)

BeeAware said:


> Queen candy comes out best if you use invert sugar syrup. You can make this by boiling 2 quarts of water, then add 8 pounds granulated sugar and dissolve. Then add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream of tartar and continue to boil for 20 minutes while stirring. Use this inverted syrup to make queen candy. The remaining syrup will keep for several months in a sealed container.


Hi
If you're going to invert the sugar yourself, maybe use lemon juice or cider vinegar instead of cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate. There have been some recomendations that this compound is not good for honey bees' digestive system.

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

I've tried all the recipes and the one I posted has worked for me. Others may wish to use lemon juice etc. I've also seen studies that suggest citric acid and acetic acid are not good for bees. To each his own!


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## adamf (Jan 28, 2006)

BeeAware said:


> I've tried all the recipes and the one I posted has worked for me. Others may wish to use lemon juice etc. I've also seen studies that suggest citric acid and acetic acid are not good for bees. To each his own!


This was posted on bee-l a few years back: (if you want the exact year and date just surf over to the bee-l archives and perform a search)

***********************************************************************
"I have offered the information below on creme of tartar in the past -
Dick Bonney


Using Cream of Tartar.

A part of the normal process when bees convert nectar to honey in the
hive involves the chemical inversion of sugar. Simply stated, sucrose
is converted to glucose and fructose. When we feed bees sugar syrup,
they make a similar inversion. The standard feed, granulated sugar, is
sucrose. The bees convert this to glucose and fructose before storing it.
It has long been the practice of many beekeepers to add tartaric acid
to sugar syrup to aid in the inversion process, and instructions for
making syrup often call for tartaric acid, either as such, or in the
form of cream of tartar. The acid also prevents crystallization of the
syrup later.

Many years ago a researcher (Leslie Bailey) found that if no natural
nectar was coming in, feeding syrup containing cream of tartar (or
vinegar) caused dysentery, shortening the lives of the bees to one third
that of bees fed plain sugar syrup. This finding was written up at the
time but does not seem to have become part of the common knowledge of
beekeepers. Tartaric acid is still occasionally recommended, without
any qualification as to the possible ill effects. Use it judiciously if
at all."
******************************************************************

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

How about smearing in some crystallyzed honey? Just enough to seal off the opening to slow down release. Anyone try that? I just happen to have a bunch of crystallized in stock.


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