# Fondant recipes for top bars



## Colleen O. (Jun 5, 2012)

Last year I made a bar with candy and put candy in a metal pouch. I explain about it (+ pics) in this thread http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?275624-This-poor-hive&p=884612
They took it but they ended up freezing anyway due to starvation because only the bees on the bar next to the candy bar could use the candy when it was cold. In the future I will just feed them 2:1 syrup on days that it gets warm enough (over 50) if they are light. If I had to put sugar in the hive for an emergency feed I would just pour it on the hive bottom under the cluster. Kinda a reverse mountain camp. That way the bees on each bar could get to it.

I started over this year with a single package. I now have 5 nucs and I have been feeding heavy to get them up to weight. I would feed syrup now while temperatures permit.


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## bkristanne (Sep 25, 2013)

Thanks for the info! I sure hope my bees don't starve this winter. That would be very sad :/ Wish me luck!


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## Colleen O. (Jun 5, 2012)

It was. I felt really bad about it. I really hope that doesn't happen to yours!

Are your bees taking the syrup you are feeding? I feed mine "bee tea" and they really take it fast. I found the recipe from some link on here and adapted it to my needs (pot size, ratio, etc...). Right now I am making it as 6lbs sugar, 2 quarts water, 5 cammomile (I actually use cammomile/lavender) tea bags, a pinch sea salt, 1 1/2 T each cider vinegar and honey. I bring the water to boil and make the tea then stir in the sugar and pinch salt. After the syrup has cooled (it is usually cool enough at this sugar ratio to put them right in) I stir in the vinegar and honey and feed the bees. You can change the syrup to be 2:1, I am trying to keep them drawing comb so I am using a ratio in between the norms. Be careful when you feed it because being more aromatic it can cause robbing. My weak nuc I had to close down the entrance because they were getting robbed out.


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## bkristanne (Sep 25, 2013)

I have been feeding them a bee tea with mint and thyme. They have been loving it!


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