# Questions About Feeding Fondant



## MountainCamp (Apr 12, 2002)

I don't feed fondant.
I feed either granular sugar or syrup.
That said if you want to feed fondant, there is no reason why you can't lay it on some paper placed on the top bars.
On the top bars the bees can feed as a group / cluster and use it in colder weather. 


This is how I setup to feed: www.mountaincampfarm.com/wst_page5.php?RowIdx=0&ID2=BjZ0I4


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## Dee (Apr 22, 2004)

From what I understand bees need water to make the candy into liquid form, so if there isnt any drawn out comb to hold the water (also they cant fly to get it b/c of weather) they wont be able to use it. 

Even though you've already bought the candy I would feed them sugar water baggie style. The ziplock bag is set right above them and they can drink it as needed since there isnt any place for them to store it. If you want to utilize the candy then I guess you could as well place it on the top bars beside the baggie on a piece of wax paper so they can use it when water is available. 

In case you need to know.......
You'll need a 3" shim on the top of the brood box so the baggie wont get crushed by the lid (if you dont have access to wood then just use another bee box). I use a quart size for Nucs and gallon size for regular. Fill the ziplock about 1/2 to 3/4 full of 1:1 sugar syrup. After placing the baggie on top of the frames then cut a few slits on the top or I just cut one X in the middle.


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## MountainCamp (Apr 12, 2002)

Bees require water to use fondant, granular sugar, heavy syrup, and honey. This water comes from many sources such as condensate within the hive from respiration, melting snow on the bottom board, rain, etc.

Fondant has a percentage of moisture contained within it. Granular sugar that has been in a hive also will have a percentage of moisture that it has absorbed. I have colonies that have been eating granular sugar since December without added water until recently.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Rj,
Make up a one inch spacer. Place the spacer on top of the first brood chamber. (The inner cover and top goes on top of the spacer.) Place whatever you can of fondant on top of the frames on a paper towel. Place the queen on top of the frames also right next to the fondant. The bees will feed on the fondant and also release the queen. This spacer can be used for years to feed fondant, release queens, place pollen patties, etc. I have released many queens this way and its also easy to see if the queen is released without pulling frames, etc.

I use a good bit of the commercial fondant made of sugar, HFCS, and water. The bees have no problem eating it. At less than 30 dollars per 50 pound block, its worth not making my own fondant.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

This time of year I'd feed syrup. They won't take the fondant as quickly as they will take syrup.


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## Chef Isaac (Jul 26, 2004)

syrup is the best idea as they will need to have a lot of it to draw foundation out. Fondant is great to put on after thanksgiving as an "insurance" so they will not starve and also great to use in the early months of the year.


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## rjbudo (Apr 5, 2007)

Syrup was considered. However, it seems like there is a question of temperature: It has not been above 35 F since the day I got the package and will not go above 50 F (with rain) until 10 days after the package was hived. Night-time lows have been/will be in the middle to low 20's. We are in survival mode, not wax drawing/brood raising mode.

On this basis, I reasoned that should put food as close as possible to the bees to get them through the cold and this is how I chose to use fondant.

In retrospect, other choices could have been made: I could have put inverted mason jars with syrup inside an empty hive body; I could have filled some Permacomb that I have with syrup, raw sugar could have been sprinkled on top of the frame bars...

Last year when I put my first pakage in around May 10, the weather was great, but I missed six weeks of dandelions and other early blooming plants. This year, with my second hive, I thought that I would take advantage of the early blooms. Unfortunately, we are experiencing uncharacteristically cold, miserable weather - beekeeping books don't have much to say about decidely off-nominal conditions like this.

So, here I am with the fate of 10,000 souls resting in my hands. When I pulled the cork on the queen cage last night with snow in the air, I encountered a lethargic mass of bees with nobody flying. There is syrup in a hive top feeder and fondant with a shim. Hopefully, they can hang on until it gets nicer.

Rick


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## spunky (Nov 14, 2006)

rjbudo said:


> Syrup was considered. However, it seems like there is a question of temperature: It has not been above 35 F since the day I got the package and will not go above 50 F (with rain) until 10 days after the package was hived. Night-time lows have been/will be in the middle to low 20's. We are in survival mode, not wax drawing/brood raising mode.
> 
> On this basis, I reasoned that should put food as close as possible to the bees to get them through the cold and this is how I chose to use fondant.
> 
> ...



My weather here is same as yours. My new package took 1 quart of 1;1 over the last week in these temps. I hung the queen cage about 2 inches off center from the jar feeder,poked a hole in the candy , placed an empty deep over them. This hive gets sun from 10;00 am till dusk. I have lost about 50 bees so far, see if they fly today


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

You have a point about the temperatures. I'm having the same problem here. I installed them on Sunday and it's not warm enough for them to feed. This could be a disaster if it doesn't warm up...


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## Chef Isaac (Jul 26, 2004)

if you take a frame that has been drawed and than take the syrup and drizzle it into the cells and place this next to the cluster, it will all be good. they will take the feed.


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