# Can winter bees eat hard candy?



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Yes, bees can use 'hard candy' as winter feed. There are a number of threads with such recipes. But plain old granulated sugar is just fine, without the work to make candy. Here's one way ....



sqkcrk said:


> The Mountain Camp method of feeding is better known amongst beekeepers everywhere as The Dry Sugar Method. It got called The Mountain Camp Method because our friend Mountain Camp explained it and illustrated it here on beesource. One name is as good as another.
> 
> Basically it's a wooden rim, set on top of an open beehive so a sheet of newspaper can be laid in it and a bag of dry sugar can be placed on the paper. Then the cover is put back on. As winter passes and the bees breath, their resperation dampens the paper and the sugar and the bees eat the sugar, which is right above them. This can give a colony about one month of feed. Which can be all the difference between starvation and making it through the winter.
> 
> Mountain Camp's Method seems to use a shallow or medium super. i think that that is too much empty space. I prefer a 1 1/2 inch feeder rim.


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## Steadfast (Sep 11, 2014)

Great advice....

But I was wondering if they can eat these too...


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

I suspect that you will need to remove all the _wrappers _first.






Ace, here is a _sugar feeding_ thread crying out for your expertise ... :lookout:


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## BeeGora (Oct 22, 2013)

:lpf:


Rader Sidetrack said:


> I suspect that you will need to remove all the _wrappers _first.:
> 
> :lpf:


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## Steadfast (Sep 11, 2014)

:applause: har har har....too funny...
everyone's a comedian... :banana:

The only stupid question is the one unasked...

So, assuming sidetrack is correct,
One would, of course, have to check said wrapper to avoid any corn syrup and other weird chemicals used in the making of the candy...

I plan to make fondant... 
I was just curious if human hard candy works too...
is sidetrack correct???


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

... about removing the wrapper? :scratch:  :s




Hopefully, _Acebird _will be along shortly to give you the straight scoop. :lpf:


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Steadfast said:


> I plan to make fondant...


I suspect that you are going to make a mixture that many beekeepers mistakenly call "fondant"...

The list of ingredients is short for baker's fondant:









You might like to read this:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...-is-what-Fondant-looks-like-(Baker-s-Fondant)

Here is a thread titled "Fondant is a pain":http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?294704-Fondant-is-a-pain&highlight=fondant+pain


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## Steadfast (Sep 11, 2014)

I FOR ONE AM NOT GONNA EVER FEED MY BEES *CORN SYRUP*...

That's a BIG no no

:no:


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

Steadfast, here in Tidewater Virginia, many of us beekeepers have 2:1 syrup on the lite hives during the winter. I think our temps are very similar to your area so I believe you would be fine here in Feb feeding syrup if you chose to do that. I put a candy board (basically wet sugar) on all my hives in late November and they chowed through that in December. I think I like putting the sugar on early rather than waiting for them to use up all the capped stores. Now they can work on those during the colder days of Feb/March and be out gathering nectar on the warmer days. Lots of pollen coming in now on these warmer days.


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## Eddie Honey (May 30, 2011)

I must have corn syrup resistant bees or maybe it's the corn syrup hygienic stock that I started off with but they've been eating the stuff for 5 years now and not dying.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Steadfast said:


> I FOR ONE AM NOT GONNA EVER FEED MY BEES *CORN SYRUP*...
> 
> That's a BIG no no
> 
> :no:


It's not a lot of corn syrup. When I made a batch of fondant I added one ounce of corn syrup per pound of Sugar.


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## Steadfast (Sep 11, 2014)

This weekend I tried to make my own fondant bee food…
The stuff came out like thick golden syrup. So, I reheated it to 245 and let it steam off for 20 minutes…
This time it cooled to a super thick golden glue that made the Labreah Tar Pits look arid…
So, being “clever” I added in tons of corn starch and folded it in… 
Waaa Laaa the perfect soft fondant consistency!

After making 20lbs of this stuff, over 6 hours, I looked up info on "bees and Corn Starch" on the internet.

*DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!*
I found out that had I fed this to my bees, I would have killed off may whole hive with in a week of dysentery!

So I blew 6 hours and over $20 making “Rat poison” for my honey bees…. 
So, of course, I trashed it all…. I am so angry….


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

So what was wrong with the plain old _granulated sugar_ method that I linked in post #2? :scratch:


[hr] [/hr]

Note that there are a whole suite of products that are derived from corn that have _some _application in beekeeping. 

* HFCS - high fructose corn syrup
* Corn syrup
* Corn starch
* Corn flour

Note of the above products are identical, and one is not a substitute for the other. Note that "corn" syrup" and HFCS are certainly NOT the same product.


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## Steadfast (Sep 11, 2014)

From what I found... corn starch will clog up the bee's digestive tracts and kill them.

As for the fondant... I some how messed it up big time...
I HATE being ignorant... This is very frustrating!


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## Danpa14 (Jun 12, 2013)

You are making this more complicated than necessary.......search, mountaincamp, If this method doesn't suit you than I would be surprised as it works and is super easy.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Danpa14 said:


> You are making this more complicated than necessary.......search, mountaincamp, If this method doesn't suit you than I would be surprised as it works and is super easy.


:thumbsup:


I would also suggest that you use the simple Mountain Camp technique. 

Otherwise, buy 50 pound blocks of baker's fondant from a bakery supply distributor, it looks like this :


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## Steadfast (Sep 11, 2014)

This Mountaincamp method looks interesting...
Now, I need to find a shop that sells “bar sugar” or “baker’s sugar”


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Steadfast said:


> This Mountaincamp method looks interesting...
> Now, I need to find a shop that sells “bar sugar” or “baker’s sugar”


:scratch:

What you need is "sugar". 

Not "bar sugar" (whatever that is) or "baker's sugar"... just sugar.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Put a ten pound bag of sugar in a big pan and add two cups of water. Mix til the sugar is all damp. Use a form that suits your needs for shape and size. I use Dixie brand paper soupbowls that hold about a pound and a quarter. Let the packed bowl dry a couple days and you have a large CHEAP sugar cube that can be placed on the top bars and will feed the bees very well until it warms up enough to but baggies of sugar syrup on your top bars. For you that could possibly be now. Aren't your bees flying most days now?


Steadfast said:


> This is my 1st winter...
> and tomorrow we are having a brief 60degree window of warmth in the weather.
> I know it is not good to give them sugar water now...
> 
> ...


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## Steadfast (Sep 11, 2014)

Today is Feb 9th 

yes, they are flying about now in pretty large numbers.
so, I think this whole fondant thing is academic at this point in the year for a hive this strong.

It was 57f when I took this picture.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

The strong ones brooding up fast tend to be the most in danger of using up all their stores and starving. Keep an eye on that is my only caution. The river of pollen coming in means nothing for nectar flow.


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