Crystallised v fondant

[steve_e]

If there is plenty of honey in the BB but it's crystallised (eg Ivy from previous autumn) is this completely inaccessible to the bees? Is it harder to consume than fondant?

I put fondant in last winter and found it completely unused, yet the bees seem very light on stores, although there were stores from late last year that seemed to be from Ivy.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Out of interest, where did you put the fondant? Ours is directly on top of the frames, and they're still taking it.

 

[steve_e]

That's a good point - I did put it over the crownboard as winter had already commenced before I fed them and I didn't want to open the crownboard in the cold.

But I squeezed the sugar down through the crownboard hole so that it was pushed down over the frames, hoping they'd find it easily enough. They were clustered around it when I opened it up recently, but had taken barely any of it.

 

[johnmcc]

I lost a colony to an amazing wasp infestation in the Autumn, but my surviving hive is on its fourth lot of fondant currently, and has been taking it regularly, though less so when the temperature has been at or near freezing. I can see no reason for not feeding fondant until hives start to get heavier again, or am I wrong?

I just put the 1/2 kilo of fondant over the Porter Escape hole in the crownboard and cover the lump with an old plastic supermarket mushroom container to keep the bees in. It always seems to go all right!

 

[user 6228]

fondant : Note this is on a clear polycarb feeding board under a polycarb crown board.
Put a table spoon of water on/next to the fondant. They are certainly more attracted to it then ... does this have dire consequences? I dont know, I have to leave something upto the bees to decide:
to drink,
eat the dry bit ,
eat the soggy bit