Cutting fondant

[Sutty]

How about a lawn edging tool - like a flat spade with a half-round sharp flat blade

 

[Newbeeneil]

Let's get back to Rory's problem (or his Dad's) and find a way to chop enough for 100 colonies without slicing or sawing.

Got to be a machine.

If you slice it like I do with the end of the slab cantilevered over the edge of a step the cut opens up and makes it much easier to cut.
A "hot knife" would probably make it even easier.
The problem with a electric saw would be that the fondant would clog the blade.- a horizontal band saw might work if the cut was on the edge of a step.

 

[Sutty]

Or just make sugar bricks as described recently

 

[Newbeeneil]

Or just make sugar bricks as described recently

He has a tonne of fondant already

 

[Darryl]

2.5 kg bags of Fondabee split very easily if required. Use a Stanly Knife to cut throught the polythene bag and fondant below and split by hand. Easy !

..... quarter the block and each quarter fits neatly into a plastic takeaway container.

 

[jimmiestan]

probably not enough to make any difference
Just snake oil for those with more money than sense (or just no sense)

Stop being rude to me and my wife! Do you think [you seem to, from some of your posts] that you know everything? And have you tried the product? We have, sense or not, and it worked for us. Other feeds seemed NOT to work. Do not impugn our sense or intelligence.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

If you slice it like I do with the end of the slab cantilevered over the edge of a step the cut opens up and makes it much easier to cut.
A "hot knife" would probably make it even easier.
The problem with a electric saw would be that the fondant would clog the blade.- a horizontal band saw might work if the cut was on the edge of a step.

I wonder if a 1950s school paper guillotine would work? Without the safety gubbins.

 

[Murox]

I wonder if a 1950s school paper guillotine would work? Without the safety gubbins.

Maybe , though I reckon a hook end clog makers knife would be the bees knees. Mind you a suitably sharpened stainless steel border spade for under a twenty pound note would work wonders as well.

 

[sipa]

If you are trying to cut up 12.5 kg blocks from say Bako, then it's never going to be easy. Proberbly best to put the block on a plywood board on the floor and unwrap. Use a clean stainless steel spade dipped in a bucket of water before taking each slice, wrap and continue.

Seems like an awful lot of work just to save a few quid, better buying the 2.5kg blocks of Fondabee, easy peesy !

 

[madasafish]

Clean serrated bread knife works for me..
The serrations make all the difference vs smooth
Used on old wood bread board.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Yep, I know, pretty common everywhere but that doesn't make it right. Unfortunately average joe beekeeper has little to no nutritional insight and therefore sees the word "protein" and thinks ah that'ts ok then.
Sorry but it isn't. You might thinks it's doing good, but the reverse can be true, even subclinical effects can subsatatially affect performance.

One of the drivers for it's inclusion is that it's relatively cheap and it doesn't require ongoing very expensive processing.

In no way do I condone using eggs in pollen sub. I bought some a number of years ago. Nasty. Stinks from eggs.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Stop being rude to me and my wife! Do you think [you seem to, from some of your posts] that you know everything? And have you tried the product? We have, sense or not, and it worked for us. Other feeds seemed NOT to work. Do not impugn our sense or intelligence.

To be fair it is just coloured fondant, he’s right there.

 

[Sutty]

Does anyone know who makes it?
I'd like to check re ingredients & amounts.

 

[sipa]

Enolapi in Italy

 

[Sutty]

Thank, found them!

• Composition: 9% humidity + 2% Protein hydrolyzate; Total sugars: 89%

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thank, found them!

• Composition: 9% humidity + 2% Protein hydrolyzate; Total sugars: 89%

 

[Erichalfbee]

This is of more use if you need pollen.

 

[drex]

2% protein, also contains 3% pollen. Not a lot of use for raising brood. I will stick with bakers fondant ( if needed) and their own ample pollen stores

 

[rossbyjove]

so is bleaching chicken for human consumption

And the rest.......

 

[Sutty]

I've never tried or seen it, but 2% if by weight would be a lot more by volume.
It would be interesting to put this and fondant on a hive next to each other & see which they take.