Feed fondant now?

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clare

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East Devon
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Hi, my bees are getting low on stores. I can't believe how much they have got through! I have some fondant left over, can I feed that now or would I be better with a 1:1 syrup? And how do I judge how much to feed/ when to stop? Thanks, Clare
 
Feed them syrup if they are low on stores. Give them a couple of pints then monitor them. Dont give them too much as it will be stored in the brood limiting laying room.
 
Feed them fondant if they are low on stores.
 
Feed them any form of pure sugar if they are otherwise going to starve - damp sugar on the crownboard with the feed hole open is effective as a stop-gap (emergency).

RAB
 
Thank you! I will go and give them a feast as soon as the rain is not falling hard enough to take your skin off! My main concern is not clogging up a hard pressed brood nest ( brood not stores). I guess I will just have to keep a close eye, which will be a treat as the latest crop are complete beasts,( a new colour too, they have always been dark now they are a bright ginger), but I am excusing them on the grounds of low stores.
 
someone correct me if i am wrong, but is it the case that fondant is less likely to get stored in the comb, therefore not taking up laying space?

According to the Ambrosia bunff feed fondant so as not to "falsify the honey" and I would say this means they don't store it in the combs.

Also, the 'Dane' promoting Ambrosia at Stoneleigh said the same thing, bees only take fondant when they need it.

Hivemaker may be along soon to make a statement on that.
 
For goodness sake, honeybees will not store syrup in 'honey form' when the colony needs cells to expand. Rearing brood is paromount now and we have still a few weeks to go before a colony peaks in number for the season.

Give them 1.5/1 syrup. They'll take it if and when they need it.

Keep that fondant well wrapped in cling-film and use say in late February 'if needed.'
 
For goodness sake, honeybees will not store syrup in 'honey form' when the colony needs cells to expand. Rearing brood is paromount now and we have still a few weeks to go before a colony peaks in number for the season.

Give them 1.5/1 syrup. They'll take it if and when they need it.

Keep that fondant well wrapped in cling-film and use say in late February 'if needed.'

Okay if they are only still in a brood box,or box's,not so good if they have supers on.
No point keeping the fondant until february if thats all you feed,as many do...much better to feed it in september.
 
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With regards to bee's taking fondant down and storing it,yes they do,just the same as honey or syrup..but easier for them in autumn as no water to fan off.
If used in mid winter, then they just use fondant as needed.
Obviously they will take syrup down very fast,so not so easy to remove if a honey flow starts up,unlike fondant which is consumed slower and any remaining fondant can be easily removed from the crown board.

Some extra info about feeding fondant in the link below.

http://www.hertsbees.org.uk/bee_tips/feeding_bees_with_bakers_fo.html
 
I've been told that if you want to keep them going during a low flow patch, without much growth, and without risking them storing feed in the supers, then feed fondant.

If you're looking to stimulate growth, & help wax production, then simulate a flow by feeding 1:1 syrup.

For the last couple of weeks the guys at P***aynes said they've been feeding fondant -both for the reason above, but also because it's much easier when you're running lots of hives ...For my nucs I've hedged my bets and given them both - they haven't complained!
 
What would be the problem with having some sugar syrup in the honey?
 
What would be the problem with having some sugar syrup in the honey?

Technically nothing provided the % is very small, but its not good practice.
The bigger issue is some readers will blindly follow suit without inspecting first and over feed them.
 
Technically nothing provided the % is very small, but its not good practice.
The bigger issue is some readers will blindly follow suit without inspecting first and over feed them.

Thanksnot worthy I can see what you mean by blind following too:rolleyes:
 
Be warned.

Ok if you want to consume it yourself, but if Trading Standards happen to find excessive amounts of sucrose in any honey they test, the supplier might well get a call.....(would you like to pay ten times as much, expecting honey and finding you have been sold sugar? We, unless we test it ourselves, don't know how much sucrose there is in our honey naturally. Trading standards can compare your sample results with other local samples - and if anomalous, alarm bells would ring at Trading Standards. Their forensic needs not to be rocket science, by any means.

Selling adulterated honey likely cost one supplier over a hundred grand a couple years back (I think it was 88 thousand for the fine + costs and then there would have been defence costs on top of that).

Regards, RAB
 
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