Feeding Fondant

[Cuttingedge]

What is the preferred method of feeding Fondant to colonies as a means of emergency food? should I place it wrapped in plastic or plastic bag directly on the frames or is it necessary to place it on a queen excluder? This will be my first year using it as a winter feed and will be using it on a lot of Nucleus Hives. Approximately how much should I give to a Nucleus hive that occupies 8-10 frames?

Thank You!

 

[For want of a better word]

Just slice a side out of the 1kg bag and put it on the crownboard above an open feeder hole... take care not to block the hole with the plastic!
put an eke around the fondant and put the insulated roof on top.

Give them a kilo and see how they do with it

Here 8 to 10 frames would be a full brood in a WBC!

Chons da

 

[Karsal]

What is the preferred method of feeding Fondant to colonies as a means of emergency food? should I place it wrapped in plastic or plastic bag directly on the frames or is it necessary to place it on a queen excluder? This will be my first year using it as a winter feed and will be using it on a lot of Nucleus Hives. Approximately how much should I give to a Nucleus hive that occupies 8-10 frames?

Thank You!

Don't use a queen excluder. Follow the instructions of the previous post.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Takeaway containers over hole on cb board or direct on frames with an inch eke...i prefer second method

 

[fatshark]

What is the preferred method of feeding Fondant to colonies as a means of emergency food? should I place it wrapped in plastic or plastic bag directly on the frames or is it necessary to place it on a queen excluder? This will be my first year using it as a winter feed and will be using it on a lot of Nucleus Hives. Approximately how much should I give to a Nucleus hive that occupies 8-10 frames?

Thank You!

Is this 'emergency' feeding or the routine autumn feeding? If the latter they'll need more than a kilogram ... just keep on adding it until they take no more. As Cheers says, if it's for emergency feeding a kg for starters is fine, but be prepared to add more. Try and avoid leaving clingfilm-type plastic wrapped around it as they pull it down into the brood nest and make a mess.

 

[Finman]

.
Better to ask from Michael Palmer. He lives closer Maine than UK forum members.

Why emergency feeding? When?

 

[Cuttingedge]

Is this 'emergency' feeding or the routine autumn feeding? If the latter they'll need more than a kilogram ... just keep on adding it until they take no more. As Cheers says, if it's for emergency feeding a kg for starters is fine, but be prepared to add more. Try and avoid leaving clingfilm-type plastic wrapped around it as they pull it down into the brood nest and make a mess.

I have already fed them syrup this fall to get their weight up but I usually add a candy board or sugar bricks as insurance. I chose to try fondant this year as it is much easier and I got it relatively cheap.

 

[TooBee...]

Yes, I've seen beekeepers managing larger numbers of hives (dozens) place a large sugar block over the brood area (they fill up an eke with wire mesh on the bottom to hold it all in) and leave the colony alone until early spring time (whatever is left, come spring, is turned into syrup). But the general consensus here is that the bees should be checked sometime during winter, and if they need more feed, my understanding is fondant is easier for them to eat than sugar blocks.

The beekeepers that I know in Ireland all add a 1kg bag of fondant on over the centre hole in the Crown Board (can't recall if there was a Queen Excluder under it), it's in a plastic bag, which they cut a hole out of underneath, so the bees can access it. Because our weather can be so wet, cold and windy I believe that the fondant is added by many without lifting the Crown Board up to take a peak - if more fondant is needed, it's added, otherwise it's just left for them to consume into the spring time.

 

[Finman]

Yes, I've seen beekeepers managing larger numbers of hives (dozens) place a large sugar block over the brood area (they fill up an eke with wire mesh on the bottom to hold it all in) and leave the colony alone until early spring time (whatever is left, come spring, is turned into syrup). But the general consensus here is that the bees should be checked sometime during winter, and if they need more feed, my understanding is fondant is easier for them to eat than sugar blocks.

.

If I understand, Maine state's climate is almost as cold as in southern Finland. Snow covers several months the ground. Bees cannot forage water from soil along winter like in UK. So they cannot use fondant or dry sugar as winter food.

Second thing is, what kind of insulations he has in hives = how much food for winter. I have seen advices even to 50 kg stores and 3 langstroth boxes.

I do not give advices to him, because I do not know the basic things on his situation.

Better to go to local beekeeper and ask help for problems. British forum is very wron place to ask advices to Maine.