Feeding with fondant

[BernardBlack]

So, in a nutshell...

Cut a hole in fondant bag, position over crown board hole, and let the bees get on with it?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If you need to feed, yes.
Word of advice though - by the reference to 'fondant bag' your are obviously paying through the nose for sugar paste with maybe a sprinkling of fairy dust and some colour to tart it up then packaged with a fancy name. Just buy a 12.5 kilo of baker's fondant (ask your friendly local baker to help you out here) cut a chunk off, put it into a plastic takeaway container and invert that over the hole.
Save yourself a fortune

 

[BeeJayBee]

I agree with JBM about using bakers fondant rather than something from a beekeeping supplier. It's cheaper and does the same job. Don't buy 'fondant icing', it is not the same.

I put fondant on top of a queen excluder* and below the crown board, some people put it directly on the top bars whilst others do the same as you've suggested. The choice is yours to make, the bees won't mind too much as long as they can reach the fondant when temperatures drop.

*My queen excluders stay on the brood box even when supers have been removed, it makes storage easier and I know the queen is unlikely to fly away when I open a colony. It's my choice, not something every beekeeper likes to do.

 

[masterBK]

If you feed them enough syrup in september to last til april then no need to top up with fondant. Only had to feed fondant twice (to a few hives that ate all their stores in late february- early march) in 57 years. I do however buy fondant every year for the 20 Apideas I use to get my queens mated.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I don't think there is anything wrong in beginners putting on fondant as insurance. Estimating the bees' stores is not easy when you first start. Better to throw away unused fondant than throw away dead bees

 

[Millet]

I don't think there is anything wrong in beginners putting on fondant as insurance. Estimating the bees' stores is not easy when you first start. Better to throw away unused fondant than throw away dead bees

From my limited experience that is what i would be doing if i was unsure of hive weights.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don't think there is anything wrong in beginners putting on fondant as insurance. Estimating the bees' stores is not easy when you first start. Better to throw away unused fondant than throw away dead bees

 

[Webby]

I don't think there is anything wrong in beginners putting on fondant as insurance. Estimating the bees' stores is not easy when you first start. Better to throw away unused fondant than throw away dead bees

I have fondant on as I'm a newbie and only have one hive so it's no big deal to buy some. I also have a Chinese takeaway container full over the crownboard hole like JBM

 

[BernardBlack]

I don't think there is anything wrong in beginners putting on fondant as insurance. Estimating the bees' stores is not easy when you first start. Better to throw away unused fondant than throw away dead bees

Thats my position, so that's good enough for me!

 

[Helstoon]

I have only been keeping bees for about 5 years and I always put a bag of fondant on at Christmas as a bit of insurance just in case stores are getting low, for the cost it's not worth not doing it.

 

[Goran]

At my place is considered when brood start, then or a while later first fondants as encouraging and maintaining of brooding. Before that peace is most important at apiary ( which I interrupt with OA treatment).

 

[wavey100]

Feeding fondant

I Always use fondant on anything that feels a little light a12.5kg block of fondant usually works out about a £1 a kilogram which is nothing to ensure your bees are going to make it I cut the block into 10 pieces wth a stainless steel spade and place the blocks in poly bags and place directly on the cluster . Food is never wasted and you only get out of your stocks what you put into them !!