Fondant as main winter feed

[mbc]

Fondant is fine for keeping bees fed but does a different job to syrup in my opinion, fondant being akin to stored honey whereas syrup can imitate a flow which triggers a whole new set of responses from the bees; cleaning brood cells, ramping up feeding of the queen, building wax, recruiting new foragers etc, all worth remembering imho

 

[BMH]

That's a good point.

I wouldn't be using it for any stimulative purposes.

I have been using ultra bee patties from feb/March for early build up and it's worked well. I still leave the fondant on but place the patties alongside

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[SDM]

That's a good point.

I wouldn't be using it for any stimulative purposes.

I have been using ultra bee patties from feb/March for early build up and it's worked well. I still leave the fondant on but place the patties alongside

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It has more effect on spring build up if used now according to Randy Oliver.

 

[Finman]

.
In my country we cannot use fondant as winter food. Bees are in the hive all the time from Oktober to Marsh, 5-6 months. They cannot come out and they cannot get drinking water outside. IT it imagination that they drink in the hive condensation water. So they cannot dilute during winter sugar.

Syrup is only alternative to feed colonies.
.

 

[Finman]

It has more effect on spring build up if used now according to Randy Oliver.

Remember, Randy Oliver is in California and they have often 25C in December. Almond pollination starts in February, or is it January.
.

 

[BMH]

It has more effect on spring build up if used now according to Randy Oliver.

Hmm, thats interesting.

I suspect because of stimulating late brood growth directly impacts the size of the cluster and therefore the ability to create more brood in worse early spring conditions?

Is that the logic?

Do you feed patties or dry feeder?

 

[Finman]

Hmm, thats interesting.

I suspect because of stimulating late brood growth directly impacts the size of the cluster ?

Germans have researched, that if you stimulate late brood growth, the winter cluster will be same size as without stimulating.

Those bees which feed larvae, will not survive in winter cluster. They are not physically winterbees.

 

[BMH]

Germans have researched, that if you stimulate late brood growth, the winter cluster will be same size as without stimulating.

Those bees which feed larvae, will not survive in winter cluster. They are not physically winterbees.

I wonder why its been shown to improve spring build up by feeding in the Autumn then? Anyone got a link to the research?

 

[Finman]

I wonder why its been shown to improve spring build up by feeding in the Autumn then? Anyone got a link to the research?

To make winter bees or normal bees, it it different thing.

Winterbees live 9 months if needed.

To get good winter bees, hive needs good pollen stores.

 

[Ian123]

Hmm, thats interesting.

I suspect because of stimulating late brood growth directly impacts the size of the cluster and therefore the ability to create more brood in worse early spring conditions?

Is that the logic?

Do you feed patties or dry feeder?

Makes sense to me whilst I don’t have any research to back up I can give some personal experience. I’ve overwintered many nucs and find there is a direct correlation to the areas and late forage they have access to. Those boardering heathland/heather and it’s accompanying wood that also supports a good bit of ivy in my area tend to be far ahead of those in more general areas. Both in terms of numbers of bees in the box and subsequent speed of spring build up. I put this down to late supply of both nectar and more importantly pollen providing well fed healthy winter bees and a prolonging the brood rearing as long as possible

 

[MichaelB]

Thinking of trying this out this year.

I can get 12.5kg blocks for £7.80, not really that much more expensive than sugar. Ok it is, when you take into account I am paying for water, but i hate making up syrup and feeding as some of my colonies are rather inaccessible.

I know they take it down when its warm as ive had colonies with it on all year and they have been hammering it.,

Plan is to use a half 12.5kg block per colony on top of a QE with either a poly super or upturned feeder on top.

Anybody else do this?

Have you a link ? best price I can find at Bako is £16
Thanks

 

[BMH]

Bako dont do cheap online prices.

You need to ring your local rep and be nice!



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[MichaelB]

O.k.
I'll give that a try,
Thanks for the tip.

 

[SDM]

Hmm, thats interesting.

I suspect because of stimulating late brood growth directly impacts the size of the cluster and therefore the ability to create more brood in worse early spring conditions?

Is that the logic?

Do you feed patties or dry feeder?

Yes, bigger into winter means bigger out of winter and it's the quantity of brood your bees can cover in spring that's the biggest influence on expansion rate.
I'm dry feeding. To be honest I'm a bit surprised how attractive it is to them.

 

[Finman]

.
In Australia beekeepers made a research, can they feed bees in Winter and strengten colonies for early crop canola.

Answer was no. Bees got bad nosema and they were in worse condition than normally over wintered colonies.