Fondant feeding on queen excluder

[chrisg]

Hi,
Can someone advise a beginner?

Had fondant on since Nov/Dec.
Currently wrapped up in plastic it was supplied in with slits/holes in for bees to access. However, this is the question.

Currently it is placed on top of queen excluder!!!
Should the queen excluder still be on? Does it matter?

Bees are active, saw many flying in and out over weekend
Also evidence of much uncappings so must be feeding on hive stores!

worry, worry, worry

 

[wightbees]

I think the Q E should be taken out.
And depending what it's doing in there quicker rather than latter.
Queen can get left under the QE.

 

[Rosti]

You'll get loads of variant answers to this. Heather and I have had just such a debate on another thread. Heather will agree with wightbees.

I think you should remove (cut away) the wrapping from one side of the fondant package. Place it directly on the QE and then make sure that the rest of the QE is covered up. The remaining 5 sides of the package will stop the non-contact surfaces from drying up. The girls should remain on the combs venturing up through the QE to gather fondant and return to the wintering ball - or quite possible the whole ball might move up to be located directly under the QE but in conti8nual contact with the fondant. Either ay you are maintaining spatial control of your queen - as you should. QEs are great at spreading the load of a heavy fondant block whilst maintaining as easy and access, as close as possible to the frame tops. R

 

[Foxylad]

Feeding on top of a QE.

http://www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/PENotes/Fondant.htm

 

[Poly Hive]

Now on my 2nd winter feeding fondant and I found again this year an issue.

I have put the fondant directly on the top bars, and of course it has stuck.

Not handy for moving it to do oxalic.

So. Next year I will be using an excluder to avoid this issue.

Just my thought.

PH

 

[Vergilius]

Chrisg,

Not quite sure about your config here...

Why not just put the fondant over the feed hole in the CB???


Ben P

PS I doubt the cluster will move completely into the fondant eke so I wouldn't worry too much about HM getting stuck below the QE...

 

[Hombre]

If the fondant has cling film under it, then putting it on top of the top bars is an option, with the cf slashed to allow access, but keeping the fondant from flowing between or sticking to the bars big time.

With a full face of fondant downwards, a Queen Excluder minimises the flow of fondant and allows it to be conveniently lifted out of the way for OA trickling.

Fondant plopped on the round feed hole (or Butler escape holes - to a lesser extent) can flow through onto the top bars, but is at least restrained somewhat.

So several different configurations with a variety of merits. Surely enough permutations to satisfy us all one way or another.

Digging foundation off the top bars in the spring because of a lack of Qx, cling film or appetite from the bees is a real p1sser if you have a lot of colonies to clean up in a nice hot sheltered apiary and the bees are getting angry.

 

[Arfermo]

Chrisg,

Not quite sure about your config here...

Why not just put the fondant over the feed hole in the CB???


Ben P

PS I doubt the cluster will move completely into the fondant eke so I wouldn't worry too much about HM getting stuck below the QE...

Don't you think the warmth from the cluster will tend to make the fondant run and plaster everything below with a lot of it dripping right down through the OMF even? Bit daft IMHO when a shallow aluminium tray within a shallow eke or on some aly foil under will save the potential for a real mess and waste.

 

[Vergilius]

Don't you think the warmth from the cluster will tend to make the fondant run and plaster everything below with a lot of it dripping right down through the OMF even? Bit daft IMHO when a shallow aluminium tray within a shallow eke or on some aly foil under will save the potential for a real mess and waste.

??? The fondant is in a bag... The bees have to enter the bag to get the fondant... There is no "dripping".

Ben P

 

[Hombre]

??? The fondant is in a bag... The bees have to enter the bag to get the fondant... There is no "dripping".

Ben P

Bees in a bag - are you thinking of package bees then Ben? Novel self packing bees. LoL

 

[Poly Hive]

Oddly, fondant only drips on to combs where the bees are dead.

In live colonies the heat appears to be sufficient to keep it firm.

Just my observations from some 70 overwinterings over the last two years.

PH

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Oddly, fondant only drips on to combs where the bees are dead.

In live colonies the heat appears to be sufficient to keep it firm.

Just my observations from some 70 overwinterings over the last two years.

PH

Not doubting PH, but doesnt that seem odd - wouldnt you expect the warmth (and I guess humidity) to have the opposite effect?

 

[Arfermo]

Oddly, fondant only drips on to combs where the bees are dead.

In live colonies the heat appears to be sufficient to keep it firm.

Just my observations from some 70 overwinterings over the last two years.

PH

Wrong!! Emphatically wrong.

 

[Arfermo]

??? The fondant is in a bag... The bees have to enter the bag to get the fondant... There is no "dripping".

Ben P

You don't need to put a whole bag on all at once for goodness sake. They might not take any of it let alone the whole lot!!! Bit by bit make more sense.

 

[RoofTops]

I suspect with a live colony as the fondant softens with moisture drawn from the air the bees eat it up. This may explain PH's observation that fondant only drips in dead colonies - no bees to eat the fondant as it sinks down.

 

[Poly Hive]

Please do not tell me I am blind Arfermo. I object to that.

I am reporting what I am seeing.

PH

 

[Storm™]

Please do not tell me I am blind Arfermo. I object to that.

I am reporting what I am seeing.

PH

Afermo - Hi btw, the reason they are putting it all on at once is to reduce the amount the hive is opened in bitterly cold temperatures and therefore helping the bees maintain cluster temperature. By loading it up you also ensure the bees have enough until the next inspection. Which given the weather will be very reduced.

Sugar - when damp, clusters, crystallises and hardens to almost granite consistency. Anyone who doubts that has never lived in a damp cottage and had a sugar bowl. I have and you have to chisel it off with a bleedin knife. My old cottage used to be 95% humidity at best. Nails rusted in the walls, boot strap clips rusted on shoes and the TV stand also had a lovely reddish tinge to it. We used to keep orchids thats how I know what the moisture level was. Warmth plus moisture causes sugar products to go very hard. Lost of moisture to the point where its wet and cold causes it to liquefy and harden if it warms up, unless it warms up it will not harden and therefore will drip. Poly is right.

 

[Hivemaker.]

No problem with fondant dripping on bee's,i fed fondant and fondant only to bee's for eight years,straight on top of queen excluders,crown boards,whole blocks,half blocks ect,straight out of the box, fondant just coverd on top with the blue wrapping,no problem......so add a few thousand more observations.
Peter Edwards does the same,with no problems either...

http://www.stratford-upon-avon.freeserve.co.uk/PENotes/Fondant.htm

 

[Poly Hive]

Thanks for the support.

Next time I am at the bees if I remember I will take the camera and show the dripping on a dead out.

PH