fondant how much is too much

[Chorlton Honey Bees]

My girls are taking 8 oz fondant from the crown board in 5 days, so how much is to much.do we keep feeding or the bees store it like a hamster.just thinking are the cells going to be full before HM starts laying im on single broad,ive hefted and the hive dont feel low on stores your thoughts thanks in advance.

 

[REDWOOD]

Difficult question to answer as there are so many variables, hefting the hive is the only way of knowing if they have enough stores but if they are quick enough to take it it will to keep feeding, if in the spring you find that frames are full of stores then remove and store and give a fresh frame of foundation or comb. The old frame can be used to feed back to the bees or for making up a nuc. Next autumn try and get used to hefting hives when they are full


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[REDWOOD]

Should have mentioned that if they start making comb in the fondant containers the bees are looking for somewhere to put the fondant and the hives are usually full



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[Little John]

My girls are taking 8 oz fondant from the crown board in 5 days, so how much is to much.do we keep feeding or the bees store it like a hamster.

I don't know if my experience is typical, but I place a small jar (ramekin or similar) over a hole in the Crown Board on all my hives, to act as a 'fuel gauge'. In practice, as long as the girls have honey stores, they won't touch it - so - if I see the fondant is being consumed, then I know that their stores are either depleted, or getting very low. Then, come spring, I take the remaining fondant off and recycle it.

So, based on my experience - which is limited to the above - I'd say if your bees are consuming fondant, then they probably need it.

I do have one colony at the moment who - unlike the others - are digging into their fondant, so I'll probably give them a pint jar of damp-set crystallised sugar to work on - as they can easily source water under our present weather conditions with which to dissolve it.
LJ

 

[oliver90owner]

If the bees have found the fondant (are in the close vicinity to the feed hole) they will take fondant in preference to honey for clustering energy. Fondant has a higher energy value than honey.

 

[Eyeman]

I've got fondant on all my nucs as insurance. They are only just starting to take it.
I wouldn't worry about a half pound of fondant clogging up your brood frames at this time of year. Once a good flow starts in spring mine ignore any fondant and I 'm usually taking off what's left of the fondant at the first inspection. If the brood nest is congested with stores then simply swap some stores with empty drawn comb-something I need to do every year.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Some of us are changing to pollen patties soon

 

[Little John]

If the bees have found the fondant (are in the close vicinity to the feed hole) they will take fondant in preference to honey for clustering energy. Fondant has a higher energy value than honey.

My experience suggests otherwise. They all know where the fondant is - because I put a dab of honey on it when it's first placed on the Crown Board - and I've checked several afterwards to find that the honey's gone. Fondant may well have a higher energy value that honey (can the bees work that out ?) - but it doesn't smell or taste like honey ... which is the real thing, and I'd suggest is all they have to go on when comparing stores.
LJ

 

[madasafish]

Some of us are changing to pollen patties soon

Some of us have changed already..

 

[drex]

My experience suggests otherwise. They all know where the fondant is - because I put a dab of honey on it when it's first placed on the Crown Board - and I've checked several afterwards to find that the honey's gone. Fondant may well have a higher energy value that honey (can the bees work that out ?) - but it doesn't smell or taste like honey ... which is the real thing, and I'd suggest is all they have to go on when comparing stores.
LJ

When foraging they will choose plants with higher sugar content in the nectar, over plants with a lower content. So yes they can tell. Never daub my fondant with honey and they have no trouble finding it. Guess my bees are just gluttons!

 

[Finman]

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Open the hive and look how much it has stores.

Difficult to rear brood if box is full of Sugar. But you can take extra Sugar frames off.

Main thing is that the beekeeper is happy!

Day temps are 10C in Manchester. Bees cannot fly in that weather and gather pollen. Actually they cannot start brood rearing without patty in those weathers.
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[Little John]

When foraging they will choose plants with higher sugar content in the nectar, over plants with a lower content. So yes they can tell. Never daub my fondant with honey and they have no trouble finding it. Guess my bees are just gluttons!

Sure, when comparing like with like - that makes complete sense - but - fondant is similar to syrup in that it has no taste (other than 'sweet') or smell.

When there's nectar to be had - do bees scoff the syrup, even though it will have a very much higher calorific value ? Not on your life !

That suggests to me that it's the relative concentrations of 'whatever it is that they sense' (the minerals perhaps ?) that's the underlying rationale behind their choice, rather than simply the calorific values.
LJ

 

[Finman]

I wouldn't worry about a half pound of fondant clogging up your brood frames at this time of year.
]

When I feed pollen patty, they use to eate it one pound per week.
. But as said, sugar feeding does not help brood rearing on early spring.

Bees must carry lots of water from outside when they dilute the fondant.

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[Heather]

Checked one hive which I cut out of a barn floor last September. I knew I needed to replace all the 9 frames that had rubber bands holding the old comb which was not evenly spaced in the hive. Black and distorted wax. Fondant half used.
Only just gone over 10d here but there are 2 frames with new brood and a robust looking queen. Only 3-4 frames bees so I have given all new foundation except the 2 with brood, but reduced the bees to a 6 frame Nuc and given 4pt syrup. So bees down here getting cracking... Hope the warmer weather lasts.

 

[SDM]

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Open the hive and look how much it has stores.

Difficult to rear brood if box is full of Sugar. But you can take extra Sugar frames off.

Main thing is that the beekeeper is happy!

Day temps are 10C in Manchester. Bees cannot fly in that weather and gather pollen. Actually they cannot start brood rearing without patty in those weathers.
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Beg to differ and I've a bunch of nucs on a full 6 frames who've been bringing in gorse pollen in drizzle and anything above 7°c all winter.

 

[oliver90owner]

When there's nectar to be had

That is when bees will be brooding. Bees need lots of water for lots of brood. Bees are more clever than quite a lot of beekeepers. Like they would not convert nectar to honey, while consuming other honey.

They only make honey when there is a surplus of nectar. Likewise they certainly consume honey when nectar foraging is insufficient for their needs. But if brooding, they would, under those circumstances still need extra water - or if the situation demands, they will turf out brood.

 

[Vortex]

I was given the impression that bees don't store fondant, they just use it directly. As far as I've been able to judge over the last couple of years that has been the case, and they will often ignore the fondant if there's a decent nectar source near by.

 

[Eyeman]

Vortex

I was given the impression that bees don't store fondant, they just use it directly. As far as I've been able to judge over the last couple of years that has been the case, and they will often ignore the fondant if there's a decent nectar source near by.
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Bees will store fondant if given as a late summer / autumn feed. During cold periods especially when bees are clustering then they will consume it in the same way are honey.

 

[Finman]

Beg to differ and I've a bunch of nucs on a full 6 frames who've been bringing in gorse pollen in drizzle and anything above 7°c all winter.

A day dream...

. I have here bad weathers too and I know what they do in 7 C temp. Just kill themselves when they go out.

Flying in drizzle... Bees must be very thirsty when they feed larvae

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