fondant melting.

[biglongdarren]

checked the fondant today and in one of my hives its melting a bit, and running out and under the container onto the crown board...i dont think its running down into the hive,there is also a few bees laying stuck in it...will they mould in the fondant or do anything til it if left in there?....i hive three hives and two are feed with chinese clear plasic containter thingies,the one that is melting is a plastic foxes biscuit selection box with clear plastic over the top so i can see into it to see how much they are taking,i give them a bigger container because they were going through it alot quicker than the other two.

 

[Hombre]

In ages past, bees were fed amber. a few bee keepers of the day noticed that some amber was a bit soft and a few bees got stuck in it. Did they become mouldy, Hell no. The rest is ancient history . . . <<Joke>>

Did you try those chocolate ants in the sixties? Now's your chance to sample crystalised honey bees.<<Joke>>

If the bees are clearing it up before it can drip down between the frames, then there is little real problem. You could always let the bees into the roof space to clear up the mess, but if you do so, keep an eye out for them wanting to make wild comb there. The other option is to clean up the mess on the crown board later. Aren't you glad that you didn't plonk it directly on the top bars this time?

 

[biglongdarren]

yea they have a bit to eat yet in it so hopefull y by the time they have it ate i'll let them clear up the muck that i made;o)..there was some bees stuck in it and still moving,i so wanted to mount a rescue mission but then i caught myself on..how come its melting in one hive and not the rest?

 

[DorsetB]

"how come its melting in one hive and not the rest?"

I use clear plastic tubs with a 20mm hole drilled in, into which I put a plastic conduit gland, which allows the bees into the tub, but as it is partially covering the crown board hole, also allows warm moist air into the tub, and thus keeps the fondant "workable" and not hard and cristallised.

My personal experience is that the "most melted" fondant is usually caused by the most populated hive (=more heat).

... so the ones I worry about the most at this time of year are the ones with the "least melted" fondant, because they will be the smallest colony (or the ones which have shrunk the most over winter).

I invariably find that when the time comes for my first spring inspection, the correlation is 100% between fondant gooiness and colony size.

 

[Hombre]

I want bigger colonies, so I'll just make my fondant softer . . .

If the stuck bees are moving OK, then perhaps their sisters will slurp them clean.

Had a bee land on my glove on Friday when popping a bag of fondant on the top bars. It was made a bit soft (expecting a big colony ). The knife that I had used to cut the zip lock bag had soft fondant on the blade. Presented to miss Bee, her jaws opened and the proboscis was out like a flick knife hoovering up the blade.

Nice to see an appreciative face.

 

[Arfermo]

Biglong darren,

As I have said many times, there is only solution and that is to first anticipate problems with melting fondant and then to deal with it. I make shallow ekes (simple enough to do with spare bit of timber most people have tucked away) deep enough for the lid of an ice cream carton with a modest lump of fondant on it on top of the frames. Then stick the CB on top with a small piece of glass over the holes in the CB through which I can see how the fondant is going without opening the hive. What can be simpler? Time and time again I draw beeks attention to the risk of the warmth from the cluster melting fondant daubed in a lump on top of the frames or the CB and the same questions keep being raised when fondant melts and drips everywhere - even down through to the OMF and beyond.