Fondant or syrup?

[Zante]

What's the difference between feeding fondant and feeding syrup when you have to feed your bees?
Are they just alternatives, or is there a difference in circumstances when the use of one is better than the use of the other? What would these circumstances be?

 

[snelgrove]

Normally fondant is fed during winter and syrup is fed when the weather is warm enough usually March to October.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Or patties .... Ultrabee

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or patties .... Ultrabee

save your money and buy baker's fondant. read ITTLD's latest posts on this
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36105
Much cheaper and does the same job - all the additives and magic ingredients are just snake oil.

The norm is to feed 1:1 sugar syrup in spring to simulate the bees by making them think there's a nectar flow on - 1:1 syrup can also be used if the bees need 'instant food' (not for storing) in the autumn beekeepers tend to feed 2:1 syrup (lower water content) so the bees have less work to reduce the water content further.f course we can also talk about invert syrup, but let's not cloud the issue
In the winter, if the bees are short of stores it is safer to feed fondant as a higher water content in syrup may cause dysentry (they may also store some but being too cold to reduce the water content it may ferment or grow mould and cause further problems) Bees are also reluctant to move up to the relative cold of a syrup feeder.
The beauty of fondant as well is it can just sit there until needed and can, if needed be flattened out and put directly on to the frame top bars.

 

[Zante]

Ok, talking about syrup, could one use the golden syrup that comes in tins?
You know, the stuff to make fruit cakes.
Probably more expensive than making syrup with sugar, but just for argument's sake.

 

[Zante]

Ah, yes, patties, aren't those to feed pollen? Or am I thinking of something else?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Ok, talking about syrup, could one use the golden syrup that comes in tins?

errm no, I wouldn't risk it - that stuff is in betweeney - same as brown sugar - people think it's better - for us maybe, not for the bees, can contain a lot of impurities that could be harmful for them so it's better to stick with bog standard white grain sugar. And before someone pipes in with the old chestnut, there is not a single jot of difference between cane and beet sugar - it's been processed, it's identical and the whole beet is bad thing was just a protectionism ploy before the war to make people buy cane sugar from the colonies not beet from jonny foreigner; Even ROB Manley makes that point in Beekeeping in Britain' published in 1947 (a good read even now once you've digested the purely instructional books which you should tackle such as Hooper and de Bruyn)
as you rightly also point out, it's more expensive, and even as a keeper of a couple of hives you will need gallons of syrup.
1:1 'thin' syrup - more or less 50/50 sugar water ratio (no need to be too accurate, the bees don't seem to mind
or the 'thicker' syrup 2:1 (now we get the deabtes rolling - more fun than angels dancing on the point of a needle) a rough ratio of two sugar to one water.

Ah, yes, patties, aren't those to feed pollen? Or am I thinking of something else?

it's a pollen substitute, but you'd be extremely unlucky if you need it - there is an abundance of early natural pollen here in the UK (snowdrop, crocus,hazel,willow to name but a few) so they shouldn't need a supplement made of flour and chip fat

 

[Honeybeeco]

.

it's a pollen substitute, but you'd be extremely unlucky if you need it - there is an abundance of early natural pollen here in the UK (snowdrop, crocus,hazel,willow to name but a few) so they shouldn't need a supplement made of flour and chip fat

Is that what all pollen patties sold are made from JBM? If so, I don't know how legitimate companies can honestly sell such a thing if it's true and so across the board as your comment implies. Trading standards would / should be told about it and step in there if your right to stop beekeepers from being ripped off.

Phew, thanks for rising that JBM.

 

[Zante]

Is that what all pollen patties sold are made from JBM? If so, I don't know how legitimate companies can honestly sell such a thing if it's true and so across the board as your comment implies. Trading standards would / should be told about it and step in there if your right to stop beekeepers from being ripped off.

Phew, thanks for rising that JBM.

From what I understand they're made from soy flour and spray dried yeast. I don't know what's used as a binding agent.
Also, they're not supposed to replace pollen, but dilute the use of pollen stores.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

regardless - pretty pointless waste of money really.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Ok, talking about syrup, could one use the golden syrup that comes in tins?

I would have automatically said you shouldn't, because the heating to concentrate the sugar syrup and turn it golden would likely raise HMF levels, but your comment nudged my memory. You may be interested in what ITLD had to say in this thread from a few years ago.
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21088

So it's almost a case of you pays your money and makes your choice. White sugar is cheaper than golden syrup, so my choice is easy to make!

 

[Zante]

Thank you, that was an interesting read.

 

[user 6228]

Taking a dilute sugar solution and then storing it takes a lot of energy and needs elevated temperatures in the hive. So unless you have a very well insulated hive it is probably best not to feed syrup when the temperature are low.

 

[Poly Hive]

It is possible to mix sugar with cold water. I used to use a single tub washing machine and that was very effective.

AT this time and with the low temps here I would not even be thinking about syrup. I am making fondant to top up the nucs tomorrow.

PH