Fondant storage

[666bees]

Do bees store it or use it to live on. The reason I'm asking is because my hive is now full of stores and I wonder whether its all just fondant.

Thanks

 

[Hivemaker.]

At this time of year and for feeding in autumn,september/october, they will take it down and store it, just as they would sugar syrup,in winter they just use it as needed.

 

[Andy Coleman]

I think mine stored it - I bought a packet from Paynes, and my WBC took it all between Jan - March, although they had several full frame sof stores. I was a bit paranoid about them starving. When I had my first inspection in the warm spell early March, they were flying well, a good deal of brood in all stages, but pretty packed with stores on a brood & half. I took a frame of stores out and replaced with partially drawn comb, hoping they would expand more quickly. I put a super on last week with some undrawn foundation and about 5 frames drawn (it's all I have), will do a full inspection tomorrow, but peeked in the super this pm and although lots of bees in the super not much more drawing of comb happened yet.
regards Andy

 

[666bees]

Yes I have definately over fed mine so are full of stores, this october will weigh the hive and not feed until it has dropped in weight. This I think is a major problem for new beekeepers. But we only learn from making mistakes. Moved hive and wasn't gentle enough and found the queen dead two days later. Well I now believe it was the moving that killed her. (now will never move in the winter again)

 

[Andy Coleman]

Yes, I'll learn from experience (I hope!). On your comment about moving, I was planning to move mine late Dec/ early Jan, but having had some replies on this forum and taking advice from local beeks from the reigate assoc I decided not to move until early March when they were beginning to fly. The advice was around the stress potentially leading to a nosema attack rather than keeping the Q safe. I'm not sure if moving when the cluster is looser makes it more or less likely for teh Q to be damaged - my move was successful, she's laying well and I've seen her. Perhpas I was lucky ...

 

[Vergilius]

Do bees store it or use it to live on. The reason I'm asking is because my hive is now full of stores and I wonder whether its all just fondant.

Thanks

If your box is completeley full of stores then add another one - switch to brood and a half. If not HM, will have no space and then will b****r off imminently.

But why are you guys on your first winters obsessed with feeding the hive until it is full to bursting?

Where in any book does it say "keep supplying new feed so that the bees do not eat any of their winter stores and come through spring with a box full of stores"? In fact, in most newbee books, it says "winter on a single nat and feed in the autumn" - why don't you listen to what you read!

Next winter try hefting - a waste of money buying all that sugar and fondant if anything else.


Ben P