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beesrus

New Bee
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
63
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Location
Stockport
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2 Main, 3 Nucs
Hi all,

As you lovely lot normally have your fingers well and truly on the pulse I should think I am probably not the first to post this.

Tesco are doing a 3 for 2 on 1kg and 0.5 kg Fondant.

Cheers

Beesrus
 
I would not use that..............Sugar, Water, Glucose Syrup, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and Vegetable Oil, Glycerine, Emulsifier (Mono- and Di-glyceirdes of Fatty Acids), Stabiliser (Tragacanth), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Acetate, Acetic Acid), Flavouring.
 
Think hivemaker must have some in the cupboard.

If it's good enough for humans I'm sure it's good enough for bees plus I'm sure thymol and oxalic acid aren't present in food....! Anyway in this product only an acidity regulator and a stabiliser are present which are not that bad, relatively speaking.

£4.28 for 3kg

Beesrus
 
No not got any of that in the cupboard......well not that i know of.

I said i would not use it, others are of course free to feed whatever they wish.
But then i don't consider anything that may be good for a human diet is also good for bee's,and i don't think these little animals could eat such things as humans can,and oxalic i believe you will find in many foods,but i no longer use this myself on bee's.....i have no need to.
Thymol i do use,as i believe any bad effects on bee's would of shown up by now,especially after its been in use in bee feeding for over 70 years,and i've only experianced it to do good.
 
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Sounds expensive anyway.

I make my own from a recipe given by a very old and wise keeper.
 
Oh now I feel like I'm practicing some kind of animal cruelty : ) I may consider making my own then, should I find a spare hour with a tornado of a 15 month old baby!!!
 
Sounds expensive anyway.

I make my own from a recipe given by a very old and wise keeper.

Recipe please... any thing like this one?
1kg sugar + boiled water 250ml + I teaspoon syrup of glucose
stick it in the blender untill motor begins to smoke ?

wrap in clingfilm?
 
Recipe please... any thing like this one?
1kg sugar + boiled water 250ml + I teaspoon syrup of glucose
stick it in the blender untill motor begins to smoke ?

wrap in clingfilm?

Tragacanth E413... harmless food additive made from an Iranian bean tree sap
 
Recipe please... any thing like this one?
1kg sugar + boiled water 250ml + I teaspoon syrup of glucose
stick it in the blender untill motor begins to smoke ?

wrap in clingfilm?

Just the sugar and water, bring up to a boil,stirring all the time, boil for one minute.

Leave in the saucepan and place saucepan in the kitchen sink, filled with cold water. Keep stiring as it cools, it will turn silver grey, pour into empth "Carte Dor" ice cream container.

Leave to solidify

Cut hole in lid, invert and place over the hole in the CB.
 
Here is my successful recipe for what it's worth:

2lbs / 908g Granulated Cane Sugar
3 Gills / 420ml Cold Water
2 teaspoons liquid glucose
Stainless steel saucepan – spotlessly clean
Electric hand beaters

Add sugar to cold water in a cold pan

Heat gently until sugar is dissolved. Avoid stirring if possible, but you will find that the sugar layer at the bottom of the pan prevents the water above from heating, so some light stirring is necessary. Avoid getting crystals of sugar building on the side of the pan, since this may encourage large crystals to form in the fondant.

Run a sink full of cold water and prepare electric beaters for immediate use.

Once sugar is dissolved, add the glucose and bring to a brisk boil.

Use a preheated sugar thermometer to heat to Soft Ball or 240F.

When this temperature is attained plunge the base of the pan into cold water to prevent further heating.

Keep the thermometer in the pan until temperature drops to 110 C.

Then holding the pan in the cold water, use the electric beaters to mix until fondant forms- the clear sugar solution turns white and stiffens. Make sure that there is no contact with the beaters or cable to the water in the sink. Carry on beating until the mixture is cool enough to handle.

You should end up with a smooth paste with no crunchy crystals.

Less water can be used, but this increases the risk of the sugar reaching soft ball temperature before all the crystals have dissolved. The water in the solution prevents the temperature from rising until it is fully evaporated.

The fondant can be mixed using scrapers and spatulas on a marble slab- this is a messy job or using a spoon in a bowl.

Store in a cool place in a plastic bag.

Bon Chance, mes amis
 
Hi Hivemaker
Why don't you use Oxalic acid? I have bought lactic acid to treat my bees in the winter, just did a check on both hives this week and one had a drop of 4 varroa, the other one had none! So feel I probably need to do something!
Thanks
 
I have used oxalic acid in the past,but was not happy with the results.
 
Here's a recipe for candy, from one of our members.
Alan Morley’s bee candy recipe, for winter feeding.
22oz of water (one pint and 4 table spoons), bring to the boil and add
6 lb’s of white sugar slowly and add one tea spoon of cream of tarter. Bring the mixture to the boil and keep boiling fast for HALF A MINUTE ONLY. Leave to cool, and when cloudiness appears stir vigorously and then immediately pour into container(s)- before it begins to set.
It takes no time at all to make, but waiting for the mixture to cool takes longer then all the rest.
It works - I have been using this method for years for emergency winter food.
The cream of tarter I think prevents it setting too hard. If you get it wrong it will set hard like stone and can not be used.
Peter McFadden
www.conwybeekeepers.org.uk
 
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