I gave some fondant in one of the plastic containers over one of the holes in the crownboard and they've eaten it all. I want to replace it but how do I get the bees out - do I wait till they go back down of their own accord and use the other hole or is there some "magic trick"?
Thanks.
The 'Magic Trick' is something called plastic sheet - the ideal stuff being about the same thickness/stiffness as the old X-Ray films used to be. These days, the top of a 2 Litre Tesco's ice cream carton is about the same.
I have four 2" diameter holes in each of my hive crown boards, and two over each nuc. Over these holes I place inverted jars of syrup, fondant (with slashed cling film instead of the perforated lid), or damp sugar (allowed to go hard) - depending upon the season and feeding needs.
Over the jars are placed 3 or 4" of expanded polystyrene, so that the temperature of the jar contents is more-or-less equal to that of the upper part of the hive. The bees crowd under the jars without any problem, such that there is no longer any need to open the hive to place anything onto the top bars. I have achieved 100% overwintering success over the last 3 years whilst using this system.
When it comes time to replace the syrup jars, I simply slide a piece of stiff plastic film under the jar, place a coin on top of the film while I re-fill the jar, then install the jar and slide the plastic film away to one side.
With sugar or fondant, I slide the stiff plastic under the empty jar, replace it, and - with fondant - strip off the cling film near the hive entrance to allow the bees to re-enter.
If it's cold, then I use two sheets of plastic - one to seal the crown board hole (with coin on top) - the other to seal the container. I then place the container over the hive entrance, and slide away the plastic. If it's cold, then the girls very quickly dive back into their hive.
LJ
