royal icing

[laserwill]

Is premixed supermarket royal icing safe to feed to bees. I only have one hive and don't want a kilo of bakers fondant. It contains glycerine. +sucrose and glucose. ??

 

[tony350i]

Is premixed supermarket royal icing safe to feed to bees
-----------------------------------------------------
i can't answer that, but when i only had two hives i made my own, i can't give you my own recipe coz that is a secret but the one below will be OK.

1.

Use 1 part water to 4 parts granulated sugar.
2.

Add 1/4 tsp. per vinegar per pound of sugar.
3.

Bring to boil, stirring constantly until boiling commences.
4.

Boil without stirring for 3 minutes, covered.
5.

Insert thermometer, and boil uncovered until 234F is reached.
6.

Remove from heat, and allow to cool to 200F.
7.

Whip with whisk until whiteness occurs.
8. Pour (QUICKLY!) onto waxed paper having a towel beneath.
9.

Allow to cool undisturbed.
10.

Remove waxed paper, and store each cake in a plastic bag.

 

[Bcrazy]

I think you will find icing sugar is used as a dusting method to knock the varroa mite off the bees and to get the bees to groom each other.
Whenever I collect a swarm I normally run them in on a board into a Nuc, and whilst on the board I dust with icing sugar. The bottom of the Nuc has a thin sheet of perspex covered in petroleum jelly to ensure the mites stick to the jelly and do not clamber back into the nest. Depending on the mite drop this will indicate if treatment before brood is reared is needed.

Regards;

 

[jimbeekeeper]

BCrazy

Laserwill is not refering to icing sugar (powder) but Royal icing, which in my view is basicaly fondant. (becuase I tasted my fondant before I added it to the bees and I had to force myself to stop eating it before I became sick from over sugared)

Leserwill, yes a block of fondant is 12.5Kg but you can pick them up for about ?10, which might be cheaper than buying royal icing.

I just spoke to my local cake makers, he was more than please to add an extra block to his order and just charged me at what it cost him

 

[hedgerow pete]

I use ondinary royal icing pre mix and they dont mind