syrup or fondant?

[whoosling]

Confused about different types of feed (as well as nearly everything else) when do you use what? sorry for all the pathetic questions but i'm learning all the time.
Thanks

 

[ma1308]

I would say a good question, I was thing of asking it myself.

 

[Poly Hive]

Condensed version.....

Spring, 1:1 to supply some goodies if the weather is rubbish and also water.

Active season same.

Autumn, 2:1 for storage.

Winter. Fondant as the bees cannot evaporate water in the colder weather, and it also stresses the bees for that reason feeding syrup.

Hope that helps.

PH

 

[Tom Bick]

It can get a bit confusing when to feed 1:1 or 2:1 and fondant.

To me the only one to follow is winter it has to be fondant after that if the bees need feeding as long as they are fed it makes no odds what it is.

I fed my bees with granulated sugar this spring during the 6 weeks of rain they had no problem getting water so I simply pored sugar over the crown boards and they survived and thrived.

PH is correct and you can stimulate growth in the spring with 1:1 and help them prepare for winter with 2:1 but when to feed can become an art form and balancing act and one you will learn in time.

 

[Erichalfbee]

There's always this

 

[MuswellMetro]

I have for the last two years have used Ambrosia inverted syrup which is slightly stronger than 2:1 for winter /autumn feed

i also diluted the ambrosia inverted syrup to 1:1 for a spring pre boost for OSR ...but we had little OSR this year

 

[BeeJayBee]

I know some people who feed only fondant, and some people who only feed syrup in various dilutions. Their bees seem happy enough.

 

[fatshark]

There's always this [Peter Edwards article]

That's exactly what I do ... no syrup to spill, less robbing in my experience and you can keep blocks of fondant for months and use it with almost no preparation. All my hives now have a full block on, together with Apiguard. If they take it down by mid/late November I'll remove the super. If not, I just pack the empty space in the super with bubble wrap and leave them to it.

It's ironic ... it's probably going to be the best weekend weather of the year and there's nothing to do in the apiary

 

[Finman]

.
Syrup feeding is the most natural and most easy winter feeding.

You get sugar from every supermarket. You need not order it of get it far away.

A one box hive sucks winter food in two days. You feed the hive full that they cap the food.

Two box hive feeding takes one week to feed. First you give 15 litres syrup and after a week 8 litres more. And job is done.

So the store is enough next 8 months.

In Finland we cannot use fondant i winter because bees need water to dilute it.
.

 

[Into the lions den]

.
In Finland we cannot use fondant i winter because bees need water to dilute it.
.

I can understand that the extreme cold might be an issue for you with that, but fondant is 82% approx sugars, and 18% water, very similar to honey itself.

In OUR climate in winter the rising heat from the cluster cndenses on the face of the fondant, and the bees eat it from there. In Denmark fondant is primarily a summer food, to keep the bees interested in dearths.

We rarely feed fondant, and have not needed it for four years now, as we find our autumn feed is sufficient to see the bees through till March at least, and many require no feeding until autumn again. Again, the idea you have that we are all into our bees feeding them in the dead of winter is inaccurate, although understandable if you go by the traffic on this forum.

However, when you DO have to feed fondant, you place the lump (maybe 3 or 4Kg, smaller lots are a waste of time and a source of dangerous winter disturbance) inside a polythene bag, and slash one side of it removing a strip of the plastic to expose the fondant inside, then lay this cut strip across the top bars immediately above the bees (not above a feedhole, just directly down onto the topbars). The warm moist air from the cluster enters void as the bees eat it out and this itself is all the water they need.

Bees wintered on nothing but fondant seem to do just about as well as those on nothing but stored syrup. Thus a beekeeper can make their personal choice with no fear that their choice is wrong, just different.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Like myself, and as ITLD will perhaps confirm, a number of 'commercial' honey farmers in the UK solely feed fondant as their Winter feed.

 

[Into the lions den]

Like myself, and as ITLD will perhaps confirm, a number of 'commercial' honey farmers in the UK solely feed fondant as their Winter feed.

Yes indeed. I know of several who use nothing else, beekeepers of all scales. It removes all pressure on timing. (bar being too late and them starving of course)

 

[BILL.HEARD]

I have always fed syrup to my stocks in September, I feed heavy, enough to last them until March/April the following year.
What are the costs involved in buying fondant in bulk against the time/labour of buying sugar and mixing/using syrup. I like to keep a feeder on each of my stocks all year round if any should require a gallon or so.

 

[whoosling]

Ph I always like your answers very to the point and no messing about - many thanks for all the replies I'm about to put some syrup in with the bees and will feed fondant abit later

 

[l2346]

I was a bit late starting syrup feeding this Autumn so am wondering if I can feed Candipolline Gold as the remainder of Autumn feed? Or might the pollen content over-stimulate the bees to produce brood at this time of year?

 

[drstitson]

you are feeding to build up stores. 2:1 syrup (thymolated)

keep the pollen for early spring boost.

 

[Paulf]

Is it too late to still feed 2:1 at what average day temp doyle need to stop ?

 

[Cazza]

Is it too late to still feed 2:1 at what average day temp doyle need to stop ?

No, not too late if it is thymolated. Never thought about exact temps but I would stop when temps go below about 13. daytime.
Cazza

 

[Paulf]

And if not thymolated

 

[Nige.Coll]

i have been told it is ok to feed 2:1 syrup until we get a frost then if feeding is needed you must use fondant.

spring feeding 1:1 syrup or you can feed pollen patties if you want them to get a head start in brood rearing ready for OSR.
as for timing of spring feed i am a little unsure i believe pollen patties are best used about 4 to 6 weeks before OSR flowers.
but i could be wrong