When do you put fondant on

[MuswellMetro]

Just quick survey to see when most of you add fondant or damp granulated sugar

 

[Heather]

Normally well into Feb, but this winter had to add late Dec as too late for syrup and they were getting light although each hive had had about 1-1.1/2 gall.

Another member of the Div bawled me out for using so early but I felt necessary. We will see how many losses . So far all 13 seem viable.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Put it on fairly early this winter as I knew the bees hadn't taken that much syrup down in the autumn - only two hives making any substantial inroads at the moment though

 

[oliver90owner]

The options are fairly good, but,...

1) I rarely need to add fondant. A sensible approach to over-wintering!

2) September - it is likely taken down and stored, so not really what the thread is about
?

3) Beekeeping is not something to be done around set dates!

4) Pointless for those that do not do oxalic.

5) and 6) Always when required; who knows when that is?

7) too late for fondant - they will be brooding.

8) They are always getting lighter, every time I might heft - unless the colony is dead!

9) The only sensible answer in my book - otherwise expressed as 'when they need it', although if they were to be 'light' in, say, January there is little point in waiting any longer as it is fairly inevitable they will get to the very light stage in another month of winter, is there?

10) Ha ha.

-------------------------

So where is the simple option of 'if and when they need it'? Common sense, not dogma required, as usual.

RAB

 

[victor meldrew]

Used to be said ( pre OA)that feeding candy was the fall back for the guy unsure of the stores situation which the good bee keeper should have ensured in Autumn!
VM
Don't shoot the messenger!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ian Howorth]

The options are fairly good, but,...

1) I rarely need to add fondant. A sensible approach to over-wintering!

2) September - it is likely taken down and stored, so not really what the thread is about
?

3) Beekeeping is not something to be done around set dates!

4) Pointless for those that do not do oxalic.

5) and 6) Always when required; who knows when that is?

7) too late for fondant - they will be brooding.

8) They are always getting lighter, every time I might heft - unless the colony is dead!

9) The only sensible answer in my book - otherwise expressed as 'when they need it', although if they were to be 'light' in, say, January there is little point in waiting any longer as it is fairly inevitable they will get to the very light stage in another month of winter, is there?

10) Ha ha.

-------------------------

So where is the simple option of 'if and when they need it'? Common sense, not dogma required, as usual.

RAB

Being a second season beekeeper I asked my mentor when to change to fondant as the syrup wernt going down. I was told that when it becomes to cold to process the syrup put on the fondant.
So I put mine on in mid Dec.

Ian.

 

[Into the lions den]

Difficult one to answer..........have not used any fondant at all for four years now.

But..........our rule was to put fondant on when the cluster reached the topbars, which means there as no specific date. Thus the nearest answer was 'very light when hefted'. Adequate pre winter feeding sorts out the need to use fondant, and minimises winter disturbance.

 

[oliver90owner]

I was told that when it becomes to cold to process the syrup put on the fondant.

There is a subtle difference between getting autumn feeding right and having to change tack because you got it wrong. Feeding syrup for winter should be finished normally by the end of October, maybe into November (depending on the weather). Trying to feed syrup to mid-December is not the usual action of an experienced beek.

The ideal is that the box(es) are filled with stores (from nectar, syrup or fondant) by the end of the autumn and the bees are left in peace for the duration of the winter. None of this 'continued interference' throughout the winter. Think about it - that is what bees have done for millenia; if they got it wrong, for whatever reason, they were no longer in the gene pool.

So you clearly got the correct answer (from your mentor) to your question. Either you did not appreciate the subtlety of the answer or simply did not ask the right question or in the right context. It happens a lot.

RAB

 

[Ian Howorth]

I was told that when it becomes to cold to process the syrup put on the fondant.

There is a subtle difference between getting autumn feeding right and having to change tack because you got it wrong. Feeding syrup for winter should be finished normally by the end of October, maybe into November (depending on the weather). Trying to feed syrup to mid-December is not the usual action of an experienced beek.

The ideal is that the box(es) are filled with stores (from nectar, syrup or fondant) by the end of the autumn and the bees are left in peace for the duration of the winter. None of this 'continued interference' throughout the winter. Think about it - that is what bees have done for millenia; if they got it wrong, for whatever reason, they were no longer in the gene pool.

So you clearly got the correct answer (from your mentor) to your question. Either you did not appreciate the subtlety of the answer or simply did not ask the right question or in the right context. It happens a lot.

RAB

Thanks for that, being new at beekeeping it helps to cherry pick advice.