Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Shep1478 on January 18, 2011, 09:18:48 PM

Title: Using Fondant??
Post by: Shep1478 on January 18, 2011, 09:18:48 PM
I just realized that our Pastry Chef always has left over Fondant from the different things she makes.

Is Fondant something I could place in the hive during this time of year on a piece of wax paper on top of the frames?   :-\
Title: Re: Using Fondant??
Post by: BjornBee on January 18, 2011, 09:28:51 PM
Just make sure the ingredients are not more than sugar, HFCS and water.

Here is some on feeding fondant....

http://www.bjornapiaries.com/feedingoptions.html (http://www.bjornapiaries.com/feedingoptions.html)
Title: Re: Using Fondant??
Post by: Cascadebee on January 19, 2011, 06:12:46 PM
Fondant will also contain some tartaric acid to invert the sugar. 

Fondant is good bee feed.  Because it is pliable, you can make nice patties for your bees and place them on top of the frames.  I think they can use it more efficiently than dry sugar, perhaps because they can attack it from all angles when it is puck-shaped. Another advantage is it doesn't make a mess (except in my kitchen) like a snowcap can.  Just fed my hives some patties. I mix a few drops of essential oils to make it more attractive. Orange blossom, eucalyptus are what I've used. I use the Joy of Cooking recipe. 

Note there are recipes for "cold fondants" which are not the same thing, they may be made with lots of powdered sugar which has a lot of cornstarch and isn't recommended for bee feed. So you might want to check out how its made as Bjorn suggested before you go nuts with it.