candy for feeding

tom · January 10, 2007, 06:35:49 PM

Hello

I found the recipe for making the candy but i do not have a thermometer to check the temp. but can i still make it with oput it or do i need to buy one and once it is made and cooled off how do i give it to them i know one of my girls is low and won't make it the weather here has changed from warm to cold and i do not want to keep giving them syrup if i can help it all information would be greatful.

Tom

Michael Bush · January 10, 2007, 09:38:20 PM

Look up candy recipes on the internet. Find the temps for "soft ball" "hard ball" "hard crack" etc. and you'll have an idea. If you take a bit of the cooking syrup and drip it into cold water it will either make nothing (too cold) a soft ball, a hard ball or a very hard ball. Based on this you can estimate how hot it is (which is directly related to the sugar content). This is how candy was done before there were thermometers. I used to make a lot of candy without a thermometer.

tom · January 11, 2007, 01:08:22 AM

Hello

Thank you Mr. Bush for the information i found it to be very useful and now i have a good idea on how to make it i will start tomarrow on this new project but when i get it done should i place it right over the cluster so they can have access to it. And should the candy be hardball so it won't run down in between the frames.

Tom

Robo · January 11, 2007, 09:40:37 AM

I usually go for ~260F

http://robo.hydroville.com/v12/content/view/20/2/

tom · January 11, 2007, 08:19:45 PM

Howdy All

Well i did it i made my first candy for my girls and it came out just like you said Mr.Bush nice and white and thick so now all i have to do is place it in the hive. Should i place it over the cluster and let it stay there and how much of it do i give to them do i give them the whole thing or half and how long will it last them i see they are a small cluster but i guess that is the carniolan in them and i did not see any cpped cells so i know they are low if not just about out. If i give them half will this carry them half way thru febuary or will i have to fix more because if i cut it in half i can give the other part to my first hive. My third hive that i had so much problem with mites with have lots of honey to carry them i just want to be on the safe side.

Tom :-D

Finsky · January 12, 2007, 10:08:23 PM

Quote from: tom on January 11, 2007, 08:19:45 PM
Howdy All

Well i did it i made my first candy for my girls and it came out just like you said Mr.Bush nice and white and thick so now all i have to do is place it in the hive. Should i place it over the cluster and let it stay there and how much of it do i give to them do i give them the whole thing or half and how long will it last them i see they are a small cluster but i guess that is the carniolan in them and i did not see any cpped cells so i know they are low if not just about out. If i give them half will this carry them half way thru febuary or will i have to fix more because if i cut it in half i can give the other part to my first hive. My third hive that i had so much problem with mites with have lots of honey to carry them i just want to be on the safe side.

Tom :-D

Difficult to know why you are doing all this in the middle of winter. What does it mean "i just want to be on the safe side".
http://www.wunderground.com/US/VA/Buffalo_Junction.html

.

tom · January 13, 2007, 01:34:21 AM

Hello

Well Finsky i went to take a good look inside to see how my girls store were and to my surprise not are they storing alot of pollen but in each hive i have over thre frames of brood. And one of my hives was running pretty low so thats why i gave them caandy annd they jumped on it without any hesitation. The weather here is starnge warm then cold and then warm again and my girls are bringing in pollen by the loads and this is what i do believe is causing them to raise brood and they have a bunch of young bees in all stages so if i am correct if they have brood then they will use what they have stored to raise young.

Tom

Finsky · January 13, 2007, 03:31:29 AM

Quote from: tom on January 13, 2007, 01:34:21 AM
Hello

Well Finsky i went to take a good look inside to see how my girls store were and to my surprise not are they storing alot of pollen but in each hive i have over thre frames of brood.

That explanes everything. But my experience is that dry sugar is the worst alternative to feed bees which have brood. They should have all the time drinking water unless larvae will become sick and will be destroyed.

When your bees are flying all the time and bring polen you may give to them 60% sugar syrup. Your winter seems to be like we have early spring in April.
BUt if hive has stores, there is no reason to give more sugar.

But if you are eager to test different methods for interest, that is alone a good reason for doing.

.

Michael Bush · January 13, 2007, 11:50:38 AM

I have never used candy. It is a popular thing around here to put a candy board on about now. The candy is poured into a lid that is made from a cut off piece of an old hive usually about 2 to 3" thick with plywood for the top. They usually leave the candy down 1/4" from the bottom (the top when they are pouring it). This leaves a 1/4" space on the top bars. Then the cluster, if it gets to the top, can eat the candy if they are out of stores. I just try to leave them enough stores.

Some people put dry sugar on top of a newspaper on top of the top bars, so I suppose putting the candy on the top bars would be similar to that.

Finsky · January 13, 2007, 12:07:54 PM

.
I read from book Bad Beekeeping that candy was invented by bee colony seller. It was not allowed to sell combs because of deseases over Canada border and he invented how to feed package bees.

In Germany they have generated APIFONDA product which is dusty like sugar. It is given on frames above cluster. Many beekeepr cannot sleep in spring if they do not give to bees APIFONDA! http://www.theingredients.co.uk/Sudzucker/bee_feed.htm.

tom · January 13, 2007, 08:42:06 PM

Howdy

Finsky thank you and Mr. Bush for your input i do not want to feed trust me but they are rearing brood like crazy and going thru stores like mad. This afternoon i saw them with pollen and they are also getting nector too because when i became nite i went to see how they were doing and you could here them fanning and i also saw where there was no stores they was filling the empty combs with pollen and nector now i can smell something in full bloom and i see my girls heading in that direction and coming back full so this weather we are having has caused them to go into over drive. As for the candy they are eating it like mad but they are able to get plenty of water and they are calling for more rain next week instead of snow we are getting plenty of rain so i hope this spring and summer will be better then what we had last year.

TOM

Brian D. Bray · January 13, 2007, 10:27:07 PM

When making a choice of what type of feeding is to be done some things to consider are whether or not brood is present of if you want to stimulate early brood production or just feed to help the bees to survive. Feeding syrup will have a tendency to promote early brood production and if done too early can cause the bees to use remaining stores too quickly. This especially true if feeding lighter syrup mixtures. Feeding frames saving for augmenting stores is the safest and best way to do it. Feeding candy (fondant) is acceptable as long as a water supply is provided or nearby; water is essential in feeding candy due to its consistency. Feeding candy can save a hive without promoting brood production. Feeding granulated sugar is to only be done under extreme survive or perish circumstances and it's the only option you have.

How you feed, what you feed, and when you feed needs to be determined by the circumstances of the hive, season, and objective. Feeding something just to be feeding is useless and, often as not, wasted effort.

Finsky · January 14, 2007, 06:46:20 AM

Quote from: Brian D. Bray on January 13, 2007, 10:27:07 PM

How you feed, what you feed, and when you feed needs to be determined by the circumstances of the hive, season, and objective. Feeding something just to be feeding is useless and, often as not, wasted effort.

You are surely right Brian.

In situation like Tom has, i is very normal in my country to watch that food storage is big enough in spring or even in the beginning of June.
Of course, mating nucs should be followed all the time that they are not full or empty because roo is limited.

To me necessary feeding bring no mental satisfaction. It is oblique work in beekeeping in bad wether conditions. Everyone will agree that it is necessary.

When we talk about pollen patty feeding in spring or early summer to keep on brood rearing, at least in my country over 90% of beekeepers are that opinion that it is vain.

If I talk that I accelerate with sugar brood rearing, 100% will agree it. - Why - beekeepers do not know the basics of bees' nutrition. They have allways done that.

Now I have found out that when I feed in early summer hives with pollen patty and it has been rainy week and even 2-3 weeks, brood area dimishes 50%. When bees get again pollen outside, brood area grow quickly to double. Bees use both patty and natural stores in combs. When one bad week is over, strong hive has spent it's pollen stores. That is main point of patty feeding. At same time many writes that they brood rearing has stopped. It is bees' habit to save in bad days.

My friend half mile away says that pollen feeding is not necessary. He is a farmer and he have saved willows in his forests. His bees have huge pollen pastures. We have same yields even if we have different methods in nursing. But the same to us is that we both love big hives.

Patty or pollen?

Irradiated pollen costs 12 â,¬/kg and yeast and dry yeast 2â,¬/kg. Pollen has 30% honey. It saves a lot money. That is way I try to breed/select bee stock which is eager to collect pollen. There is huge difference between hives.

tom · January 14, 2007, 03:51:10 PM

Hello

I amlike you guys i do not want to feed but when it is warm like it is today and trust me it is warm and they are bring in pollen and i also think they are getting some nectar from where they are getting pollen because my girls are fanning and all of my hives are humming like they do in the spring and summer. They are happy as can be my wife stuck some syrup out and they won't even touch it they are so busy now the temp. is going to drop again this week. How will this effect things for the spring time i see some maples turning red but pollen is coming in every six bees have pollen and the other half has nothing that i can see but they can hardly make it to the hive.

Tom

KONASDAD · January 15, 2007, 12:23:31 PM

I am having similar experiences where I am. This weekend, I had hundreds of bees doing orientation flights, pollen gathering. I also found a fair amount of bees that didn'y make it back to the hive and died about five feet from home after it started to drizzle. The hives weigh a lot less than a month ago, but are not empty. I didn't look in as it started to rain. Lots of young bees to be certain.