Fondant for bees calculator

When a colony is short of stores in winter or very early spring and it is too cold for the bees to take syrup. In practice: a hive still light at the end of October, or one that feels light when hefted between December and March. Syrup in September remains the main way to build winter stores.

Start with one 2.5 kg pack per hive that feels light, roughly the honey in one full National brood frame, and check it through the feed hole every two to three weeks on mild days, adding more before it runs out. Fondant is an emergency ration: a colony 10 kg short in October needs syrup, not one block.

Yes. The NBU notes that candy or bakers’ fondant has been fed to bees since the 18th century as the purest form of sugar then available. Choose plain white fondant with no colouring or flavouring. Bee fondant sold by beekeeping suppliers, such as Ambrosia, is made for the purpose and is the safer choice.

It can be, but the NBU advises that candy is best bought from a bee supply merchant, and homemade batches vary in texture. Boiling sugar, especially with vinegar or cream of tartar, forms HMF, which is toxic to bees. If you make your own, leave out the acid, do not overheat it, and use it the same winter.

Directly over the cluster: on the crown board feed hole, cut side down with a slit or cross in the wrapping, or on the top bars. Put an eke or empty super round it, then the insulation and roof. For a small colony, turn the crown board so a feed hole sits over the bees.

Yes. The NBU notes that bees need water, usually condensation inside the hive, to make use of candy. That is one reason fondant is taken slowly and does not excite the colony like syrup. Make sure there is a clean water source near the apiary on mild days in late winter.

Yes. Take off any fondant left on the hive before the first super goes on in spring, so the bees cannot carry it up into the honey. Honey sold as honey must have nothing added to it under the Honey Regulations of each UK nation.