[ThePathKeymaster]

Well its getting to that time of year again when liquid feeds are no longer an option, by the end of October the cold weather should have taken hold rendering the bees unable to cope with syrup feed.

Depending on how much honey has been harvested or the strength of the hive will depend on the required feeding. If you have a strong hive and you have not taken any honey it would be fairly safe to say the bees have stored enough honey to get them through the Winter. Although checks should be made throughout the season to make sure (generally done by lifting the hive to determine weight, if its light feeding must be done).

However lets assume you want to feed your bees anyway. Using fondant or feed paste is the suggested feeding strategy in Winter, however its not, as a lot of people think just ordinary cake fondant (Im sure a lot of people use this successfully though). The fondant can be made up at home or can be purchased from somewhere like Thornes. Thornes supply fondant called Apifonda and it contains extra sugars like fructose and glucose. What you will notice about this fondant mixture is that it is in no way as hard as ordinary cake fondant, its much more malleable and will actually absorb a little moisture when placed in the hive.

This is why I would suggest either making your own fondant or buying something ready made like Apifonda, plus it has extra sugars that will help the bees. Ordinary cake fondant tends to go to hard when left in the air.

So now we have our fondant what exactly do we do with it? Well it is advised to place it on top of the brood frames (if the super is to remain on with honey you could place the fondant on top of these), spread it out and push it down between the frames slightly, so the bees dont need to move far to get it. A pack of Apifonda combined with their honey stores should tide them through until Spring but remember to do the weight check just in case.

When adding the fondant to the hive you should notice the bees hightened aggression, this is to ensure the safety of their stores, so make sure you have all your gear on to prevent stings.

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[antuanetteribMember]

I look after 3 colonies on behalf of the Richmond Foundation. At the moment i use Ashforth feeder with mess instead of glass.

My question is if I use fondant would it be feasible to squash it through the mess on the feeder?

robert

[ThePathKeymaster]

Hi Robert,

Normally the fondant would be placed on top of the frames, so its sinks in and the bees dont have to go looking for it during the winter. If you are keeping the feeder on during the Winter months I guess you could push the fondant through the mesh if the bees still access that area in the colder months. As long as the bees can reach it easily without getting chilled you should be fine.

Thanks for the question Robert, if you would like to share your experiences in keeping bees by writing articles and adding pictures please let me know and I will upgrade your account and give you instructions on writing an article or you can simply use our article submission form.

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[bambinoMember]

Has anyone found that due to mild temperatures, the bees are still taking in syrup if its on offer?

[ThePathKeymaster]

Yeh they will be. I wouldnt count on the mild temperatures for long though.

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[bambinoMember]

Well, I shall be replenishing with Fondant this weekend – temps are dropping already!

[ThePathKeymaster]

If you go to the original blog post I posted a recipe for fondant there:

http://honeybeekeeping.co……eed-paste/

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[bambinoMember]

yeah, I did see that.  Dont have a sugar thermometer though…..

[bambinoMember]

Topped up the fondant at the weekend – it was a pretty sunny day, and the girls were out and about! 

Put my mind at rest, seeing them alive and well. 

[ThePathKeymaster]

Thats great, yes its definitely a relief to see them. I have had to leave my bees in my Mums capable hands as I have moved into the town. Waaa.

I might get a hive down on my allotment at some point or maybe move into a bigger place with a bit of land.

I will need to check with my Mum to see if she has seen any adventurous bees, bit colder up here I would have thought. Plus its been pretty miserable, with rain most days. SO i doubt they have been out and about.

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[honeybeeinfoMember]

Morning! It’s my first beekeeping year, so going into my first winter is a bit scary. This advice regarding fondant is really clear, but there’s one thing I’m confused about. If it’s the middle of winter and I decide the bees need some fondant, I’ll have to open up the top of the hive to get to the brood chamber to lay out the fondant – isn’t this going to be a problem for the bees, letting all the heat out and the cold in?

I’m a bit confused…

[ThePathKeymaster]

I think the key is to give them enough to last the whole Winter so you dont need to open the hive at all. If the bees have stores in the brood box and you put a whole pack of fondant on from Thornes (I forget what the weight is). That should last them fine.

If you were in a situation where they required feed. Then choose the sunniest, least windy day you can in Winter, lift the top off the hive and push the fondant through the hole of the board seperating the super and brood box.

You could also push a bit through the entrance if you can get it through.

But your bees will start to store more honey in the brood box in the lead up to Winter, and if you leave a super full of honey then the bees shouldnt even need fondant.

Feeding the bees is only necessary if you crop the honey. Sometimes in the first year I would advise not to crop any honey if the bees are week but its not a big deal if you do, fondant will see them through the Winter.

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[honeybeeinfoMember]

grand – thanks.

[Wardensbees]

Hi,

I have removed my honey and had a very large crop with 5 full supers from two hives. After harvesting the honey I replaced one empty super onto each hive which they are refilling. This was three weeks ago now. However they now seem to not have enough space and the entrances of both hives are constantly crowded with bees. Should I put on another super so they have space in the hive? If I do this will this be detrimental when winter comes due to a larger space to keep warm? Surly the population in each colony is dwindling at this time of year so it does not matter if they are overcrowded?

Any thoughts….?

[ThePathKeymaster]

Hi Wardensbees,

Wow good crop. You’ll get over 100 jars from that prob.

Well yes the hive numbers should be falling now, the Queen reduces laying and workers fill the brood area with more honey, somethimes moving it from a super of honey.

The bees shouldnt be thinking about swarming really at this time of year but you never know, where are you in the country? I take it there are no other swarming signs apart from overcrowding?

There are plenty or hives which sit all winter with double brood boxes. The larger amount of bees means the easier it is to regulate the temperature within the hive. My advice is if they are still doing well, gathering pollen and the queen is still laying a lot of brood then stick another brood box on to allow the Queen to lay brood and build the hive numbers even more to survive Winter.

It wont do any harm as you can check before Winter really kicks in and if she hasnt laid much brood in the frames, just remove that broodbox. But I think you should be fine with a double broodbox over winter if you hive is strong. A lot of people say the Queen wont lay in the second brood box but I think she would if you put it on top. If overwintering with two brood boxes make sure the top one is the fullest and most used by the Queen.

What kind of hive do you have?

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