Feeding Fondant via Crown Board

Bakers Fondant (or, Candy) was apparently first used to feed bee colonies in the 18th century, primarily because it was the purest form of sugar then available.

Many beekeepers use fondant to supplement dwindling winter stores or, for emergency feeding at any time of the year. It is important to understand that it is usually far too cold to feed sugar syrup to bees from November through February. 

Fondant (fondant & candy are used interchangeably in many beekeeping circles & for simplicity, I will henceforth only refer to fondant) is recommended at this time of the year, rather than sugar syrup, which normally cannot safely be given to a colony after September until the warmer temperatures of March.  Blocks of bakers fondant can be purchased from confectionary suppliers however, sometimes, added ingredients in “confectioner’s” fondant make it unsuitable for feeding to bees. If you are unsure it’s probably best to source fondant from a reputable beekeeping supplier.

However, it’s also relatively easy to make your own fondant.

This recipe comes from Ron Brown’s book ‘Beekeeping A Seasonal Guide’ (adapted from imperial to metric bags of sugar).   The essential equipment is a large pan ….preferably a preserving pan & a cooking/kitchen thermometer The ingredients are:

1. A 5Kg bag of granulated sugar
2. 2.75 pints (1 litre) water (preferably hot)

Making Fondant

This combination fits comfortably in a preserving pan and allows room for the liquid to boil.   It will produce enough fondant to feed 4 – 5 hives.

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Put the water and sugar in the pan over a medium heat; slowly bring to the boil, stirring the syrup occasionally.

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The ‘Foamy’ stage

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Boil until it reaches 234 °F (soft ball stage). This temperature is reached 5-10 minutes after the syrup begins to boil and at the point when the foamy syrup settles to a clear, gently boiling liquid.

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Fondant Stage

Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to stand until the fondant begins to set and forms a white streaky mass (160°), this takes a couple of hours but can be hastened by standing the pan in a sink of cold water.

Then stir vigorously and pour the mixture into storage containers to solidify. It’s usually best to use aluminum food containers for storage. Beware pouring hot fondant into plastic containers since these may heat deform.

Feeding Commercial Fondant
Note: The underside of the plastic package is “cut out” to allow bees to access the fondant

To feed a colony from end October to March, invert a slab/package of fondant over the tops of the frames where the bees are clustering (you will then need an eke on the brood box to be able to replace the crown board). Alternatively, place an inverted carton or, slab of fondant over the feed hole in the crown board (Note: a slab of fondant needs the exposed top & sides of a slab to be covered with cling film to stop it drying out). Opening up the hive, inserting the fondant & closing up the hive should be completed quickly to avoid chilling the colony.

Feeding Fondant via the Feed Hole in the Crown Board

 If it is really cold and emergency feeding is required, inverting a tray of fondant over the feed hole is less intrusive & doesn’t risk the colony getting “chilled”.

If you feed too soon, it doesn’t really matter because, fondant doesn’t spoil and will just sit in the hive until the bees need it. However, fondant is more normally used by beekeepers in early January as insurance against low existing stores and for the same reason in February, as insurance against a late or, wet Spring. However, fondant can safely be used at any time of the year.

Some beekeepers advise that a low threshold for feeding fondant is much ‘safer’ than hefting a hive and thinking there are adequate stores.   Cold winter weather reduces a colony’s ability to move laterally in the brood box so it is possible for a colony never to find frames of stores ‘beyond’ the cluster.

Note: Feeding Honey

Feeding honey, unless it is stored comb from the same colony, has the potential for cross contamination of disease from one colony to another & is definitely not good practice.

See also “Making & Feeding Syrup“