I like your idea on top feeding fondant. Maybe consider getting some small plastic food trays that you can fill with fondant. They would be short enough to fit into your pallets, and would hold about a pound of feed. You could just slip them in upside down over the feed hole and the tray would fit to the lid well enough to keep the bees mostly contained in the hive. Plastic yogurt cups or short sour cream like buckets would probably work. Just so they're short enough to get into the pallets. I'm sure you could find a plastics molder that can provide something like that. I've used the small food trays to make individual sugar bricks in the past. You could even do that. Just make individual sugar bricks using water and granulated sugar. Then just put one of these over the hole. The bees aren't going anywhere as long as it's dark in the shed, but they would come up and eat the sugar.
I give my collonies fondant in january, i got about 200 hives . Yes it's a cost but well worth it. You could give them fondant in the shed, looks like it would be room for it. Sorry for my english...swedish beekeeper here!😁 Take care!
Talk about changes from here to there. We had such a mild winter (also short) that we had to pull frames of feed to make room for spring brood in Feb..... Hope the Bees appreciate your long hours . .
Ideally they have enough food but could you run a "drip line" into the bottom boards with a syrup feed. Maybe run a line across the fronts of the hives at the opening with a gravity feed drip system feeding into the bottom boards under the clusters or does it run to cold in your shed? Could you slide those Hive Alive fondants bags under the cluster on the bottom board with a hole cut in the face of it?😁Just thoughts of a young beekeeper. Thanks for sharing your time Ian. Blessed Days...
Then you have moisture problem bees need to processes it . That puts out a lot moisture. Fondant just food . They use a lot fondant over in Europe dates way back too .. watch them old school videos in skeps on UA-cam it's amazing the methods.. fondant getting popular people see the results it brings
@@hootervillehoneybees8664 Thanks, I'll take a look at some of those. My only problem with fondants is my Winter moisture, they seem to turn to jelly almost. Makes a big mess, winter patties seemed to do the same thing it just took longer. Thanks I'll take a look for some of those videos they sound interesting.
@@dcsblessedbees your probably putting it on to soon because they love it.. dry sugar they want it out the front door.. fondant inverted sugar and smaller molecule size they want to eat it. Just wait until they move up then try it . Fondant does go bad turns like yellow like sours bees hardly touch it. I just add it to the barrel feeder. Has like year tops
I seen Chinese use two drip lines for their queen jelly production. Water and some kind of sugar food. But with them everything is a secret. They produce tons of Royal jelly. I seen pictures of it.. there are sensors wires and food lines sticking out of every hive..
Losing bees to starvation is always the worse feeling. Remember I lost some nucs last year that built up quick when the weather was cold. We use a lot of fondant in the U.K. purpose made bee fondant and bakers fondant (3 ingredient mix) which is a lot cheaper. Can send you the specs. No doubt you’ll have it in Canada.
I just filled my feeders and added pollen patties yesterday . All but one had capped brood . My single hive had larvae . 😊and one was too small and didnt make the winter .
I feed as much as they would take last year, and they were still light. I made 3.5 inch boxes, cut some out of old boxes headed to the burn pile, I put .5 in. screen and butcher paper with 10 lb sugar and 2 burlap sacks. the sacks absorbed the moisture. you probably wouldnt need the screen or sack. you could get 30 lb sugar in without the sacks
We fed fondant for the first time this spring. Knew they went into winter underfed. Not sure of the results yet but they consumed it. Definitely worth a try.👍
I know how that is just spent month getting weight on mine.. fondant turned it right around went from 30% starved out to 4 and 5 frames of brood in week . Fondant recipe definitely works on top . They would seal the bag to your lids . Hollow it out with zero waste.. everything came out big and hungry everyone was in the same boat I've talked to . At least you have extra equipment bad news it's probably dry as bone
I'm watching with envy. I wish I could move my bees out, but two feet of snow below 0C and 40mph wind gusts in Wisconsin. Even when it warms up it will be a muddy mess trying to move them with my dolly. Maybe I should move someplace warmer like Canada. 😛
I would say feeding fondant like fondabee through the feed holes in the shed would be easy and effective. We started using fondabee in the early spring and it has been positive. The down fall is they are a bit pricey and the plastic waste sucks. Would be nice if there was a manufacturer closer to Canada or a good home brew recipe.
I tried overwintering singles and had the same feed issues. I went back to a deep and a medium for feed insurance and to do less feeding in the fall. Glenn Fort Wayne, IN
That Fondant Plug sounds like a great idea. Moisture from the bees would soften it right ? Is it possible to have a dedicated "Fondant" hole ? like on the side or near the entrance? you could seal it for normal and only during shed storage would you open it to add the fondant plug. Probably also if you monitor how much fondant a colony goes through would that solve the issue of honey stores completely exhausted or crystallized with Canola honey? 😀 This all sounds so interesting but what do I know i am a keyboard bee-liver 😀
If you could go back in time to last fall, would you have done anything different with these hives that starved out? If I remember back to those videos it seemed like everything was well fed putting into the shed
Would a feeder shim for the hard sugar patties to be put on before putting bees into the shed work? If one used 3/8 or 1/2 in hardware cloth on bottom of feeder shim one could place newspaper then granular cane sugar on top for feed and moisture control.
ررود رفیق به قول رفیقم تو زنبورداری هر موقع زنبورت میمیره ناراحت نشو و هر موقع زیاد میشه خوشحال نشو فقط یک زنبور دار میتونه درک کنه موفق باشی رفیق از ایران برات ارزوی موفقیت میکنم❤❤❤
A quick question. I know it cost to put a pail on every hive, why not do that even of the hive does not need it? Will they not build up and then be used to balance the smaller hives in a few weeks time? Or is it because there is not enough forage out there and feeding them will cause them to grow too fast?
What temp are you ian? Theres always a big debate in the uk about feeding syrup below a certain temp but then theres always a debate in the uk lol 🤦, bust times for you keep up the good work 💪 Rob
Some numbers: If you have a 2% starve out rate, that is 200 hives per 1000 hives. If you assume each hive is worth $300.00 then that is a cost of $60,000. If you factor in the average amount of honey produced per hive, say one hundred pounds a honey per hive, that is 20,000 pounds of honey lost. If you sell one pound of honey for $2.00 then its a loss of $40,000. Added together the cost of the hive, and the honey produced lost by the staved out hives is: $100,000.00 Fondant in a plastic bag (1kg) $4.28 each. if you have 1200 hives, that is $5,130. If half of the starved out hives survive because of the us of fondant that means $44,870 in savings and honey production. I look at fondant as a cheap form of insurance, and a hedge against a long drawn out winter, lack of feed, and my general incompetence in beekeeping.
That’s a lot of numbers, that’s assuming the 1 package of fondant “saves” them I used fondant the first time on 10 light colonies and they used it in a week or two, I installed frames of honey idk how much fondant it would take to replace a deep frame of honey
-21C and crotch deep snow last year. 😂😂😂. Off to a good year this year..
I am on the edge my seat every spring when you are taking your bees out.
So pulling them in early to stop them flying and burning out has lead to them running out of food stores sooner? Lessons learned.
I like your idea on top feeding fondant. Maybe consider getting some small plastic food trays that you can fill with fondant. They would be short enough to fit into your pallets, and would hold about a pound of feed. You could just slip them in upside down over the feed hole and the tray would fit to the lid well enough to keep the bees mostly contained in the hive. Plastic yogurt cups or short sour cream like buckets would probably work. Just so they're short enough to get into the pallets. I'm sure you could find a plastics molder that can provide something like that. I've used the small food trays to make individual sugar bricks in the past. You could even do that. Just make individual sugar bricks using water and granulated sugar. Then just put one of these over the hole. The bees aren't going anywhere as long as it's dark in the shed, but they would come up and eat the sugar.
I use fondant on top of the bars in the winter no matter how much honey is there. I sleep at night
I give my collonies fondant in january, i got about 200 hives . Yes it's a cost but well worth it. You could give them fondant in the shed, looks like it would be room for it. Sorry for my english...swedish beekeeper here!😁
Take care!
Rock candy or sugar sticks with appropriate dimensions so they can be pushed in through a front entrance as needed during winter.
Talk about changes from here to there. We had such a mild winter (also short) that we had to pull frames of feed to make room for spring brood in Feb..... Hope the Bees appreciate your long hours . .
Ideally they have enough food but could you run a "drip line" into the bottom boards with a syrup feed. Maybe run a line across the fronts of the hives at the opening with a gravity feed drip system feeding into the bottom boards under the clusters or does it run to cold in your shed? Could you slide those Hive Alive fondants bags under the cluster on the bottom board with a hole cut in the face of it?😁Just thoughts of a young beekeeper. Thanks for sharing your time Ian. Blessed Days...
Then you have moisture problem bees need to processes it . That puts out a lot moisture. Fondant just food . They use a lot fondant over in Europe dates way back too .. watch them old school videos in skeps on UA-cam it's amazing the methods.. fondant getting popular people see the results it brings
@@hootervillehoneybees8664 Thanks, I'll take a look at some of those. My only problem with fondants is my Winter moisture, they seem to turn to jelly almost. Makes a big mess, winter patties seemed to do the same thing it just took longer. Thanks I'll take a look for some of those videos they sound interesting.
@@dcsblessedbees your probably putting it on to soon because they love it.. dry sugar they want it out the front door.. fondant inverted sugar and smaller molecule size they want to eat it. Just wait until they move up then try it . Fondant does go bad turns like yellow like sours bees hardly touch it. I just add it to the barrel feeder. Has like year tops
I seen Chinese use two drip lines for their queen jelly production. Water and some kind of sugar food. But with them everything is a secret. They produce tons of Royal jelly. I seen pictures of it.. there are sensors wires and food lines sticking out of every hive..
It's true, hive lifter is by far the coolest bit of kit.
Looks like a successful overwintering! The ones that made it through look amazing!
Congratulations on getting the girls out!
Losing bees to starvation is always the worse feeling. Remember I lost some nucs last year that built up quick when the weather was cold.
We use a lot of fondant in the U.K. purpose made bee fondant and bakers fondant (3 ingredient mix) which is a lot cheaper.
Can send you the specs. No doubt you’ll have it in Canada.
I just filled my feeders and added pollen patties yesterday .
All but one had capped brood .
My single hive had larvae .
😊and one was too small and didnt make the winter .
I feed as much as they would take last year, and they were still light. I made 3.5 inch boxes, cut some out of old boxes headed to the burn pile, I put .5 in. screen and butcher paper with 10 lb sugar and 2 burlap sacks. the sacks absorbed the moisture. you probably wouldnt need the screen or sack. you could get 30 lb sugar in without the sacks
Same thing here. Lots of emergency feeding needed after unpacking the singles.
Congrats on getting the Bees out! Is it possible to make "hard sugar sticks" to put in thru the openings in an emergency? Just thinking...
We fed fondant for the first time this spring. Knew they went into winter underfed. Not sure of the results yet but they consumed it.
Definitely worth a try.👍
That fondant idea might be the difference amd definitely probably worth the investment
I know how that is just spent month getting weight on mine.. fondant turned it right around went from 30% starved out to 4 and 5 frames of brood in week . Fondant recipe definitely works on top . They would seal the bag to your lids . Hollow it out with zero waste.. everything came out big and hungry everyone was in the same boat I've talked to . At least you have extra equipment bad news it's probably dry as bone
I'm watching with envy. I wish I could move my bees out, but two feet of snow below 0C and 40mph wind gusts in Wisconsin. Even when it warms up it will be a muddy mess trying to move them with my dolly. Maybe I should move someplace warmer like Canada. 😛
LOL😂
I would say feeding fondant like fondabee through the feed holes in the shed would be easy and effective. We started using fondabee in the early spring and it has been positive. The down fall is they are a bit pricey and the plastic waste sucks. Would be nice if there was a manufacturer closer to Canada or a good home brew recipe.
I only got into beefarming as an excuse to get a truck and a Hive lifter....
I tried overwintering singles and had the same feed issues. I went back to a deep and a medium for feed insurance and to do less feeding in the fall. Glenn Fort Wayne, IN
A package of “Hive Alive Fondant” on the top bars is great insurance.
One big paper on top of the frames and a fondant pie Pff 2 percent is a lot
The bees will eat the sugar in any situation as a last option
That Fondant Plug sounds like a great idea. Moisture from the bees would soften it right ? Is it possible to have a dedicated "Fondant" hole ? like on the side or near the entrance? you could seal it for normal and only during shed storage would you open it to add the fondant plug. Probably also if you monitor how much fondant a colony goes through would that solve the issue of honey stores completely exhausted or crystallized with Canola honey?
😀 This all sounds so interesting but what do I know i am a keyboard bee-liver 😀
My goodness what a day
It will def work throw packs of fondant on them tops
Oh man they are out of the shed! Let the good times roll
If you could go back in time to last fall, would you have done anything different with these hives that starved out? If I remember back to those videos it seemed like everything was well fed putting into the shed
That's my thought too.
Have you ever considered holding a full comb box per hive for spring and then dropping it when you set them out?
Well we just had dang hurricane like winds last night and blew the tops off some of mine and dumped them full of rain.. stupid weather.
Make soft fondant and shove it into the entrance. Make it soft and use a pneumatic pump?
Would a feeder shim for the hard sugar patties to be put on before putting bees into the shed work? If one used 3/8 or 1/2 in hardware cloth on bottom of feeder shim one could place newspaper then granular cane sugar on top for feed and moisture control.
ررود رفیق به قول رفیقم تو زنبورداری هر موقع زنبورت میمیره ناراحت نشو و هر موقع زیاد میشه خوشحال نشو
فقط یک زنبور دار میتونه درک کنه موفق باشی رفیق از ایران برات ارزوی موفقیت میکنم❤❤❤
Are most of the starved out hives the package bees?
Some yes, most are large home grown
edit: the plastic bag idea is good too!
Throw some shims and make some pollen sub sugar blocks. My bees will eat that and before their honey.
A quick question. I know it cost to put a pail on every hive, why not do that even of the hive does not need it? Will they not build up and then be used to balance the smaller hives in a few weeks time? Or is it because there is not enough forage out there and feeding them will cause them to grow too fast?
That would of been done if we started feeding more than 30%, just to get it done quicker
You might want to pick a bee that winters with a smaller cluster. Use less food???
Hive alive fondant saved my bee this winter
Poor creatures !
Do you think any of your colonies can go all year without being opened fully?
Oh ya, depends how I manage them but if they are good to go, generally the colony never gets opened
Is there any correlation between the location in the winter shed and the weight of the hive?
What temp are you ian? Theres always a big debate in the uk about feeding syrup below a certain temp but then theres always a debate in the uk lol 🤦, bust times for you keep up the good work 💪
Rob
8-9 degreesC
How about comparing feeding fondant vs dry sugar?
Can use sugar blocks?
Carnies are light winter feeders but shut down brood too early and Italians brood longer but are heavy winter feeders. Is there a middle ground?
Italians winter great in double deeps.
@@sidelinerbeekeeper I agree but Ian uses singles.
Those Buckfast I definitely don’t follow those rules
@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog not sure what you meant by that Ian. I thought you moved towards Italians to keep them brooding longer?
These Buckfast Italians are not the traditional Italian type bees.
Some numbers: If you have a 2% starve out rate, that is 200 hives per 1000 hives. If you assume each hive is worth $300.00 then that is a cost of $60,000. If you factor in the average amount of honey produced per hive, say one hundred pounds a honey per hive, that is 20,000 pounds of honey lost. If you sell one pound of honey for $2.00 then its a loss of $40,000. Added together the cost of the hive, and the honey produced lost by the staved out hives is: $100,000.00
Fondant in a plastic bag (1kg) $4.28 each. if you have 1200 hives, that is $5,130. If half of the starved out hives survive because of the us of fondant that means $44,870 in savings and honey production.
I look at fondant as a cheap form of insurance, and a hedge against a long drawn out winter, lack of feed, and my general incompetence in beekeeping.
That’s a lot of numbers, that’s assuming the 1 package of fondant “saves” them I used fondant the first time on 10 light colonies and they used it in a week or two, I installed frames of honey idk how much fondant it would take to replace a deep frame of honey
Missed a decimal, 2% of 1000 is 20
But I agree on the premise
Hi. Whats the daytime temp please and what temp is the syrup. So much spoken about when to feed syrup just wanted your details. Thanks.
9 degreesC
Maybe talk to david burns a see about his candy top covers
You are able to give them sugar ? When it’s 5 6 degrees out ?
Good to know I was always buying fondant because I thought it would be to cold for them to take it 👍🏾
Can you get medicated fondant?
Zajmij sie innym hobby np gołębiami
😂