Fondant is similar to the sugar putty found on decorative cakes and it can easily be used both hot and cold weather conditions. Fondant makes for an excellent supplemental food source in late summer and winter when stores run low, helping a colony avoid starvation in harsh winter environments.
Contents
1. Carbohydrates
Fondant’s main ingredient is sugar. Honey bees need carbohydrates such as this in order to survive during winter when their supply of nectar and honey drops significantly.
This is especially true when temperatures drop significantly and bees cannot take cleansing flights as often.
Starving beehives quickly exhaust their stores, leading them to collapse. This may happen during winter or at the beginning of spring before nectar flows start, when bees have built up but suddenly experience cold snaps that prevent them from flying.
Fondant feedings are one way many beekeepers survive winter. Fondant can also help new colonies establish themselves quickly by giving them extra energy to set up house and draw comb. Finally, fondant is used to assist weak hives during the winter so they can build enough brood stores for survival should their stores not meet expectations.
2. Protein
Fondant is created by simmering together sugar and water at a specific temperature, then kneading. This creates a form that bees can quickly digest.
Fondant doesn’t increase humidity levels like sugar syrup does, meaning that during cold snaps or other severe periods the bees won’t need to leave their home to find food sources outside. As such it reduces robbing risk as bees no longer need to venture outside in search of sustenance.
These premade patties contain the appropriate dose of Hive Alive as well as additional vitamins and amino acids designed to support bee health. Their thin packaging makes for convenient placement directly onto colonies.
Fondant can be fed any time of the year, although its main use lies in winter and spring to supplement their sugar feed when temperatures become too cold for this method of provision. Furthermore, queen cages, apideas and nucs may benefit from fondant feed to ensure they have ample stores available to them.
3. Essential Oils
Essential oils are liquid, volatile plant chemicals derived from various parts of plants that contain hundreds of distinct plant components. Essential oils are commonly used as perfume in commercial candles and soaps; however, they have many other applications including beekeeping.
Some beekeepers use essential oil recipes to enhance their sugar syrup or patties, including spearmint and lemongrass essential oils that attract bees, such as stimulating feeding by mimicking bee pheromones that attract pollen, while at the same time helping reduce robber bee attraction to weaker colonies, aid in hive defense, and facilitate reduction of robber bee attacks on weaker colonies.
Another way of using essential oils in beekeeping hives is spraying them directly onto the beehive, although this method can be messy and hard to ensure all beekeepers receive equal exposure to the oil. Some beekeepers also utilize smoke cannons or electric evaporators as quick and efficient means of applying essential oils; this approach should be handled carefully to avoid burning or polluting their hives.
4. Water
Fondant is dry and won’t increase humidity in your hive like syrup does, preventing moldy colonies and yeasty growth that could eventually lead to robbing, swarms or starvation of your colony.
Prepared using the same process as 1:1 sugar/water mixtures, this paste can be used for overwinter feedings, spring feeds or blocking off queen cage entrances during queen introduction.
Fondant is a high-quality feed item made with HiveAlive in an optimal dose, plus vitamins & amino acids specially chosen to boost bee health. Perfect for feeding throughout the year but particularly recommended during autumn feeds, winter maintenance, and early spring when temperatures become too cold to consume syrup feeds directly. Furthermore, fondant can provide vital support during a cold snap when colonies need additional stores of nourishment to survive.
