Make a 10 frame candy board
To make a 10 frame honey bee candy board, you need to cut four 3/4″ thick strips of wood. You’ll also need to add about a half-inch of metal wire mesh to the bottom of the frames. The wire mesh will allow the bees to move easily through the board. Once the wire mesh is inserted, you’ll need to staple it to the bottom of the frames. The bottom layer will be covered with a piece of parchment paper. This paper will provide support and a hole to feed the bees.
You can also place AP-23 patties or homemade fondant on the candy board. This will provide extra food during colder months. This is a great way to help your honey bees during the winter. The boards will also have ventilation holes that allow moisture to escape.
To make the candy board, first make sure the sugar isn’t too wet. You should leave a little bit of space between the candy and the frames. Then, spread the mixture on the frames and smooth it over them. Be sure to leave a small hole at the top of the parchment paper so that the bees can access the sugar.
Once the sugar is in the board, you can add the inner cover to the hive. This will give the bees additional insulation while letting them breathe. You can also use a wooden shim for other beekeeping methods. Once the sugar is positioned correctly, the bees will move to the candy board feeder as soon as the weather warms up. Once the bees start collecting natural nectar, they will begin building comb.
During the winter season, the bees need to build up food stores. During this time, they spend the entire winter in a cluster around the queen, gathering heat and food to survive. The workers produce body heat to keep the hive warm, so it is important to have a steady food supply in the hive to keep them going through the cold season.
To feed the honey bees, you can put a feeder inside the hive. Feeding the bees inside the hive is possible on warm days, but the sugar can be hard and not so soft. You can also use regular sugar instead. Just be sure to use firm sugar because the bees often don’t recognize the dried version.
Make a 20 frame candy board
To make a candy board, you can use a half-inch piece of plywood. Then, you can nail a 1-inch rail around the perimeter of the plywood to create a tray. Then, place twelve roofing nails into the plywood to anchor the candy. After this, position the candy tray over the bees. Finally, cover it with a second layer of plywood and a top cover.
The bee candy is messy to make, so you may want to use wax paper to hold it in. You should also tape the edges to keep it from leaking. If you don’t tape the edges well, there’s a chance that some sugar candy will leak out. This can be a problem, even with thickened candy.
When you use candy boards, you can give your bees a treat to keep them going until their stores run out. You can also give them candy during the winter to keep them from starving. As long as the candy board is kept dry, bees will be able to live on it for several months, which can help them survive a cold winter.
You can purchase special candy boards for your bees at bee suppliers. However, you can also make your own candy boards from materials you already have. For example, some beekeepers use old bee super boxes and hives. If you use a box, cut the height down to 2 inches. Then, nail a piece of wire across the bottom of the box.
If you decide to feed your bees sugar during the winter, make sure that you don’t take out any frames until the temperature is around 40 degrees. This way, the bees won’t chill out their brood and suffocate. Also, you need to decide on emergency feeding options. If the colony doesn’t have enough honey to feed itself, you can try dry sugar. But, be sure to make sure the bees can fly outside to drink. Hard candy may be hard to find in early February.
Next, you need to prepare the sugar mixture. You should use about 15 pounds of sugar if you live in a colder region. Once the sugar mixture has cooled, you can smoothen the edges of the board using a small piece of lumber or a ruler. After 24 hours, you can remove it from the plastic container.
