Candy boards (commonly referred to as sugar pats) can be an efficient means of feeding honey bees during winter. This device should be placed over the inner cover and often takes its place.
There are various recipes for candy boards, some requiring cooking while others include various ingredients. For a basic board, follow this straightforward approach:
Contents
How to Make a Candy Board
Candy boards are winter feeds designed to provide bees with food, ventilation and insulation during their overwintering season. Made out of wire mesh boxes filled with sugar candy that feature upper entrance/exit points (akin to an inner cover), candy boards can either be DIY-ed or purchased.
Most beekeepers add a small amount of pollen substitute to the recipe to increase bee food values and help their colony through long and bitter Winters. Doing this once every year may make all the difference for colonies that depend on pollinated flowers for food.
This can be achieved in several ways; one such approach involves placing a frame with a 5/8″ hole into an 8 or 10-frame box and cutting an access tunnel on one of its short sides for bees to access it. Once this box has been wrapped around, beekeepers can check on it in January to see if all their bees have made their way up towards their candy board.
Materials
Candy boards provide food, ventilation and upper insulation to your bees during winter, making their lives easier. Building one is easy using materials you have available – some beekeepers use premade forms from stores selling beekeeping supplies; but creating your own candy board with wire mesh sheets that sit atop your hive should suffice.
Some beekeepers use a small strip of wood across each frame in the hive when installing their candy boards to prevent it from sagging onto them and impeding bee movement. You could also set the board on an even surface like Corelle counter saver or plywood; you can even create an exit notch on one short side so bees can reach their candy more quickly.
Preparation
There are various methods of creating candy boards. While some require cooking the sugar, which takes time and creates an enormous mess in the kitchen, others use bags of sugar which is much simpler and cleaner.
Before setting out a candy board for your colony and bees, it is crucial that you first assess its size and food stores. Otherwise, adding too early could lead to them devouring it before their food stores have diminished sufficiently.
Some beekeepers feed winter-blend or low-protein pollen patties during the winter to their colonies in case their stores run low due to unpredictable winter conditions. Other beekeepers opt for setting out candy boards in case the bees require supplementing their stores; candy boards provide food sources, ventilation, insulation and an entrance/exit which will help your bees remain healthier during this season.
Installation
As ventilation is key to keeping bees healthy, you don’t want your candy board to block too much airflow in your hive’s inner cover. Blocking off corners with pieces of wood or mason jars covered by wax paper provides access while managing moisture without completely blocking up an entrance hole.
I have found that sugar mixes are easier to work with if water is added gradually rather than all at once, as this prevents harmful compounds such as HMF from forming that could harm bees.
When is the ideal time and place for me to install candy boards? That depends on both the amount of honey stored in your beehives as well as weather conditions in your region. Brood rearing begins during winter and peaks in spring; providing your bees with additional food sources during this period can provide additional food sources and increase energy levels, providing them with enough resources and strength for their busy season ahead.
