A winter candy board is an easy and efficient way to provide your honeybees with sustenance during the coldest months. Not only will it prevent starvation, but it’ll save you money in the spring too –
Wintertime, bees tend to deplete their food stores quickly. If the hive does not have enough honey available for them to consume, starvation could ensue.
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Bees will eat it
Honey bees require food during the winter months in order to survive. If your area does not have many honey stores available, placing a winter candy board inside your hive can provide them with plenty of nourishment.
Making sugar candy boards online can be done in many different ways. Some require cooking the syrup, while others do not.
Cooked sugar recipes involve boiling water and then adding granulated sugar, usually reaching a temperature of 240 degrees Fahrenheit.
For cooked sugar recipes, add a splash of vinegar to the water to prevent mold growth and serve as an antifungal.
Once the sugar mixture has been boiled, carefully pour it into your candy board. Be mindful not to make the syrup too soupy as otherwise it will run out of the tray.
Bees will not eat it
Winter candy boards for bees serve a primary purpose; to provide them with extra food during the long, cold winter. Bees can become starving without some form of sustenance for several months, so providing them with extra nourishment during this period is often what causes death.
A winter candy board is a solid block of sugar that bees can chew on. It should be placed directly atop the highest box in a hive, just beneath its outer cover.
Candy boards are typically created using a mixture of corn sugar and water that has been boiled for a short amount of time, then allowed to cool before pouring into an hive.
Some beekeepers also utilize a no-cook candy board recipe that does not involve boiling the sugar. This method of construction is much simpler and eliminates the potential risk of burns or mold caused by boiling.
Winter candy boards for bees are a safe, healthy, and efficient way to feed them during the winter. It’s especially important if there isn’t enough honey available throughout their period of need.
Bees will not feed on it
Bees spend winter huddling together around their queen, producing body heat to keep everyone warm and cozy. Furthermore, they store up food (combs of honey or solid sugar) as they endure through the longest nectar dearth of the year.
Many beekeepers use a candy board for bees during the winter season to extend their stores of nectar. This 2′ tall board contains hardened sugar that bees can consume as needed.
However, if the sugar is too moist or warm, it will liquefy and not all bees may eat it. That’s why some beekeepers place a piece of dry paper beneath their board to protect it from moisture damage.
Kevin and Grant designed a system that includes a special screened box to fit over the candy board, burlap and cedar chips to absorb moisture, as well as space beneath inner and telescoping covers to insert this material.
Bees will feed on it
When a colony consumes its honey too quickly in autumn, it’s time for winter feed. Bees use extra sugar as energy until plants provide them with sufficient nectar again in springtime.
A winter candy board can be purchased premade or you can craft one yourself using materials already on hand. If you opt to DIY, be sure to construct a frame that will fit your bee box perfectly.
Once your frame is built, add pollen patties for extra nutrition during wintertime. This is an effective way to provide your bees with protein and other essential nutrients.
As an alternative winter feed option for your bees, you can offer them combs of capped honey. This is much safer and less messy than making candy.
