Track this against your own hives - free, on the web and the App Store.
Where this comes from. The National Bee Unit’s best practice guideline on feeding sugar, and its fact sheets on starvation and on preparing colonies for winter. Sources at the foot of the page.
What fondant is
Fondant, sometimes sold as baker’s fondant or candy, is a stiff paste of sucrose, glucose and fructose. Most beekeeping suppliers sell it in blocks. You can make it at home from white granulated sugar and water, but take care not to overheat the mixture. 1
When to feed it
Fondant is the winter feed. Thick syrup is for autumn, thin syrup for spring and for emergencies, and fondant for winter and very cold weather. 1
- When syrup stops working. Bees cannot process syrup in cold weather. 1 Beyond the middle of October they may not be able to store it properly, so a colony still short of honey at the end of October goes onto fondant. 3
- When a hive gets light. Heft through the winter against the weight it had once the autumn feeding was done. A colony getting noticeably lighter will probably need fondant. 3
- When the cluster is cut off from its food. If a look inside shows the cluster away from the stores, fondant can go directly above it. 1 3
It is also used for package bees, queen mating mini nuclei and queen introduction cages. 1
Fondant is a top up, not a plan. The National Bee Unit is clear that it is better to have fed enough, or left enough honey, in the autumn than to do emergency feeding in the spring. 1 Feeding for winter covers the autumn amounts.
How to put it on
- Over the feed hole. Put the block over the feed hole in the crown board, with a cut in the wrapping so the bees can get at it. 1 On a small colony, turn the crown board round so the feed hole sits over the cluster. 1
- Or on the top bars, when it is very cold. Bees can be reluctant to move up through the crown board in the cold, so in a hard spell put the fondant straight onto the top bars, with an eke or an upturned feeder over it to make room. 1 2
- Close the hive up quickly. On a cold day keep the hive open as briefly as you can, and do not knock the cluster: it may struggle to re-form. 2
What to remember afterwards
- Water. Bees need water to use fondant, and often take it from condensation inside the hive. 1 Water for bees covers the rest.
- Robbing. Fondant is taken slowly and does not excite a colony the way syrup does, which lowers the risk of robbing by bees and wasps. 1
- Take the eke off in spring. Once the bees no longer need fondant, remove any eke or feeder you used for space, or a strong colony will fill it with brace comb as it builds up. 1 2
When fondant is not enough
A colony on the brink of starvation needs feeding without delay, and bees that are already lethargic may not be able to reach a feeder at all. 2 That calls for the emergency methods in Starvation and emergency feeding, which also lists the signs to look for.
The short version
- Fondant is the winter feed. Syrup is no use to bees in the cold.
- Short of stores at the end of October, or a hive getting light in winter? Fondant.
- Block over the feed hole with a cut in the wrapping, or on the top bars under an eke when it is very cold.
- Bees need water to use it. Take the eke off in spring.
- Better still, feed enough in the autumn.
October in the apiary and November in the apiary put this in the year.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change - always check the current guidance on GOV.UK before relying on it.