fondant for the bees

[Marion]

I made my fondant yesterday  and when I brought it out to the hive, I realized I had made it too thick. I had to break it up and put it on a piece of paper on top of the frames in order for it to fit between the frames and the inner cover. Next time I will pour it into the molds at 1/2 in. or less thickness.

[LazyBkpr]

heheh  It happens!!
   I have the reversible inner covers that have one side 2" deep it saves me a little pain..

[brooksbeefarm]

I made 3in. and 4in. shims for this purpose, ( for fondant, and mountain camp). I also use them for queen rearing. Jack

[riverbee]

marion, shims are good for this purpose, i use a 2" shim, you can make them yourself, but here is a thread for reference:

Mountain Camp Rim Feeder

[Marion]

OK, I made a shim and put the insulation in it above the inner cover. I should have put the shim for the fondant and then insulation on top of the inner cover. The problem is, I need a shim above the inner cover so that the outer cover does not obstruct the bees upper exit.

[Marion]

Thanks Riverbee, I ordered a shim.

[kebee]

 If you put solid insulation in you could just cut a i/2 inch by 1/2 inch strip down the insulation to the center board opening for some air space.

Ken

[lazy shooter]

I have tried the mountain camp method of feeding and sugar candy.  I've never had success with either.  I liked it, but the bees didn't.  I intend to always leave enough honey.  Feeding = bah humbug.  Having built your confidence , i want to say good luck.  If your bees are new this year and they don't have enough stores then feeding is a necessary evil.  Were I you, I would look to the internet and purchase a small amount of fondant, or if you are near a Sams or Coctco you can buy it direct. 

[riverbee]

marion, this is how most of us do it,
the 2 "shim directly on top the 2nd deep hive body, inner cover, then your insulation, then outer cover.

"The problem is, I need a shim above the inner cover so that the outer cover does not obstruct the bees upper exit."
marion do your outer covers fit tight on the inner cover which obstructs the upper entrance?

if it is tight, push it from the back as far forward as you can......sometimes i get outer covers that really annoy me with the tight fit.

[LazyBkpr]

I have tried the mountain camp method of feeding and sugar candy.  I've never had success with either.  I liked it, but the bees didn't.  I intend to always leave enough honey.  Feeding = bah humbug.  Having built your confidence , i want to say good luck.  If your bees are new this year and they don't have enough stores then feeding is a necessary evil.  Were I you, I would look to the internet and purchase a small amount of fondant, or if you are near a Sams or Coctco you can buy it direct.

   Shooter..  even WELL established colonies can benefit. With the extreme in temps last winter I would have lost all 17 hives if I had decided the "normal" 100 lbs of honey on the hives was enough..  I agree, in a normal winter they WOULD have been fine, but it was not a normal winter. I had GOOD bees in all but one hive. it was a cut out, a dink I wanted to give a chance.. it died a couple inches from capped honey. The rest of my hives went straight UP, they did not venture outward to get ALL the reserves, it was too cold. If they had net been fed sugar they would have starved WELL before I checked on them. They left 60 + pounds of honey BEHIND as they went up and tore into the sugar. They ate better than three pounds of it before it warmed up enough for them to get to the honey left in the hives..
   If my bees dont need the sugar, I lose nothing. I use it to make syrup in the spring. If it turns out they did need it and I didnt give it to them... well, then shame on me. Their loss is my fault.
   The biggest mistake I see experienced beekeepers make, is that they do NOT prepare for the worst.. they get into the habit of preparing for normal, and then mother nature will kick them in the teeth and kill their bees.

[brooksbeefarm]

Same hear Lazy, i totally agree, something i rarely do with perry and squirt.  Jack

[barry42001]

I also have reversible inner covers I have cut a upper entrance in the deep side about 4 inches wide the full height of the rim. Wintertime I reverse it. In your case if you push the telescoping outer cover from behind, as far forward as you can, will create enough clearance for the bees to use your upper entrances. I live in central Florida, relatively mild winters are the order of the day. 20 - 25 days that will see temperatures below 32 degrees for a couple of hours.like Lazy, I put feed under deep side on top of frames.

[Marion]

Yes, Riverbee, my outer cover is a pretty tight fit and the inner cover is skinny. When I got this hive it did not have an upper exit so I carved one out of one side of the inner cover. The inner cover is the same depth on both sides. So, I will put a shim under it for the fondant and one over it for the insulation which will leave the upper exit open.

[riverbee]

thanks barry, thanks marion.

i have had to replace several of my outer covers, did so early last summer.  i think this was mentioned somewhere else on the forum, i think G3 may have had the same problem. i put the new outer covers together to find they fit so tight, when the outer cover is removed, it pulls the inner cover off with it, and the bees can't use the upper entrance in my inner cover.  not sure if these are being made smaller or what, but it is annoying and i have had to sand them down.

[LazyBkpr]

I no longer purchase commercial inner covers for that reason..  I make my inner covers 1/4 inch wider and longer than the commercial telescoping covers. When wood warps, splits, twists or swells from moisture the commercial tele covers can becomemore of a pain than they are worth.   Add in building our own boxes out of scrap wood.. often if using older boards they are thicker than 3/4 inch, so extra clearance on the tele cover is necessary.   Its always good to leave a bit of room to grow.

[Perry]

I no longer purchase commercial inner covers for that reason..  I make my inner covers 1/4 inch wider and longer than the commercial telescoping covers. When wood warps, splits, twists or swells from moisture the commercial tele covers can becomemore of a pain than they are worth.   Add in building our own boxes out of scrap wood.. often if using older boards they are thicker than 3/4 inch, so extra clearance on the tele cover is necessary.  Its always good to leave a bit of room to grow.

And that is precisely why I have extra notches in my belt.

[lazy shooter]

I no longer purchase commercial inner covers for that reason..  I make my inner covers 1/4 inch wider and longer than the commercial telescoping covers. When wood warps, splits, twists or swells from moisture the commercial tele covers can becomemore of a pain than they are worth.   Add in building our own boxes out of scrap wood.. often if using older boards they are thicker than 3/4 inch, so extra clearance on the tele cover is necessary.  Its always good to leave a bit of room to grow.

And that is precisely why I have extra notches in my belt.

me too,

[LazyBkpr]

   I done ran out of notches.. time for a new belt!