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Author Topic: Made some candy board frames.  (Read 9368 times)

Offline alfred

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Made some candy board frames.
« on: October 22, 2013, 01:54:09 am »


I wrote in another post that I was going to have to winter feed my hives.
I made these candy frames as an experiment to put into the hives. Very simple to make.

 5lbs Sugar
 3 egg whites
 3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
 Dash of lemongrass oil

 Mix in a bowl until fully incorporated should be the consistency of wet sand. Then pack tightly into frame. Let dry until hard.

 They were much easier and less time consuming to make than hard candy and the girls seem to like them just fine. It is great to be able to put them in the box like a frame. I use mediums so obviously a deep would require a larger batch.

These were inspired by Mexican sugar sculls that my wife makes for Halloween. I thought that it would be great to be able to drop the boards right into the hive like a frame. seems to work great.









Offline BlueBee

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2013, 02:03:36 am »
Nicely done!  X:X

I do hate trying to make hard candy on the stove.  How structurally sound is your candy?  Are those frames really rock hard or might they be prone to collapse over time?  I don’t know, I’m asking.  I had tried various air dried mixtures in the past without finding anything that really held together in a vertical frame. 

Offline Finski

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2013, 03:36:45 am »
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What heck are you doing!!!!

That is not winter food.

5 lbs sugar = one langstroth frame full of food.

egg, the most quick protein to rotten....and you oblige the bees eat it....Bees are not carnivores


From where you got that recipe? - Not at least from XX University Laboratory
I know all Honey bee nutrition reports from google. They are not many but no one recommend to add eggs to patty neither syrup.

Winterfeed to one langstroth box is:

REAL FINTER FOOD
20 kg sugar
pour hot water to the same level what is sugar level
mix
feed from several litre feeding box
« Last Edit: October 22, 2013, 03:53:00 am by Finski »
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Offline Finski

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2013, 03:40:41 am »
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Egg white

66% out of egg's mass
10% protein


http://www.fineli.fi/food.php?foodid=852&lang=en
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Offline charlie b

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2013, 07:07:40 am »
I can't see a good reason to use corn syrup. With all the debate about it in the forums, and from keepers, why flirt with i? IF one has to feed sugar at all, I suggest sticking with white sugar and forget all the fancy stuff like eggs, and all that...Go for healthy, natural bee food and bees. We need to get our bees back to nature.......There is enough colony collapse out there. Why create a "new" opportunity?

Offline GSF

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2013, 07:44:19 am »
Alfred,

I got some extra band aids for those knots on your head if you need them.., ;)

I would have thought it was a good idea but having just a few months experience I would have ask folks here as well.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline Finski

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2013, 07:50:24 am »
Sugar has nothing wrong as Winter food.
but what is important is that coloy is able TO store pollen into Combs.
honey has only energy. Other nutritients are in pollen.
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Offline T Beek

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2013, 07:54:46 am »
I can't see a good reason to use corn syrup. With all the debate about it in the forums, and from keepers, why flirt with i? IF one has to feed sugar at all, I suggest sticking with white sugar and forget all the fancy stuff like eggs, and all that...Go for healthy, natural bee food and bees. We need to get our bees back to nature.......There is enough colony collapse out there. Why create a "new" opportunity?

Although I genuinely like the concept of feeding directly with filled frames of sugar I must agree with charlie b, bluebee and even..........the Fin......in this case anyway, although his delivery.................. :-D  still needs work.

Sugar and water or sugar, water and honey.  That's all I'm putting in my hives...besides me.
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Offline Sour Kraut

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2013, 09:35:39 am »
Good grief.....it surely looks like several folks got out of bed on the wrong side !

Alfred:   If it works and they took the feed.....that's what counts

S K

Offline T Beek

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2013, 09:50:52 am »
Good grief.....it surely looks like several folks got out of bed on the wrong side !

Alfred:   If it works and they took the feed.....that's what counts

S K

No offense is intended here but there is no logical reason to 'force' feed honeybees an animal based protein.   They consume enough bad stuff w/out our help (and plenty with our help).  

Put some sugar on it and bees will eat almost anything, to include things not necessarily good for them.

Keep in mind that everyone on this forum has one common goal; the well-being of our and your bees.  Often times, typing on the web lacks the sort of empathetic compassion reserved for face to face conversations, a 'fly in the internet ointment' if you will.  

But push on we must :) as lovers of honeybees.
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Offline Finski

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2013, 10:48:44 am »
Good grief.....it surely looks like several folks got out of bed on the wrong side !

Alfred:  If it works and they took the feed.....that's what counts

S K

If they take the feed, all hives may die!

What is the matter with you guys: YOu recommend others to something what you have never done yourself!

Is that POSITIVE attitude or " NO RESPONSIBILYTY"

Good heavens, Nice palls really!!!

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Offline alfred

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2013, 11:09:39 am »
Wow, I had no idea that this would be so controversial!

The recipe is one that it used to make Mexican Sugar Skulls. The mixture dries to a rock-like hardness which is why I tried it. I was going to make candy boards and thought that this would be easier than all of that cooking.

As to the egg going bad. I have sugar skulls that are several years old and show no signs of mold or decay and still as hard as a rock. The purpose of the egg is to cement the sugar together, it was not added as a protein source. The fact that it does have protein is maybe a plus, regardless I have no concern over the egg going bad.

The corn syrup is in such a negligible amount 2 tablespoons per 5lbs of sugar I can hardly imagine that it is a problem. Like the egg it is added to help stick the mixture together and is in very small amounts.

Offline alfred

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2013, 11:22:39 am »
I put the frames down on some foil on top of a board when I was packing in the sugar. You want to pack the sugar in really hard, pressing with the palms of your hands to get it as dense as possible. This way you get a very hard result.

The next batch I do I was thinking of putting in wire to give it better structural integrity.

Offline Finski

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2013, 12:00:40 pm »

The mixture dries to a rock-like hardness which is why I tried it.
 

I do not know about your winter. But if there are snow in ground, bees cannot eate dry sugar or rock sugar. They need to get water outside that they can lick the sugar.

When I give pollen patty in April, bees can eate it only if they get water outside.
In the morning it is often that bees not bite the patty, but in afternoon they have got enough water and hundreds of bees are eating the stuff.

I put into patty fructoise. It takes moisture from hive air and keep the patty soft.

If I give too early patty, and bees do not get water, larvae get very bad chalkbrood.
If bees do not get water during one week, all larvae will be destroyed.


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Offline Finski

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #14 on: October 22, 2013, 12:06:52 pm »
The purpose of the egg is to cement the sugar together, 

What about when the cement gets moisture and it leaks onto bottom board and gets more condensation water.

What is your bet about smell?

If I have urgent lack of food in hives, I pour 66% syrup directly into combs.
If bees need a good dosage, I put 10 kg sugar as syrup into combs.  Then I put the frames into extra box and the box under the brood box. It takes a week when bees move the sugar up.

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Offline RHBee

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #15 on: October 22, 2013, 01:45:47 pm »

If I have urgent lack of food in hives, I pour 66% syrup directly into combs.
If bees need a good dosage, I put 10 kg sugar as syrup into combs.  Then I put the frames into extra box and the box under the brood box. It takes a week when bees move the sugar up.



Thanks for another beekeeping tidbit Finski. I like it.
Later,
Ray

Offline T Beek

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #16 on: October 22, 2013, 03:41:26 pm »

If I have urgent lack of food in hives, I pour 66% syrup directly into combs.
If bees need a good dosage, I put 10 kg sugar as syrup into combs.  Then I put the frames into extra box and the box under the brood box. It takes a week when bees move the sugar up.



Thanks for another beekeeping tidbit Finski. I like it.

Oh yes!  I use a paint brush to put syrup into empty comb when needed and cold.
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Offline Finski

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #17 on: October 22, 2013, 05:48:47 pm »

Oh yes!  I use a paint brush to put syrup into empty comb when needed and cold.

You do that....a water pistol is better. If you get a hit into a cell.

I pour from jug
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Offline RHBee

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #18 on: October 22, 2013, 07:00:56 pm »

Oh yes!  I use a paint brush to put syrup into empty comb when needed and cold.

You do that....a water pistol is better. If you get a hit into a cell.

I pour from jug

Sounds like a great way to feed a starving colony in the spring or any time of year down here in the south. Do you think that the same delivery method could be used to feed pollen substitute? Say, mix mega bee in the syrup or dust with brewers yeast? Just asking.
But, not to deviate from the OP, this still qualifies as frame feeding techniques right?

I had another thought, if you don't have drawn comb, how about using a box full of Permacomb as a feeder? As Finski said, filled with sugar syrup, under the brood, bees move the syrup where they need it. Leave it there for a week then remove.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2013, 07:11:25 pm by RHBee »
Later,
Ray

Offline alfred

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Re: Made some candy board frames.
« Reply #19 on: October 23, 2013, 11:47:51 am »
More thoughts,

Just for clarities sake the inclusion of egg whites was not for the purpose of nutrition, it is used as a glue to make the mixture stick and harden. The amount of egg is negligible, only 2 egg whites per 5lbs of sugar.

The same goes for the corn syrup. There is only 2 tablespoons per 5lbs of sugar.

Brewer’s yeast, milk powder, soy flour are common ingredients in pollen substitute, Crisco is used in wintergreen patties, and corn syrup is an ingredient in fondant. Don’t see how this mixture is too much different in terms of containing foreign protein, fats, and corn syrup.

Alfred

 

anything