1:1 Sugar Syrup (Spring)
- 4 lbs sugar
- 1/2 gallon water (approx. 4.17 lbs)
- 2 tsp Honey B Healthy
Heat water to melt sugar and remove from heat. Mix well until dissolved and add Honey B Healthy while cooling. Allow to cool to room temperature. Serve to bees using feeder of choice. This syrup will stimulate wax building, brood rearing and colony production.
2:1 Sugar Syrup (Fall)
- 8 lbs sugar
- 1/2 gallon water (approx. 4.17 lbs)
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Heat water to melt sugar and remove from heat. Mix well until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature. Serve to bees using feeder of choice. This syrup will stimulate storage of feed into cells as part of winter prep. Avoid essential oils / Honey B Healthy to decrease robbing.
Pollen Patties (Spring)
- 1 lb of dry pollen substitute
- 1 3/4 cup cold water
- 4 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1 tsp Honey B Healthy
Heat water and melt the sugar to make a syrup. Take off heat and allow to cool. Add honey-b healthy. In a separate bowl, gradually mix pollen substitute and syrup together. Keep adding pollen substitute and syrup while mixing until the mixture reaches the consistency of peanut butter. Measure desired weights of patties and place on wax paper. Feed patties on top of frames and centered on the cluster of bees. Store extra patties in freezer and bring to room temperature before feeding.
Sugar Cake / Sugar Block (Winter)
- 5 lbs sugar
- 1 cup cold water
- 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Honey B Healthy
Mix together in large pot. Pour mixture in disposable pie or cookie sheets. Place in over with light on (no heat). Content will turn into a hard block of sugar. No cooking required.
Fondant (Winter)
- 4 cups of water
- pinch of salt
- 10 lbs sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Honey B Healthy
Heat water and salt first. Add half the sugar while constantly stirring, then the other half when dissolved. Heat mixture to 234 degrees for soft-ball. Add cream of tartar at 220. Constantly stir mixture. Once temperature is reached, take off the heat and cool to 215. Whip/mix for 5 minutes with beater till white in color (not required, but makes a less dense fondant). Add honey-b-healthy and/or pollen substitute (if desired) during mixing. Pour into disposable pie plates or cookie sheets. Let sit so it hardens / cools before cutting into desired sizes for your hives. Wrap in wax paper and store in the freezer until needed. Let fondant come to room temperature before feeding it to the bees. Yields about 11 lbs of fondant.