Mmmmmm Candy

Looks like old man Winter isn't quite going to give up so easy this spring. While temperatures are still fairly mild, it looks like there will be on and off flurries for the next week or so. It won't really get nice until early April. The bees have been stuck in their boxes for nearly 6 months now and food will be running low. On the bright side, it has been warm enough for them to break cluster and move around the hive to get at all their stored honey.

To help prevent starvation issues there are a few things a beekeeper can do. The most obvious is to provide a liquid form of food, either honey or sugar syrup. People that live in southern regions wouldn't have issues with this, but up here in the cold temperatures that syrup will quickly turn into a solid block of ice. Us northerners need a dry option that won't be so hard to access for the bees.

The Mountain Camp method is a simple and basic way to do this. With this method you add an empty super on top of the hive, place a piece of newspaper over cluster and then pour dry sugar on top. The newspaper acts as a barrier preventing the sugar from flowing freely down into the hive. The bees will then chew small sections away from the newspaper and feed off the sugar. The sugar also acts as a moisture absorbant preventing any condensation from dripping back onto the bees.

A slightly more complex method is to cook up some candy boards. To make candy boards, you take 2 cups of water and 5 pounds of sugar and cook them to approximately 240°F. After it cools it will result in a hard board that is much easier to work with than loose sugar. You can also add vinegar/acid to the process which will invert the sugars into glucose and fructose which is easier for the bees to digest. These boards also have the moisture absorption properties of the mountain camp method, but have the added benefit of being easier to remove once the bees start gathering their own nectar. Here is a quick run down of my candy making experience.


Materials Required. 2.5 lbs of sugar, 1 cup of water, candy thermometer, electric mixer, pot, and pan with parchment paper. (essential oils optional)


Add everything to pot on high heat. If you want to invert the sugar, add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or cider/white vinegar.


Bring to boil at 240°F, the temperature will plateau at certain points like 230°F but given time it will slowly start to rise again.


Once 240°F is reached, remove from heat and let cool to around 200°F. Using the hand mixer, beat the mixture briefly every 2 or 3 minutes. Once the mixture starts to crystallize and is a smooth white semi liquid paste, pour into the sheet pan and let harden.

The Bee Dr. Is In

Good Almost-spring day to everyone!

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable end of winter. It's finally looking like there is light at the end of the tunnel here in Edmonton. We just made it past a nasty cold snap at the start of March and things are looking warmer for the next week or so. Hopefully it will melt all this snow we have, the snow is making things feel more depressing despite how much has already melted away


I was a tad concerned about the recent cold snap so when it was nice and warm yesterday, about 2°C, I went to ensure the girls were still alright. To my pleasure things looked great. They was a lot of activity at the top entrance as everyone was out enjoying the sun. I took this opportunity to test out a method of checking on hives during cold weather, despite being obvious from the activity they were doing extremely well. The method is meant more for checking during colder weather when there is no sign of activity at all. My nurse friend was kind enough to snag me a spare stethoscope. The premise is simple, using the stethoscope you listen for the gentle hum of the cluster. With my curiosity peaked, I tested it out yesterday. The hum was extremely loud due to all the activity but the method seemed to work well regardless of all the extra wrapping Mario had added to the hive. If it does get really cold again, I'll have to go test it out then to see if I can hear anything when the bees are clustered more tightly.

I also took the opportunity to find my smoker yesterday. I was searching all over my garage without a trace and then I remember I use to store it beneath the wood pile next to my hive at the bee yard, I must have left it there. If such was the case, I would have to remove it before the snow started to melt causing it to rust. The only thing that lay between it and myself was a waist high snow bank......


Let this be a lesson to always keep your smoker in a safe and dry place, although it did bring back fond memories of building snow forts as a kid.


The speckled landscape of bee poop....lots and lots of bee poop.


Girls gotta stick together as my wife helps out a stranded bee.

This week I'll be making some candy boards to put on top of the hive in the next week or so. Food stores will be getting towards the low end and the bees will need something to feed on until the snow melts and the dandelions bloom. Check back soon for pics and instructions on how to get that done.

I'd also like to thank my wife for another great artistic picture of me in the bee yard. Check it out on the main page, it will be a great alternate "About Me" picture during the winter months.