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.