to complete the sugar bricks quadrilogy, I current episode iv: a brand new hope:
episode i: I combined 12 components sugar to 1 half water and let it harden in a deep tin dish.
episode ii: i got here again a day later and threw away the bricks of dry sugar.
episode iii: I slid the sugar bricks into a few of my hives.
episode iv – I show how the identical course of can be utilized to make easier-to-slide sugar desserts utilizing small paper plates as molds. then I add some sugar desserts to a few hives. conclusion: it really works.
If I uncover hungry bees huddling excessive bars in any of my hives, I might positively select this methodology over pouring dry sugar excessive bars. I am going to nonetheless throw dry sugar excessive bars in early winter whereas the bees are within the hives and out of my means, however these no-bake sugar bricks and sugar desserts appear superb for including sugar as soon as the bees have settled. gotten up. and so they’re getting in my face. some afterthoughts… i exploit the phrases sugar desserts and sugar bricks, not sweet desserts or something sweet (though I inadvertently say sweet within the video a few instances). the sweets are made by heating sugar syrup to a excessive temperature and permitting it to harden. I do know loads of beekeepers who boil syrup and make sweet tables for his or her bees every winter. I’ll by no means make sweets for my bees. I did it as soon as and as soon as was sufficient. I would think about it is extra appropriate for large-scale beekeeping operations, however as a hobbyist beekeeper who makes a large number of my kitchen, overlook it. the heated syrup additionally creates hydroxymethylfurfural, which is definitely not that good for bees. these are two causes sufficient to take sweets off my bees’ menu.
The video above at 3:21 reveals a damaged sugar brick in one in all my hives. I incorrectly describe it because the outdated brick I put up throughout a earlier video, but it surely’s not. It is a new sugar brick that I put within the day earlier than. the earlier sugar block put within the hive about two weeks in the past was eaten by the bees after about ten days.
I’ve heard from some beekeepers that their bees do not eat dry sugar. their bees discard the sugar however don’t eat it. and I can not argue with that as a result of there’s some fact to it. Immediately I used to be cleansing useless bees from one in all my hives and half of the particles I scraped off the underside board was sugar, one thing I’ve seen many instances:
From what I do know, the block of sugar I put contained in the hive was chewed to items and fell to the underside of the hive. it is potential. it is also potential that for those who’d used sweet or fondant, the bees would eat it or ignore it, however could not bodily take away it like they’ll with dry sugar. I haven’t got sufficient expertise with fondant or sweet to know come what may. however I do know from expertise that dry sugar has saved quite a lot of of my colonies that might in any other case have starved. It appears to me that if the bees want it, they eat it. if they do not, they throw it away. I’m not saying that dry sugar, both free or in brick or cake kind, is one of the best winter feeding methodology. however it’s the least expensive, best, most handy and efficient methodology for my specific wants.
lastly, it is potential to make use of this methodology to create one thing just like sweet boards, extra like sugar boards I assume. a recipe will be discovered within the honey bee suite.
replace: I’ve since utterly switched to sugar desserts. no extra pouring powdered sugar.
