Feeding your hives in the winter can become critical. If the bee’s did not bring in enough nectar to put away as honey in the fall (or if there is little fall flow) then the bee’s may starve to death in the winter time. So it may be necessary to add what is called a candy board on top of the frames so that they have a supplement emergency food.
This recipe brought to us by SIBA (Southeastern Indiana Beekeepers Association) http://www.indianahoney.org/ is a cold method of mixing sugar and water. Packing it into the frame, and allowing it to dry.
The recipe below is simple to do.
What you will need:
10-15#’s of sugar is enough to fill a 10 frame candy board, cold water, HBH (Honey Bee Healthy) or white vinegar (both optional)
Every 5# of sugar you need 6oz of water. 1tsp of HBH per 5#
Mix half of the water with your sugar into a bucket or some sort of container. Then mix the other half of water. Lay tissue paper or similar in the bottom of your candy board, allowing room for air around it either at the edges or in the middle. Form the sugar into your candy board, and allow it to dry for a couple of days.
And your done.
Get just the right amount of water