How To Make Candy Boards For Overwintering Honey Bees

[@nickathanas3937]

Kind regards from Greece. Thank you for the information you provided about the board and the candy. I will try it out this winter and see how it goes.

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

So glad you found it helpful. Hope it goes well for you over winter. Thanks for watching & commenting!

[@peppershake414]

Thanks so much for the simple easy to understand directions. I was wondering if I could put a patty on sugar boards. I have read that you should use a winter party as a pollen patty would trick them into thinking they need to do spring stuff. Thanks.

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

So glad it was a helpful video. Yes, you can change it up and put something else in there. We have found that they don’t really get to the pollen patty until the end of winter where we are and some never even eat it at all. Good luck with your bees! Thanks for watching.

[@entweetlefamily]

Will small hive beetle lay larvae in the pollen patty throughout the winter and early spring? Also, thank you so very much for taking the time to make this video! It is perfect and so helpful.

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

You are so welcome! We are glad it’s helpful to you. We have not had that issue with hive beetle. If you are concerned about it, you can leave it out and just do the sugar and that would be just fine. Good luck with your bees! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@bernadettegrisham676]

Do you have a picture of it in the hive?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

I will look through my photos and see what I can find.

[@scaldiej]

Hello there and thank you for the video. What size is the hole you drill? Is it small enough so mice don't get in there or do you put wire screen over the hole? Also, do you use an inner cover between the candy board and the outside cover?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Hi there! 5/8” is the hole size. We never battled mice, thankfully. We did use the inner cover as well. Thanks for watching. Good luck with your bees.

[@scaldiej]

Thank you 👍🏻

[@chips4289]

is that the ingredients for 2 candy frames or just 1? I want to do this for my bees this year

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Hi there! The recipe is for two boards. Thanks for watching & commenting. Good luck with your bees.

[@Diggy86]

It works better if you cut holes in the bottom of the screen so the bees can come right up from the frames and eat without having to go to the outside of the hive to come back in another box just to eat..

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

The candy board has a mesh like you would use in a rabbit hutch or chicken coop, so the bees have access from inside the hive. The bees will just eat through the paper and then go through the mesh to eat the candy board. No need to cut holes. Thanks for watching & commenting.

[@thetravelinghappyhour182]

Could you flavor the water with fruit or flowers?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

You could but they are drawn to that candy board without it. There is a pollen patty in it and that is what they are looking for.

[@yulebones]

Hi there! I've a question about the pollen patty. I've read that pollen patties fed during winter will stimulate brood rearing, which can lead to even faster depletion of food stores. Do you find that this has ever happened with your boards? Or do they not typically reach the pollen patty until early spring when it would not be much of an issue?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Typically they eat the candy board and leave the pollen patty til last. Each year we have some colonies that really use the boards and others that just nibble here and there. We do feel they are necessary to have though. Thanks for watching & commenting.

[@rogerhosmer6684]

So will the bees have to eat through the wax paper to get to the sugar

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Great question. They will easily chew through the wax paper if needed but there is a hole we created in the frame of the candy board for the bees to come and go through. Thanks for watching.

[@KristinHanko]

how much water and vinegar?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Thank you for the question. You can find the recipe in the video description. It’s 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar and 3 cups water. Thanks for watching.

[@jayriley4849]

What are the dimensions of the boards? Length specifically.

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Not sure of the exact dimensions but we built them to fit our 8 frame medium supers. Sits right on top the boxes under the top lid. Hope gar helps. Thanks for watching.

[@melihtunaaksu2621]

Hello, how does the application of this bee bait work?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

The candy boards are set onto the top of the hive boxes under the lids. These are to feed our colonies during winter the winter months. It helps our bees survive through the long cold winters. Thanks for watching.

[@christinariley6189]

Can you show how to put candy board in the hive?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Hi there. The candy board stacks on top the box and then you put the lid on top the candy box. Super easy and convenient. Thanks for watching & commenting.

[@michaelkidd6080]

Vinegar?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Hi there! The vinegar in our recipe lowers the ph of the candy to be more like honey. Thanks for watching.

[@ilovevideostories]

Do you take the wax paper out when it hardens?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Thanks for the question. No need to remove it. The bees eat right through it with no issue.

[@LeifSorensen-w8b]

Do you remove the wax paper so the bees can access the candy board from the bottom?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Hi there! Nope, we leave the wax paper on. The bees chew through it easily to access the candy board. Thanks for watching & commenting.

[@jhutto3814]

Do you guys feed your native bees during the winter as well?

[@OurWeekendHomestead]

Good question. The bees die off at the end of the season. What they leave are their larvae in the reeds. We will harvest the cocoons and set them back out come springtime when they are ready to emerge. Thanks for watching and for the great question.