🔵Quick Sugar Brick Recipe - Kamon Reynolds

[@kamonreynolds]

Here is the trays. If you are using a 1.5 inch feeder rim do not fill them all the way. If you are using a shallow super or bigger between the 2 trays over 10lbs can be used. www.amazon.com/shop/tennessees-bees

[@joecollins3704]

Thank you so much for this, it worked great! I used 4lb. bags of sugar, so I used a little less than half a cup of water and just put it in our Kitchenaid mixer. It Mixed up great, then after pressing the mixture in the tin pan, I put in in the oven for four hours. Our ovens only go down to 170 degrees, but that still worked out perfectly. They held the form and each one was a nice addition to the top of a hive we thought did not quite have enough stores for winter. This was much easier than a lot of the recipes out there.

[@kamonreynolds]

Your welcome and thanks for the feedback! There are many recipes that get complicated but all bees really need is sucrose via sugar syrup in fall or a more solid form like this for emergency feeding in winter.

[@kathyhathaway8823]

Just a quick note to maybe help you save a little money in this day and time . I have tried different heating times . I put mine in the oven for a hour an a half and that harden it up just as good as a few hours an that is at 170 degrees in the oven . Good luck on your bees .

[@terrim.602]

Do you have a general beekeeping activity calendar posted? I'm in a different climate, but you make sooo much sense! I have a new mentor but he's super busy with pollenation out of state. I love how you and your wife work together and how much you love honey bees! Thank you!!!! I

[@paulchristu996]

Found a big section of lattice fence on the roadside; took it home, pulled the nails, had enough 3/4 x 2” to knock out about 15 of those feeder rims. One thing I do with the sugar bricks, since I put them on top of the frames and hate crushing a bunch of bees if they’re up there, is stick a couple of 1/4” dowels or chopsticks in them when molding the bricks, at a shallow angle, so just about 1/4” is sticking out of the top. That side goes underneath when brick is inserted. Gives just a little room between brick and top bar. It’s my impression (right or wrong?) that the bees don’t “eat” the sugar, but suck out the sugar-saturated moisture (syrup) that forms from bricks absorbing humidity or dripping from the inner cover. Good vid, Thanks!

[@Penthor]

Yep, no such thing as scrap wood:)

[@paulawaldrep3760]

Even less cold weather down here in South Texas, but my kids loved me cooking on the Wood Stove!! When ever they would smell brush burning they would say "It smells like winter" lol :)

[@235112347]

I use a 12:1 sugar to water mixture and 1 tsp of vitaminBHealthy. My bees love it! The baking is key.

[@ellenl.5581]

In the early 50's before there was acid rain {or parents knew about it} mom had us 5 little kids, ages 6, 5.5 me, 4.11, 4 and 3, gather up clean snow. She mixed it with eagle brand and vanilla. Never knew ice cream existed until I was grown.

[@nashvlbees]

I remember that. Just don't use the yellow snow!

[@bryanzavada4926]

I cannot believe any information in this video, as there are no cats supervising Kamon! JK These bricks are great! I saw them a couple videos ago and they are already on a couple of my light colonies. They're a good middle ground between dry sugar and fondant.

[@Mackabees]

I did mountain camp this year, but you convinced me to change to sugar bricks next year.

[@deanscott8289]

Up north here in Canada the sugar cakes are food insurance too. We can go months without being able to open our hives because of the cold.

[@waynerichardson1472]

I bought a cheap cement mixer from harbor freight and mounted fan to dry mixture works great

[@lennelonge2626]

Thanks for the information! Sure will come in handy! Thanks!!

[@aarondlancaster]

Would love to see a video on how you expect feeding over the winter to play out in the southeast with la Nina this year

[@russsherwood5978]

ai love honey 1st., strong pepper mint candy 2nd., thank ya fer the video,10 thumbs-up

[@OkieRob]

I make some up and store them in a tote so I have them on hand if needed. They are still good the next year if I don't use them.

[@petergatehouse5260]

Hi Kamon, I assume your temperature of 160-180 degrees is Fahrenheit not Celcius, I'm in Australia..... cheers Peter

[@kamonreynolds]

yessir Fahrenheit!

[@joer5627]

That was water in that Mason Jar? I had to supplement feeding like this on a few hives last year that were light. It made a difference, I think. This year I took your advice and loaded them up with 2:1 syrup during the dearth.

[@braegarden6478]

Fantastic video dude will be giving this a whirl this year terrible drought this year in south east Australia 😪

[@b-manhoneyco.beesupply2845]

Solid advice !

[@matthewalexander9716]

Kamon, you mentioned in your video, it's not a good idea to feed sugar blocks if you're adding honey supers. As a newbee it was my understanding that bees would store sugar water and eat granulated sugar blocks. Are you saying that bees will process and store the granulated sugar blocks as they would nectar?

[@magicvalleybees]

Do you place the sugar brick directly on top of the frames or on a piece of newspaper?

[@kamonreynolds]

Directly onto the frames

[@offshoot1008]

I look forward to all your videos. How long will one of those patties last in one hive? Approximately? I know it depends on the hive supplies.

[@kamonreynolds]

A strong colony in mild weather can eat one in 10 days or so. Maybe 2 weeks. Lots of variables

[@lindafoofoo]

I made sugar bricks using apple cider vinegar. I packed the mix into a 9x12x1" baking pan. Packed the mix well into the pan and then placed in my oven on "dehydrator" setting, 150 degrees. Left in for a day, but middle was still soft. Put back in for another 12 hours. I noticed that the bricks have a light brown color, like they have started to caramelize. do you think these are ok to feed to the bees?

[@BriannaWentz-xs3st]

Where do you put this in your hive?

[@davesbees.4001]

I always put sugar cakes on my hives jus for a reassurance.

[@terrim.602]

Do you take them off when it's close to honey making time?

[@davesbees.4001]

@@terrim.602if there's anything left I will but by spring they've ate it all usually.

[@planbeeapiaries]

Thanks Kamon, now I know why my bees chucked most of the sugar out.

[@donniemiddleton3703]

Can you store the sugar bricks to use them later?

[@inharmonywithearth9982]

Yes they last forever

[@jAxRacingLofts]

Funny ya posted this now...I just watched a few videos earlier (Barnyard Bees / The Fat Beeman) showing an emulsion solution of essential Tea tree oil, Peppermint oil, Spearmint oil as an additive and Fat Beeman adds drops of Lemongrass oil to his sugar additive. I watched your video and see you don't find it necessary but have you ever tried it? And if so did it have negative impact? Or did you find no difference to just straight sugar?

[@kamonreynolds]

Never noticed any difference. What we do know about essential oils is that they naturally kill things and at certain concentrations they can lower the life span of the bee. Many youtubers create "special blends" that work wonders. However, my bees do just fine without them. Not even honeybee healthy has any research to prove that it works or helps. Healthy bees don't need feeding stimulants. Essential oils may do some good BUT we have too little research on this topic I hope to experiment with them in the future.

[@jAxRacingLofts]

@@kamonreynolds It's kinda crazy to decipher what's legit and what's not in proper bee keeping. I know there's 101 ways to do anything but that's why I like your channel and use it like a guide stone. You've tried the gimmicks and made the mistakes and learned what's effective and what's a waste of effort. Thanks Again for sharing your knowledge.

[@kamonreynolds]

Thanks. I don't know everything though and I am sure at some point or points I will be wrong on some things. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of the hard questions over time and do what is best for the bees

[@jAxRacingLofts]

@@kamonreynolds I've been thinking over the Verroa mite control issue and I think maybe we could treat the bees naturally like Dogs with Fleas by adding Garlic to their water. Idk if you a "donor" hive to offer but if you do try this...instead of straight water and sugar mix for food. Try 2 diced cloves soaked in the water, strained out and use the garlic "juice" water mixed with sugar. Idea being the active ingredient Allicin (The main active ingredient of garlic is the sulfur compound allicin, produced by crushing or chewing fresh garlic, which in turn produces other sulfur compounds, including ajoene, allyl sulfides, and vinyldithiins.) Is bitter to blood parasites...fleas, mosquito's, vampires, possibly Verroa? Just an idea and if it makes YOUR bees unpalatable to the mites then you effectively will have SUPER BEES.

[@shanepasha6501]

@@jAxRacingLofts - Have you been indroducing crushed garlic to water used in sugar water syrup for your bees. I know what you are referring to regarding to K9's and fleas. If you have tried it with your bees, what can you report as a result. Thank you

[@spike2111982]

How do you stop from getting holes in the bricks?

[@-Dwight-Schrute]

Pack it harder before you bake it.

[@NielsenValleyFarms]

Kamon. What is your take on feeding sugar syrup through winter?

[@kamonreynolds]

It has been so mild I have been feeding pro sweet to a few colonies. Inverting jars above the cluster. It can be done if the temps are mild enough. Feeding lighter syrup might be ill advised I don't know.

[@annefrey8732]

@@kamonreynolds For bees living where flight and thus relieving their bowels is not possible (colder than about 50 deg F) for weeks and weeks, syrup is not good because it fill their guts with liquid. that's when a more solid emergency food is necessary.

[@rebeccafontes3717]

I've been making the candy bricks (that you cook on stovetop and pour in pans) for years but it's getting to be a lot of work with 30 colonies. Think I'll try some like this in next round. Thanks for sharing.

[@thomasbutcher4104]

68 today in east ky what you doing with a jacket on down south

[@ellenl.5581]

Rain and wind equals windchill.

[@gc47]

Do you drive truck ,or ever did?

[@kamonreynolds]

I still drive a semi a little bit.

[@fergieferguson2457]

Same method I just put it in ceracell top feeder..

[@davidveith8445]

Been making them for years, in 25 lb batch’s. Do your self a favor and move to a bigger drill. Instead of a bucket. I uses a garbage can. I don’t have to hang onto it then.

[@shanepasha6501]

What is the best way to store those sugar bricks?

[@zarkobojanic2141]

In my part of world (republic serbia) beekeepers use powder suggar mixed with honey or inverted suggar sirup to make sampting similar like you, problem with suggar briks is that bees gona need water for digesting kristal suggar and if bess kant fly out its gonna bee problem for them

[@rossg87]

Žarko Bojanić they generate moisture in the hive that condenses on the inner hive surfaces

[@susanstrasia]

I used left over sugar water left over from the fall to make my bricks. Could this possibly cause a problem?

[@jerrysisseck9632]

Hi kamon love the videos I live on north oregon coast, I do mean right on ocean, it seems we are a month behind on just about every thing you refer to, keep up good work trying your sugar bricks this year

[@pgoessnitzer]

Hi! That video contained a lot of good information and was well presented! Thank you and greetings from Oregon.

[@Dstick1Spearfishing]

That was a nice video, that drill looks solid. Was it a dewalt and was that a paint stirrer you were using to mix it all up? Thanks for sharing

[@kamonreynolds]

thanks yeah i used a dewalt and a paint mixer.

[@jpthedelawarebeeman6239]

Hi Kamon, I checked the sugar bricks on my 3 colonies I put on back at the end of November and there is still about 2/3 of it left. I topped it off with a little sugar and sprayed it with a little 1-1 sugar syrup. One hive had a little mold so I removed some burlap from the Vivaldi board. My guess is there is less ventilation in that hive. It's like 70 degrees here in Delaware.

[@kamonreynolds]

Wow heat wave! Warm air is moist air. Hive Mold loves this weather

[@planbeeapiaries]

Kamon, do you have a link for the mixing blade you use with your drill?

[@kamonreynolds]

amzn.to/2QKQHFR here it is. Some hardware stores carry them also.

[@T.S.Beez01]

I'm considering trying these "sugar bricks" but since this video was released "HIVE ALIVE" has come to the forefront, so I'm curious as to how much HIVE ALIVE would one add to the mix & at what stage, I'm thinking add to the water but at what quantity?

[@kamonreynolds]

I have never used it in a sugar brick but the way I look at it bees did good with this method 100 years ago and will be doing good with it 100 years from now with or without Hive Alive. Perhaps a small amount to start?

[@T.S.Beez01]

@@kamonreynolds thanks for the reply & confirming my thoughts

[@badassbees3680]

I use these bricks some (did today fast and handy) I got something soooo slick I'd like to share with you (not the world,u could lol) but not sure how

[@nidalshehahadeh7485]

This is my first time beekeeping I will get my bees in April , why not use straight sugar ? what about brown sugar ? it is moist and sticky by its nature . out of curiosity , what part of the South are you in ? I am in Port Charlotte Florida .

[@robgarvin5634]

hey Kamon love the KZbin channel. how long can you keep the sugar cakes before using them. also how do you store them thanks Rob

[@natewisher7660]

Whats this about people selling this drone green frame? Dose it help out the hive for mites? Some say yes but im confused. Thats y im asking u

[@nidalshehahadeh7485]

Is it okay to use sugar bricks while establishing a new colony for the first time ?

[@pedrodiaz9442]

Can you make a thin sugar brick to put it in the middle of the hive?

[@tnbeelady7255]

Are these what you call snowballs??

[@trichard5106]

Thanks !!

[@natewisher7660]

With the sugar bricks how long dose it take for them to set so i can feed them to the bees? I dont have a fire going at all. So by tomorrow should be ok? Can i store it in my garage now or dose it need to stay warm to dry out

[@kamonreynolds]

Stick them in a cooking stove for a couple hours at 175 or so and it will dry them out brick hard. Store in a dry place once cool

[@natewisher7660]

Ok. Y are my bee up on top of the top lid under my top? Dose that mean they are hungry for sugar bricks? I feed them 3 weeks ago with a patty like u did when we had the snow here in Portland Oregon

[@piggy59873]

@@natewisher7660 they are collecting moisture under the lid usually condensation. bees still need some water during winter. "do not add water to inside the hive". they will kick the condensation for water.