Candy

[The Drone Ranger]

If you take an empty margarine carton and fill it with sugar that's about 500g add 20ml of water and mix it till the sugar is slightly damp
Then stick it in the microwave give it 1.5 mins on full power (750W)
Let this cool and it will be a brick of sugar.
The bees can get stuck into this providing they can get plenty water
It's easier than making proper candy.

[Adam]

Robbing can take place without being blindingly obvious as I hadn't noticed anything untoward in this case.


I had a case of silent robbing last autumn. Similar thing - syrup in one hive - finished up in another. Once I realised what was going on I shook icing sugar over the entrance of the robbed and white bees appeared at the hive 5 yards away! I closed up the robbed hive for 3 days and that was enough.

Syrup can get the bees excited and they come out of the hive looking for the food source. Dry sugar is not very palatable and needs a lot of water to allow the bees to dissolve it - they need water to use capped stores and that's 16 - 20% water already.

I have made candy but it's a bit of a faff - better than watching X factor I suppose. In theory it should not be needed if the colonies are fully loaded in the autumn. I like the margarine tub idea.