I put the fondant with the green label down in a feeding shim. With the clear side up, you can see how much the bees are eating. When I check the fondant, I use a permanent marker to draw around the eaten fondant, then you can see how much has been eaten the next time you check.
Been using @HiveAlive this winter and been very happy with it. Not had a problem with condensation and have been placing it directly on the frames. We use these along with our own sugar bricks because we were hesitant to only use Hive Alive due to the cost but will use these in some capacity again. I'll be eager to see if you are as happy with them as we have been, thanks and take care!
Excellent feedback! Glad to hear you are seeing the benefit with them. I’m in the same boat as you. Not sure I will switch 100% to just HiveAlive but I’m very likely going to incorporate it into my winter feeding strategy. Cheers!
Depends on many factors like population size, existing food stores, weather patterns/temp, etc. I typically check colonies once every two weeks through the winter. Just a quick peak to see how much they have consumed and if replacement is necessary. Cheers!
Did you have any moisture problem covering the inner cover hole with the fondant? I'm getting ready to do this, but I will put a moisture board with wood pellets on top. Im wondering how the moisture would rise above the fondant bags--I'm afraid the moisture would be trapped in. I think I will precut the holes in my fondant bag before I take the top off.
I’ve modified a bit from when I posted this video. I use the Vivaldi board now and place the patty inside the board rather than directly on the frames. Stay tuned for a future video shortly where I showcase this. Cheers!
Everyone does it differently. I’m in North East Ga. Below Bob. I use an inner cover on top of my hives with an empty super. I cut the Fondant patty to fit inside and keep the hole open. I also feed sugar syrup at the same time. I seem to have very strong hives come spring.
Not breaking the seal is overrated. I’m in the New York Hudson Valley. Temperatures can be in single digits. I use upper entrances and no problem with freezing bees. If you are worried, use duct tape to seal the gap. Just place the fondant on the frames. Good luck
Fair point! I’m hopeful the insulation on top will ensure the majority of any condensation settles on the colder side walls vs the ceiling. The bees will need some moisture up top to help convert the fondant into a usable syrup. Time will tell. Good observation!
Thanks for the video, maybe if the bees do get around the plastic you could make another shim like your candy board but large enough to cover the hive alive.
I think your approach should work well for your setup. The larger mesh area will work double duty with more room for sugar patties and space for the hive alive fondant. I doubt many bees will get past that plastic though even when it's empty. The condensation point would be on the plastic but since you have burlap and reflectix that should be minimized. I'd love to see you not put the fondant on one hive though to compare against your regular sugar patties or dry sugar to see if there are any noticeable differences. The baby wipe perforation would be perfect for that application, but I'd bet that would make them even more expensive. Thanks for sharing! It looks like your bees will be off to a strong start this year.
Great feedback as always Brian. Much appreciated brother. I honestly thought about leaving it off a few hives to compare but of course I want all of my hives going into the spring as strong as possible. Maybe next year I’ll do a bit of an experiment. Especially when my apiary is larger and it wouldn’t be as big of a deal to have 1 or 2 colonies behind. I need all 10 of these to come out firing so 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼.
I have been trying to decide between these and the new SuperFuel: Probiotic Fondant from strong microbials. I watched a video from Bob Binnie and he was using the super fuel fondant. They come in a paper like wrapper that you score and place on the top bar over the cluster. No cutting of the plastic. Those are probably the ones I will try out and see if they like them next winter.
Fair question. The honest answer is not very scientifically. I have a general idea what my colonies look like in early spring so I plan to assess from a general standpoint to see if I notice a significant difference. Perhaps next year I will test some with and some without but I’m still focused on growing my apiary so I’m trying to give all the bees the best nutrition possible. Great question!
Not sure what you mean. The primary function of a Vivaldi board in the winter is to function as a quilt box but still allow for supplemental feeding. I believe it still serves both purposes with this method.
@@beesintheweeds you are more than welcome to join our live chats on Friday nights 7pm. Sawmill Charlie is the channel. Would love to have you on the chat or on the show.
NE Indiana. I Place on top bars with a shim. Light hives I put 10 pounds of sugar on newspaper and a packet of fondant on top of sugar. Tried Vivaldis, not impressed. No quilt box. I subscribe to the condensing hive philosophy. Insulation on top. See Frederick Dunn videos. Glenn
My apologizes for the somewhat shaky camera in the beginning. I have no idea why it did that. 🤷🏼♂️
I just applied these yesterday. Simply placed them directly on the frames, no problem.
In Shelby Co. KY
I put the fondant with the green label down in a feeding shim. With the clear side up, you can see how much the bees are eating. When I check the fondant, I use a permanent marker to draw around the eaten fondant, then you can see how much has been eaten the next time you check.
Modify inner cover. 2 holes. 1 for fondant and the other a screen. Use a shim and then put quilt box over inner cover.
Sounds like a good plan!
Good job Joshua! Enjoyed the video. Glad to see you going to a fondant. They’ll take it much more quickly than the sugar bricks.
Thanks Troy! Have you dabbled with this stuff?
@@beesintheweeds not that in particular but they take the fondant so much better than the sugar bricks.
Been using @HiveAlive this winter and been very happy with it. Not had a problem with condensation and have been placing it directly on the frames. We use these along with our own sugar bricks because we were hesitant to only use Hive Alive due to the cost but will use these in some capacity again. I'll be eager to see if you are as happy with them as we have been, thanks and take care!
Excellent feedback! Glad to hear you are seeing the benefit with them. I’m in the same boat as you. Not sure I will switch 100% to just HiveAlive but I’m very likely going to incorporate it into my winter feeding strategy. Cheers!
How long does one pack per colony last?
Depends on many factors like population size, existing food stores, weather patterns/temp, etc. I typically check colonies once every two weeks through the winter. Just a quick peak to see how much they have consumed and if replacement is necessary. Cheers!
Did you have any moisture problem covering the inner cover hole with the fondant? I'm getting ready to do this, but I will put a moisture board with wood pellets on top. Im wondering how the moisture would rise above the fondant bags--I'm afraid the moisture would be trapped in. I think I will precut the holes in my fondant bag before I take the top off.
I’ve modified a bit from when I posted this video. I use the Vivaldi board now and place the patty inside the board rather than directly on the frames. Stay tuned for a future video shortly where I showcase this. Cheers!
Everyone does it differently. I’m in North East Ga. Below Bob. I use an inner cover on top of my hives with an empty super. I cut the Fondant patty to fit inside and keep the hole open. I also feed sugar syrup at the same time. I seem to have very strong hives come spring.
Cool! Thanks for sharing!
Not breaking the seal is overrated. I’m in the New York Hudson Valley. Temperatures can be in single digits. I use upper entrances and no problem with freezing bees. If you are worried, use duct tape to seal the gap. Just place the fondant on the frames. Good luck
Fair enough. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers and all the best with your bees!
Are you worried about condensation since the package is made of plastic?
Never had a problem in Northern Indiana
Fair point! I’m hopeful the insulation on top will ensure the majority of any condensation settles on the colder side walls vs the ceiling. The bees will need some moisture up top to help convert the fondant into a usable syrup. Time will tell. Good observation!
Thanks for the video, maybe if the bees do get around the plastic you could make another shim like your candy board but large enough to cover the hive alive.
Yes! That’s what I said in the video. 😊 You and I are thinking alike!
I think your approach should work well for your setup. The larger mesh area will work double duty with more room for sugar patties and space for the hive alive fondant. I doubt many bees will get past that plastic though even when it's empty. The condensation point would be on the plastic but since you have burlap and reflectix that should be minimized. I'd love to see you not put the fondant on one hive though to compare against your regular sugar patties or dry sugar to see if there are any noticeable differences. The baby wipe perforation would be perfect for that application, but I'd bet that would make them even more expensive. Thanks for sharing! It looks like your bees will be off to a strong start this year.
Great feedback as always Brian. Much appreciated brother. I honestly thought about leaving it off a few hives to compare but of course I want all of my hives going into the spring as strong as possible. Maybe next year I’ll do a bit of an experiment. Especially when my apiary is larger and it wouldn’t be as big of a deal to have 1 or 2 colonies behind. I need all 10 of these to come out firing so 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼.
I have been trying to decide between these and the new SuperFuel: Probiotic Fondant from strong microbials. I watched a video from Bob Binnie and he was using the super fuel fondant. They come in a paper like wrapper that you score and place on the top bar over the cluster. No cutting of the plastic. Those are probably the ones I will try out and see if they like them next winter.
I’ll have to look in to those. Sounds similar to Dadant’s AP23 patties. Please be sure to let me know your findings and how you like them!
How can tell the difference if put them on every colony?
Fair question. The honest answer is not very scientifically. I have a general idea what my colonies look like in early spring so I plan to assess from a general standpoint to see if I notice a significant difference. Perhaps next year I will test some with and some without but I’m still focused on growing my apiary so I’m trying to give all the bees the best nutrition possible. Great question!
@@beesintheweeds I hope it helps them. Good Luck!
By setting it on top of the frames , the beast don't have to break cluster to get into it
Doesn't that method offset the benifits of the Vavaldi board?
Not sure what you mean. The primary function of a Vivaldi board in the winter is to function as a quilt box but still allow for supplemental feeding. I believe it still serves both purposes with this method.
FYI, they can go through a packet in less than a week. They love it, like ice cream to a kid.
I haven't heard anyone seeing a big difference.
Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. I’m curious to see if I notice much.
@@beesintheweeds you are more than welcome to join our live chats on Friday nights 7pm. Sawmill Charlie is the channel. Would love to have you on the chat or on the show.
@@MinnesotaBeekeeper Thanks Mike! I’d love to join one sometime! I’m always happy to talk about beekeeping! Hahaha
@@beesintheweeds Wonderful! Sawmill Charlie's Bee Farm
NE Indiana. I Place on top bars with a shim. Light hives I put 10 pounds of sugar on newspaper and a packet of fondant on top of sugar. Tried Vivaldis, not impressed. No quilt box. I subscribe to the condensing hive philosophy. Insulation on top. See Frederick Dunn videos. Glenn
Thanks for sharing Glenn!