Fondant Feeding: When and How to Use Solid Sugar Feed

Fondant is a dense, semi-solid sugar paste that bees can consume directly with minimal processing, which makes it useful precisely when liquid syrup becomes impractical: in cold weather, a clustered colony struggles to take down and evaporate syrup, and it can freeze in the feeder. Fondant needs no evaporation and doesn't freeze in the way liquid feed does, so it remains accessible in temperatures that would make syrup feeding pointless or even risky. It's most commonly used for winter feeding and genuine emergency response, though it can also be used at other times of year as a lower-mess alternative to syrup.

Fondant is typically placed directly over the winter cluster, most often on top of the frames beneath the crown board, sometimes on a sheet of greaseproof paper or directly onto the top bars, so the cluster can reach it without travelling far or breaking cluster in cold conditions. Placement close to where the bees actually are matters more than the exact method, since a cluster that has to move any distance in cold weather may not reach feed even a short distance away.

Homemade fondant is simply white granulated sugar and water, heated until fully dissolved, then cooked further and cooled to set into a firm paste; commercial bakers' fondant or ready-made beekeeping fondant blocks are a simpler like-for-like substitute if you'd rather not make it. As with syrup, avoid prolonged high heat once the sugar has dissolved, since overheating can degrade the sugar and produce compounds unsuitable for bees. Cooling too little leaves it too soft and prone to running; cooling too much (or working it incorrectly) can make it too hard for bees to break into easily, so aiming for a firm-but-yielding paste, similar in consistency to commercial bakers' fondant, is the practical target.

Once made, fondant keeps well for weeks stored in a sealed container in a cool, dry place, which makes preparing a batch ahead of the winter feeding season a reasonable approach for beekeepers who prefer to make their own rather than buy it in.