Fondant blocks
Soft, firm sugar paste. Good for topping up light colonies, making emergency patties and placing under a crown board or quilt box.
Free tool
Fondant / Candy Board Calculator
Calculate how much sugar and water you need for winter fondant, candy boards or emergency dry sugar feeding, scaled to your colonies.
Your feed plan
This is the finished feed weight you want sitting above each colony, not the missing winter-store target.
%
Adds a small allowance for bowl, pan or board losses.
Feed recipe
15 lb finished feed
Sugar to weigh14.2 lb
Water to add0.8 lb
Finished feed15.0 lb
Per colony5.0 lb
Fondant block mix
Use a firm sugar paste above the cluster as emergency winter feed. Keep it accessible and dry, and avoid feeding syrup in cold weather.
Recipe ratio95% sugar
Board fit noteGood fit
When to useCold-weather top feed
When to use fondant or a candy board
Fondant and candy boards are best used as solid winter or early-spring emergency feed when bees may not be able to take liquid syrup. Place the feed directly above the cluster, ideally over the top bars or inner-cover hole, so warm bees can reach it without breaking cluster too far.
Candy boards
A harder sugar slab held in a rim above the brood box. Useful as insurance feed in winter and can help absorb moisture when ventilated correctly.
Dry sugar
The quickest emergency option. It needs hive moisture to become usable, so it is less controlled than fondant but can save a colony that is short of stores.
Important feeding notes
- Solid feed is an emergency or insurance feed. It does not replace leaving enough honey stores going into winter.
- Do not feed sugar products while honey supers for human harvest are on the hive.
- Cold colonies need feed close to the cluster. Food placed too far away may not be reached in a cold snap.
- Check ventilation and condensation. A candy board can help manage moisture, but wet, dripping hives still need better ventilation or insulation balance.
- Use plain white granulated sugar. Avoid brown sugar, molasses or strongly flavoured additives because they can upset bees.
Frequently asked questions
How much fondant should I give a hive?
For an emergency top-up, 2–5 lb per colony is common. A light colony in winter may need more and should be checked again. The safest approach is still to go into winter with adequate stored honey or heavy syrup already processed.
Is a candy board better than fondant?
Neither is always better. Fondant is easy to portion and place quickly. A candy board can hold more feed and can act as winter insurance above the cluster. Choose the option that fits your hive setup and weather.
Can I feed syrup instead?
Use syrup when bees can take it down and dry it. In cold weather, bees often cannot process syrup well, so fondant, candy boards or dry sugar are safer emergency options.
Can I use brown sugar?
No. Use plain white granulated sugar. Brown sugar, molasses and many unrefined sugars contain extra solids that are not suitable winter bee feed.
Where should I place the feed?
Put solid feed above the cluster, close enough that bees can reach it during cold weather. Many beekeepers place it over the top bars, under an eke, rim, quilt box or candy board.