First year feeding Hive Alive fondant, installed in December 2022 and here it is late February 2023 and my bees are ALIVE and thriving. Will be using Hive Alive for years to come.
Is this new? I haven't heard of this until now. I've been using Hive Alive in syrup since 2020 and endorse it to my viewers. I'll be looking into this further. Are there published studies as with the Hive Alive liquid? Thanks for sharing.
I just ordered 3, after a suggestion from a local beekeeper. I have one cathedral hive and they barely capped any nectar this summer and are very low on stores. I fed them 1 pound of honey over the last two weeks and just today put the first Hive Alive Fondant pack over the frames and the bees were already at it! I may have to buy more to keep them fed over the winter. So far I am very happy with it.
My bees LOVE Hive Alive...so this fondant with Hive Alive seems like a brilliant idea...just ordered a box of 15 patties for delivery in mid-February...looking forward to seeing how the girls take to it...!
How long would these last if stored in the freezer??? I have heard and seen nothing but great results..and we know bulk purchase is cheaper. thanks RoBB
@HiveAlive I read through the questions and found you state that fondant cant be frozen and has shelf life of 2 years. at what temperature should they be stored?
Hi Can you use Hive Alive now to give feed on 1 brood box colony which has been putting honey in the supers due to the weather this year? Propose doing this now before putting on sugar syrup at the end of August.
Hi, I am thinking you have a typo there and you mean that the colony hasn't been putting honey in the supers. Is that correct? If so I would just take off the super and then feed syrup with HiveAlive added. You could put the fondant on now but there isn't really any point if you have come to the end of the season. It is more cost effective and more efficacious to feed HiveAlive via syrup than via the fondant.
I don't understand how to replace fondant. The bees were all inside obviously but I wanted to top up. I didn't want to shake out into the cold, the queen could have been I there too. I tried adding one ontop of the other with a hole cut out so they could crawl into second bag but it quashed the ones underneath
Hi Sharon, once the bag is empty of the fondant the bees will leave it, you can replace it then. Just to let you know it would be very unlikely to find the queen up in the bag. I'm sure a beekeeper will say they have seen that happen now that I have written this but I have never heard of it!
Hi David, HiveAlive liquid and HiveAlive fondant should be stored at room temperature ideally above 46F/8C degrees and below 68F/20C. The pollen patties should be kept cool and used as quickly as possible and if not going to be used in the season they were bought they should be frozen until needed.
We are picking up our packages of bees tomorrow and plan on using this. We are in the Midwest and next week we show lows of 30 degrees! I’m very worried about our bees being too cold, would it be best for us to put this on the frames or on the board? Just trying to make it as easy as possible for them to survive. Thanks in advance!!!
The closer you can get it to the bees the better but it might be more risky exposing the bees to the cold with such low temps by removing the cover to put on frames. Should be fine on top of cover board, over the hole.
Hello there, the length it takes for the bees to go through the fondant depends on the size of the colony and how much food they have access to. If the winter goes on for longer there is a good likelihood that they will need more than 1 fondant patty.
Hi Kenneth, a full package won't fit but you can easily cut the fondant in half and fit it in a nuc. When doing so make sure there is a hole in the plastic directly over the cluster so that they can access the food without leaving the cluster. If you have extra opened fondant leftover you can melt it down for syrup in spring or seal it up again in plastic and it should be good for a few months.
Hi there, We do not recommend freezing the HiveAlive supplement. In regard to the HiveAlive Fondant, it has a shelf life of 2 years so there shouldn't be any need to freeze them. Fondant can be fed anytime of the year when supers are not on but is mainly used over winter and in spring when too cold to feed syrup. Key feeding times are over winter to prevent starvation when there isn’t enough food or the bees are clustered too far away from their stores and in spring when bees are running out of stores or need a boost to get build them up for the year ahead. Hope this helps, David
@@HiveAlivewell that’s a whole other topic I’m in Canada very cold but if you have a well insulated hive and you don’t rob the fuck out of there honey stores I can get singles doubles and 6 frame nucs threw a -20’to -30 5 to 6 month winter I was thinking more for late swarms and late nucs to make sure there good for winter but any production hive of mine I don’t ever have to worry about them running out of food
Can't wait to use mine I just received in the mail. I did the dry sugar on top of paper, over winter. They all died out over the winter and there was sugar everywhere. I love its in the bags. I plan on using a feeder shim, as I still plan to use the dry sugar to help control humidity some, in a hive top round feeder. Hope it work's like the feed additive does.
Is it possible to put the fondant on top of the crown board,using a shim placing a moisture board on top of the shim them insulation then outer cover? My concerns living in cold Maine is that the fondant would prevent the moisture from reaching the moisture board
Hi @tywilson64, I just answered Gulliver who asked a similar question about ventilation but in summary it has never been a problem. What you are suggesting sounds like an excellent idea.
Hello , I'm from Lebanon and it's the first time I use hive alive fondant. I want to ask if it's enough to use it alone in early spring before pollen season or I have to put also pollen patty. Thank you and Bee safe
Hi Nohad, our HiveAlive Fondant contains HiveAlive for healthy bees, and also contains vitamins and amino acids but it does not contain large amounts of protein like a pollen patty would, so it could be best to add a pollen patty also.
Hi Steve. It may be difficult to feed the fondant with a layens hive. It would appear that most Layens hives don't have a hole in their cover board. What some beekeepers do is add the fondant underneath the cover board but I'm not sure if there is enough space. To make the fondant more malleable it is a good idea to warm it a little in advance to make it easier to squeeze in between the top of the frames and the cover board. I hope that helps, please let me know how you get on.
If the Hive Alive is placed over the crown hole, how will the hive be ventilated for the winter. Is my crown board flipped over so that the bees would have an upper entrance and ventilation would not be a problem with the package over the crown hole? Also, when the bees eat through the package from the center, would the bees get trapped between the plastic packaging and not make it back to the center hole? Thanks for your review.
Hi Gulliver, thanks for your questions. Ventilation is has never been an issue with using our fondant. Crownboards will naturally breathe and in our opinion too much ventilation at the top of the hive is not a good thing. What is important is insulation and one of the nice things about our fondant being so thin is that you can easily place insulation over the fondant and crown board without any issue. The bees don't get trapped in the package, not sure why but they just figure a way back.
These were some of my concerns too. I just used it for the first time today and cut multiple slits in the packaging and one main opening, so they have plenty of access points
Hi Peter, thank you for your comment. Yes we are working on having our HiveAlive fondant available to German customers very soon. Our HiveAlive supplement is currently available to buy on our website, Amazon.de and www.bienen-ruck.de/imkershop/futtermittel/futterzusaetze/3985/hive-alive
Hi Clint, I think our product will be perfect for what you need provided there is space between the top of the frames and the quilt box. If you need to make the fondant more pliable to fit better you can leave is somewhere warm on in some warm water to soften it up in advance. When placing the fondant on the frames only remove a section of plastic (about a 3 inch circle in the middle of the pack) to prevent the fondant from drying out. Place the fondant over the centre of the cluster, on top of the frames, with the hole side down so the bees can access the fondant.
Was unable to postition over crown board facing down the fondant was dripping down in huge clumps within 2 minutes so turned the other way round and placed ontop of crown board facing up? I hope they will access ok?
Hi, was the fondant/weather very warm.?If the fondant gets very warm it will get soft. Maybe it is still too warm to add the fondant? If you have it facing up while it is warm that is fine but once it gets colder try to have it facing down over the hole in cover board so that it is there for when the bees need it over the cluster as the further away from the cluster it is the harder it is for them to get to it when it is cold.
My inner cover has a ventilation notch that will be turned downward in the winter, which will be the point of moisture release for the hive. With that in place, I believe this system will work okay for me.
We have never heard of anyone having a problem with this. In my personal opinion moisture absorption is much more important than ventilation. Too much ventilation can do a lot of harm to colonies.
Well not correct because as the bees eat their food storage they move from the center. With your described method once they need food on the edge of the hive. They will starve.
First year feeding Hive Alive fondant, installed in December 2022 and here it is late February 2023 and my bees are ALIVE and thriving. Will be using Hive Alive for years to come.
Great to hear, thanks for the feedback
Is this new? I haven't heard of this until now. I've been using Hive Alive in syrup since 2020 and endorse it to my viewers. I'll be looking into this further. Are there published studies as with the Hive Alive liquid? Thanks for sharing.
I just ordered 3, after a suggestion from a local beekeeper. I have one cathedral hive and they barely capped any nectar this summer and are very low on stores. I fed them 1 pound of honey over the last two weeks and just today put the first Hive Alive Fondant pack over the frames and the bees were already at it! I may have to buy more to keep them fed over the winter. So far I am very happy with it.
Thank you very much for the detailed information. I did not know how to use it.❤
My bees LOVE Hive Alive...so this fondant with Hive Alive seems like a brilliant idea...just ordered a box of 15 patties for delivery in mid-February...looking forward to seeing how the girls take to it...!
Hello Phillip, Thanks very much for your message! 🐝
Thank you kindly, your video was very helpful
How long would these last if stored in the freezer??? I have heard and seen nothing but great results..and we know bulk purchase is cheaper. thanks RoBB
@HiveAlive I read through the questions and found you state that fondant cant be frozen and has shelf life of 2 years. at what temperature should they be stored?
Hi Can you use Hive Alive now to give feed on 1 brood box colony which has been putting honey in the supers due to the weather this year? Propose doing this now before putting on sugar syrup at the end of August.
Hi, I am thinking you have a typo there and you mean that the colony hasn't been putting honey in the supers. Is that correct? If so I would just take off the super and then feed syrup with HiveAlive added. You could put the fondant on now but there isn't really any point if you have come to the end of the season. It is more cost effective and more efficacious to feed HiveAlive via syrup than via the fondant.
I don't understand how to replace fondant. The bees were all inside obviously but I wanted to top up. I didn't want to shake out into the cold, the queen could have been I there too. I tried adding one ontop of the other with a hole cut out so they could crawl into second bag but it quashed the ones underneath
Hi Sharon, once the bag is empty of the fondant the bees will leave it, you can replace it then. Just to let you know it would be very unlikely to find the queen up in the bag. I'm sure a beekeeper will say they have seen that happen now that I have written this but I have never heard of it!
How do you store excess Hive Alive in freezer, room temperature or in the refrigerator?
Hi David, HiveAlive liquid and HiveAlive fondant should be stored at room temperature ideally above 46F/8C degrees and below 68F/20C. The pollen patties should be kept cool and used as quickly as possible and if not going to be used in the season they were bought they should be frozen until needed.
We are picking up our packages of bees tomorrow and plan on using this. We are in the Midwest and next week we show lows of 30 degrees! I’m very worried about our bees being too cold, would it be best for us to put this on the frames or on the board? Just trying to make it as easy as possible for them to survive. Thanks in advance!!!
The closer you can get it to the bees the better but it might be more risky exposing the bees to the cold with such low temps by removing the cover to put on frames. Should be fine on top of cover board, over the hole.
I started using this last winter.I put mine on the frames, and it worked great. The closer the better for me.
About how many 1 kilo bags does it take to get through winter? (In cold areas)
Hello there, the length it takes for the bees to go through the fondant depends on the size of the colony and how much food they have access to. If the winter goes on for longer there is a good likelihood that they will need more than 1 fondant patty.
Will the hive alive package fit in a nuc.
Hi Kenneth, a full package won't fit but you can easily cut the fondant in half and fit it in a nuc. When doing so make sure there is a hole in the plastic directly over the cluster so that they can access the food without leaving the cluster. If you have extra opened fondant leftover you can melt it down for syrup in spring or seal it up again in plastic and it should be good for a few months.
Can hive alive be frozen? Besides winter, when else can the fondant be used?
Hi there,
We do not recommend freezing the HiveAlive supplement. In regard to the HiveAlive Fondant, it has a shelf life of 2 years so there shouldn't be any need to freeze them.
Fondant can be fed anytime of the year when supers are not on but is mainly used over winter and in spring when too cold to feed syrup.
Key feeding times are over winter to prevent starvation when there isn’t enough food or the bees are clustered too far away from their stores and in spring when bees are running out of stores or need a boost to get build them up for the year ahead.
Hope this helps, David
@@HiveAlive thank you so much, this is really helpful.
How many bags do you go threw per hive for a 5 month winter 😅
Impossible to say, depends on so many factors, temp, stores, colony size etc. I would imagine at least two but that is a very rough estimate
@@HiveAlive sounds pricey
@@aaronparis4714 In fairness, it is whole lot less than loosing a hive to starvation!
@@HiveAlivewell that’s a whole other topic I’m in Canada very cold but if you have a well insulated hive and you don’t rob the fuck out of there honey stores I can get singles doubles and 6 frame nucs threw a -20’to -30 5 to 6 month winter I was thinking more for late swarms and late nucs to make sure there good for winter but any production hive of mine I don’t ever have to worry about them running out of food
@@aaronparis4714 That is fantastic you can do that, impressive stuff. As for the nucs and late swarms, it still better value than loosing a nuc!
Can't wait to use mine I just received in the mail. I did the dry sugar on top of paper, over winter. They all died out over the winter and there was sugar everywhere. I love its in the bags. I plan on using a feeder shim, as I still plan to use the dry sugar to help control humidity some, in a hive top round feeder. Hope it work's like the feed additive does.
Hi Anthony, thanks very much for your comment!
Is it possible to put the fondant on top of the crown board,using a shim placing a moisture board on top of the shim them insulation then outer cover? My concerns living in cold Maine is that the fondant would prevent the moisture from reaching the moisture board
Hi @tywilson64, I just answered Gulliver who asked a similar question about ventilation but in summary it has never been a problem. What you are suggesting sounds like an excellent idea.
Hello , I'm from Lebanon and it's the first time I use hive alive fondant. I want to ask if it's enough to use it alone in early spring before pollen season or I have to put also pollen patty.
Thank you and Bee safe
Hi Nohad, our HiveAlive Fondant contains HiveAlive for healthy bees, and also contains vitamins and amino acids but it does not contain large amounts of protein like a pollen patty would, so it could be best to add a pollen patty also.
Can you please tell me how to use this in a Layens Hive During the winter and early spring
Hi Steve. It may be difficult to feed the fondant with a layens hive. It would appear that most Layens hives don't have a hole in their cover board. What some beekeepers do is add the fondant underneath the cover board but I'm not sure if there is enough space. To make the fondant more malleable it is a good idea to warm it a little in advance to make it easier to squeeze in between the top of the frames and the cover board.
I hope that helps, please let me know how you get on.
If the Hive Alive is placed over the crown hole, how will the hive be ventilated for the winter. Is my crown board flipped over so that the bees would have an upper entrance and ventilation would not be a problem with the package over the crown hole? Also, when the bees eat through the package from the center, would the bees get trapped between the plastic packaging and not make it back to the center hole? Thanks for your review.
Hi Gulliver, thanks for your questions. Ventilation is has never been an issue with using our fondant. Crownboards will naturally breathe and in our opinion too much ventilation at the top of the hive is not a good thing. What is important is insulation and one of the nice things about our fondant being so thin is that you can easily place insulation over the fondant and crown board without any issue. The bees don't get trapped in the package, not sure why but they just figure a way back.
@@HiveAlive Thank you for answering my questions. I'll be ordering a few packages soon.
Thanks for your response. My major concern was that the moisture board couldn't do its job with the crown board underneath it and above the fondant.
These were some of my concerns too. I just used it for the first time today and cut multiple slits in the packaging and one main opening, so they have plenty of access points
How much fondant should the bees be fed during the winter/spring?
Hello, it sounds good.When do you think i can buy it in Germany? Greetings from Germany,Peter
Hi Peter, thank you for your comment. Yes we are working on having our HiveAlive fondant available to German customers very soon. Our HiveAlive supplement is currently available to buy on our website, Amazon.de and www.bienen-ruck.de/imkershop/futtermittel/futterzusaetze/3985/hive-alive
I am using quilt boxes with space for these fondant patties. What is the recommendation for using on top of the frames below the quilt box please?
Hi Clint, I think our product will be perfect for what you need provided there is space between the top of the frames and the quilt box. If you need to make the fondant more pliable to fit better you can leave is somewhere warm on in some warm water to soften it up in advance. When placing the fondant on the frames only remove a section of plastic (about a 3 inch circle in the middle of the pack) to prevent the fondant from drying out. Place the fondant over the centre of the cluster, on top of the frames, with the hole side down so the bees can access the fondant.
Was unable to postition over crown board facing down the fondant was dripping down in huge clumps within 2 minutes so turned the other way round and placed ontop of crown board facing up? I hope they will access ok?
Hi, was the fondant/weather very warm.?If the fondant gets very warm it will get soft. Maybe it is still too warm to add the fondant? If you have it facing up while it is warm that is fine but once it gets colder try to have it facing down over the hole in cover board so that it is there for when the bees need it over the cluster as the further away from the cluster it is the harder it is for them to get to it when it is cold.
Absolutely swear by Hive Alive and the bees devour it.
I already have mine on the hives. The bees are tearing it up! Dr. Joe
Good information, no need for the music…
I’m surprised one would want to block the main inner cover hole as ventilation in the winter is crucial
My inner cover has a ventilation notch that will be turned downward in the winter, which will be the point of moisture release for the hive. With that in place, I believe this system will work okay for me.
We have never heard of anyone having a problem with this. In my personal opinion moisture absorption is much more important than ventilation. Too much ventilation can do a lot of harm to colonies.
Well not correct because as the bees eat their food storage they move from the center. With your described method once they need food on the edge of the hive. They will starve.