A beekeeping candy board is a supplemental food source for the bees. The candy board offers a vital sugar source when honey stores are depleted late in winter. In Fall and early Winter, the beekeeper may place a candy board before any harsh winter sets in. Cane sugar is used when creating a candy board. There are alternative methods to making a candy board, however today we are just going to keep it simple. Thank you to Whatcom County Beekeeper, Russell Deptuch for sharing this “Sugar Boards Made Easy” step-by-step instructions!
Materials needed: Wood for building the tray, 1/2″ metal screening (approx. 17″ X 20″), 10 pounds of sugar, water, large bowl (for sugar mixing), newspaper and Honey B Healthy or Pro Health.
- Make a wooden tray approximately 16 1/4″ X 20″ ( to fit on top of standard hive box), with supporting slats. Line with 1/2″ metal screen.
- Line single layer of newspaper on top of the screen.
- Mix 10 pounds of cane sugar with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of “Honey B Healthy” (feeding stimulant) or “Pro Health” (popular feeding supplement). Knead with your hands until water is evenly distributed and you can form a ball. Note: See disclaimer on product mentions.
- Spread the sugar mixture evenly in the wooden tray on top of the newspaper. Then while still moist, make a starter hole in the center of both the sugar and the newspaper, this is so the bees can get through.
- When the sugar is dry and has hardened, place board on top of the hive, over the inner cover (or you may put it directly over frames and then put inner cover on top), being sure that the “tray” side of inner cover is up to allow enough space for the bees to crawl around and get to the sugar board. Place the outer cover on top.