Lloyd said:
The receipe I have
> used for years calls for corn syrup but it is no longer easy to get that
> in
> 60 pound pails around here. I am looking for a receipe using 100%
> granulated sugar.
I used my "phone a friend" and he said to make up a pail of sucrose like you
want to use and then use the same recipe.
Bobby Whirlycamp from Randolf, Nebraska has a large cooker he uses to make
candy boards and he dumps whole drums of granulated sugar in the cooker and
then adds the remaining water however I have never seen the cooker working
only had its use described to me. You could probabbly call information and
get his phone number and ask. Bobby removes his honey crop from 2000 hives
in the fall and then extracts all winter. Only beek from our area I ever saw
extract in dead of winter. One year a friend and I went to see Bobby at his
operation in heavy coveralls. When we stepped inside (outside temp around
10F) Bobby was extracting honey. We did not stay long as the temp inside was
around 90F.
I own a 50 gallon 3 phase steam kettle which would make candy boards fast
and all you would need is to place enough water in first to keep the sugar
from burning. I would not think the consistency would need to be exact as
long as in the middle between too soft and too hard.
I am not far enough north in my opinion to need candy boards on *all* hives
but some to prevent starving at times would be useful. We fed all hives
needing feed this week when temps were 70F. which removed any chance of
hives starving now. We are trying to get Missouri hives cranked up for
pollination and splitting and liquid sucrose does a better job than a candy
board as incoming syrup acts to a degree like a small flow.
We had mostly 8 frame strong hives which were not needed in California for
almonds. Most of those sent graded 8 frames when the contract was for a 5
frame average. The grower reaped the rewards. You never know what bees
coming out of winter in January will look like. I have heard of no problems
so far. I was worried after I read the CCD article in the bee magazine.(Feb
Bee Culture).
However if you look at page 150 of the February American Bee Journal you
will see a a testimonial from commercial beekeeper Dale Rye blaming the
neonicotinoids for 2000 dead hives this season.
Dale does not call his pesticide kill CCD. Dale does blame Bayer in the
article.
Many of us hope in the near future Bayer will have to prove their product
did not kill our bees rather than now beeks having to prove their product
did!
bob
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