BethsBees · Ontario, CA · Beginners · Oct 28, 2026

Fondant's been on three weeks and hasn't moved — do they not need it, or can they not reach it?

Ontario, second year, two colonies after the unite. I put a fondant slab on each hive at the start of October, on the top bars under an eke, following the advice on here about contact with the cluster. Cracked the roofs on Sunday at 9°C for a look. Hive A: the fondant has a clear dent in the middle, the wrapper is chewed back and there were bees on it. Hive B: completely untouched, wrapper intact, no bees on it at all, and I couldn't see bees in the top of the box either. My worry is obvious. Is hive B fine and simply living off its own stores, which would be good news, or are the bees down in the bottom box unable to get up to the fondant, or worse, is hive B in trouble and I'm looking at a colony that's already too weak to be up there? Hive B was the heavier of the two when I hefted in September, for what that's worth, and I could hear a hum when I tapped the side. Do I go in and find the cluster, do I move the fondant down to wherever they are, or do I leave it alone and accept that untouched fondant is good news rather than bad?

#fondant#emergency-feeding#cluster#ontario

▲ 2 votes 💬 2 replies ✅ Solved

2 replies

QuebecBees · Oct 28, 2026 · ✅ Accepted answer

Quebec. Untouched fondant on a heavy hive that hums when you tap it is good news. They eat their own stores first and treat sugar as the reserve, which is exactly what you want. Don't chase them with it. The only thing I'd check is that the cluster is in the TOP box — if they're in the bottom with the top box full of honey they'll come up through it anyway, but if the top box is empty comb you'd rather they were up there.

VTBeeHannah · Oct 28, 2026

Vermont. Same experience last winter — one hive ate fondant from November, the other never touched a crumb and came out strongest in April. The eater was the lighter one. So the dent in hive A isn't a good sign in itself, it means they need it. Keep an eye on A's weight, BethsBees.

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