Tis the Season

It's that time of year when we parents traumatize the little ones with a visit to see Santa. Zeb would not even get on his lap. Indiana had to hold him in a chair while he cried and screamed. Ahhh....warm Christmas memories.

It has been extra cold here the last few days, I mean "this ain't the South, ya'll" type of frigid cold. It always makes me nervous for the bee hives. There is no sure way to gage how much honey the bees need for winter.
So...we made candy boards this year.
The theory is to get these boards on by December 22nd and it will assist the bees through the rest of winter. Start with an inner cover board that is not notched and has a 1/2 inch lip all around.

What you will do is boil 2 cups of water and then add 5 pounds of sugar. Cook it to 240 degrees (soft ball stage)

Remove it from the heat and let it cool to 200 degrees.

I added Honey B Healthy when it cooled to 200 degrees. I intend for it to attract the bees more readily to the candy. Now you pour the mixture onto the board and let it set.

I am hoping the weather will be decent enough Friday to put these on the hives. I will take the inner covers off and replace them with these boards, candy side down.
You can learn more about these boards if you visit David Burns HERE

Here's hoping it will soon feel like the South again real soon!