This recipe is taken from the “Complete Handbook of Beekeeping” by Herbert Mace, 1976 Edition. The recipe uses only Granulated Sugar, Water and a small quantity of Cream of Tartar (a baking ingredient).  There are many other diverse recipes on the internet if this one doesn’t suit you, but this is the one we’ve used since the 1980’s!

Makes enough fondant for 1 colony:

“Put 6 lb (2.722 kg) refined sugar into a pint (0.568 litres) of boiling water and add a teaspoonful (5 ml) of cream of tartar. Boil up, stirring continuously until the sugar is melted. Simmer for 10 minutes and then allow to cool to about 120 deg F (49 deg C). Stir the mixture until it thickens and pour into suitable boxes or shallow pots.”

Notes:

The fondant should only be put into the hive on a mild day.

Overfeeding with fondant during a prolonged mild spell might cause the queen to begin laying, with possible disastrous consequences.

Feeding is most often done by inverting the pot of fondant over the feed hole in a standard crown board; but if the fondant is put into shallow trays it may be possible to slide the tray vertically into the brood box (in place of a redundant frame) with the open side facing the cluster – a good way of avoiding the need to add a super or eke above the crown board.