Bee candy that is… The process, which seems easy, is trickier than it looks.
- Get a whole lot of sugar, a little water and slowly heat over a stove.
- Bring it to about 234F, and pour it into a mold.
- Let it cool in the mold to room temperature, and pull it out of the mold.
- And try not to burn yourself. On anything. Ever.
OK, first off, it came out like warm taffy. Sticky, very slow to run, and certainly thicker than honey. It’s pliable, so you can mold it into what you want, but it also was in a slightly liquid form, even after cooling in the fridge, so I don’t think it would be usable in anything but a bowl. So I did just that, and put the bowl in the hive.
To say they “swarmed” it would be incorrect in bee-speak, so I can only say it was a feeding frenzy. Like crack for bees. They descended on it like it was fudge at a Weight Watchers meeting. I was careful not to touch the container after they discovered on it – I didn’t want to lose a finger.
So what’s the deal with the candy? It’s just sugar and water. Boiling it doesn’t change what it is – it just mixes it well. It certainly tastes better to me than just sugar and water, but it’s hard to think the bees notice. What is it with “candy”?
[Update] After a few days, I checked the candy and a few bees had died in it. I think it was too sticky and they got “stuck” on their food.