Difficulty dissolving fondant for re-feeding as syrup

I have just had a worrying 5 weeks in Australia reading of the arctic UK weather and fearing for my hives. However I returned just in time for the warm weekend and did a limited inspection. All 6 hives alive (a 7th died end of Feb), 5 with brood and one with a little drone brood only - ? laying worker.
I took off the fondant (25 kg fed in total) because it is messy stuff resting on the frames and salvaged 9 kg. I am trying to dissolve it to make 1:1 syrup but it is not yet fully dissolved despite 18 hours in a warming cabinet at 60C. Has anyone had this problem?

It'll dissolve much faster if it is in small lumps, but most importantly it needs constant mixing (the water closest to the fondant will be a super-saturated sugar solution that can't dissolve any more). I'd take it out of the cabinet and get mixing - it should dissolve pretty quickly at 60 degrees if you've added 7-8 litres of water to make a 1:1(ish) syrup)

I cut it up into small pieces and put it on the warming plate on the Rayburn.
A very low heat on a cooker would do I'm sure.

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Use first the dissolved part.
Then add new water to the solid part. Goes better.

As a newbie not heard of this before and the left over unused fondant is on a use by date... I have 2.5kg packs home much water should I add to each pack?

Would be a shame to waste them!!

Sorry about the auto correct.., Arrrrgh!

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It is only sugar

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Baker's fondant is around 11% water.

Thanks for the advice folks. I have now broken up the sticky mass and stirred vigorously for 10 minutes and most has dissolved. My wife tells me that fondant contains glycerine so maybe that is less soluble than sugar (sucrose). In fact, because I had added too much water in an attempt to get it all dissolved, I have added 5 kg sugar and that has dissolved OK

Fondant is around 10-15% water. So basically just add a little less than the same amount of water to the fondant to make a 1:1 spring feeding solution

Baker's fondant contains sucrose, water and glucose only. Well, mine does.

I melted my excess fondant down - the Tesco's stuff that they wouldn't touch - in the same way as I make all syrups: whack it into an old Prestige high-top pressure cooker (without the top on), together with water, and treat it to a little heat from the stove. Fondant is more reluctant to dissolve than sugar, but just keep stirring - it'll dissolve eventually.

Whatever was in that Tesco's fondant has been well disguised by the syrup, 'cause they've long since gobbled it up.


Re: 1:1 - just add an equal weight/volume of water (i.e. 1Kg = 1 Litre). That's near enough.

You know it really doesn't need to be anywhere near accurate. Just take a look at any list of nectar sugar strengths - they vary from a few percent right up to 25 % - there can even be variation between plants of the same species a few yards apart due to natural differences and as a result of water stress etc. Nectar sugar strength also varies during the day, and in response to rainfall - so making 1:1 with clinical accuracy really makes no sense at all.

LJ

Not to sure if I will be buying bako fondant for next winter, it dried out very quickly unlike the stuff I made the year before, It seemed to be lacking glucose syrup and bees were reluctant to touch it and ended up binning it after a week on the hive. It is now sitting upside down on a fence post in my apiary being diluted with rain water

Re: 1:1 - just add an equal weight/volume of water (i.e. 1Kg = 1 Litre). That's near enough.

You know it really doesn't need to be anywhere near accurate. Just take a look at any list of nectar sugar strengths - they vary from a few percent right up to 25 % - there can even be variation between plants of the same species a few yards apart due to natural differences and as a result of water stress etc. Nectar sugar strength also varies during the day, and in response to rainfall - so making 1:1 with clinical accuracy really makes no sense at all.

LJ[/QUOTE]

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REDWOOD said:

Not to sure if I will be buying bako fondant for next winter, it dried out very quickly unlike the stuff I made the year before, It seemed to be lacking glucose syrup and bees were reluctant to touch it and ended up binning it after a week on the hive. It is now sitting upside down on a fence post in my apiary being diluted with rain water

Click to expand...

I made the mistake on one hive of putting the fondant (bought from a local baker) directly on to the crown board. I have just finished chiselling it off.
Rock hard.

chisel a depression in the hard stuff and put in some water in the depression. The bees will go for that.

I stuck mine in 1/2 a bucket of cold water in the garage and it dissolved over night, did this a couple of times to get the water quantity right and if there was a lump left next morning, I drained the water (feed) and topped it up again with fresh water and another lump. Bees taking it down no problem.

Question for the scientific minded then..............
How much water should I add to ambrosia syrup to make it 1 to 1, thin syrup.
Can I do this ?
thanks
Pete D

Is Ambrosia 2:1?
If it is then 3Kg will contain 2Kg sugar and 1 Litre water so you should add 1 litre of water.
Is that right?

Erichalfbee said:

Is Ambrosia 2:1?
If it is then 3Kg will contain 2Kg sugar and 1 Litre water so you should add 1 litre of water.
Is that right?

Click to expand...

2:1 was an imperial measure. Hard to get 2kg sugar to dissolve in 1kg water -- that's a stronger mix than 2 pounds to a pint.
But Ambrosia is actually stronger than 2:1 (because its got very soluble glucose and fructose), so Erica's estimation is about right - measure the weight of the Ambrosia and add water measuring about one third of the weight of the Ambrosia.
1:1 doesn't need to be super accurate. If they need water more than they need the sugars, I'd be thinking of adding a little more water, perhaps half of the Ambrosia's weight.

Hope that helps.

I am mystified as to the differing solubility of sugar, being touted. Bakers' fondant is around 85-88% sucrose. Sucrose is just as soluble from fondant as from granular - the only difference being the surface area changing the rate of dissolution.