Projects for Your Homestead: How to Make Bee Candy, A Peek Inside Farm DIY
If you’ve ever dreamed of building a more self-sufficient life—one project at a time—Farm DIY: 20 Useful and Fun Projects for Your Farm or Homestead is your new go-to guide. This beautifully illustrated book is packed with creative and practical ideas for anyone living the homestead life. From bee houses to barn quilts, it’s full of hands-on, doable projects that add charm and function to your farm.
And just to sweeten the deal (literally), here’s a little something you can try today: How to Make Bee Candy
How to Make Bee Candy
Help your honeybee hive survive the winter by preparing a simple sugar candy for supplemental feeding. This recipe is perfect for those cold months when nectar is scarce and your bees need extra energy.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 (16 oz) bottle light corn syrup
- 2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions:
- Prepare your tools. Use a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and a candy thermometer. Grease a shallow pan or use parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Combine the ingredients. In the saucepan, add the sugar, corn syrup, water, and cream of tartar. Stir gently to combine.
- Bring to a boil. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it begins to boil.
- Watch the temperature. Stop stirring and let the mixture cook until it reaches the soft ball stage (about 235°F–240°F).
- Remove from heat. Let the mixture cool slightly, then pour it into your prepared pan.
- Let it set. Once firm, you can break it into chunks or use it as part of a candy board (more on that below!).
What’s a Candy Bee Board?
A candy bee board is a helpful way to provide supplemental food to honeybee colonies during winter. It’s essentially a board or frame filled with hardened sugar candy (like the one above), placed inside the hive to give bees easy access to energy when flowers aren’t blooming. In Farm DIY, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for building your own bee candy board frame, complete with diagrams and pro tips for hive health.
But that’s just one of the 20 projects waiting for you inside the book. You’ll also learn how to:
- Plant and care for fruit trees, including tips for pruning, fertilizing, and harvesting
- Build practical items like gates, rabbit hutches, bee houses, milking stools, and log jacks
- DIY fun extras like a barn quilt, a goat see-saw, or even a market stand to sell your goods
- Turn your homestead into a thriving, productive, and beautiful space
Whether you’re new to farming or a seasoned homesteader, Farm DIY is filled with affordable, and inspiring ways to make your land work for you—while having fun in the process.
Are you ready to start building your dream homestead one weekend at a time?
Grab your copy of Farm DIY today—and don’t forget to try the bee candy recipe!