There are various methods for feeding bees, with some working better in specific conditions than others.
Some methods of feeding may attract robbers, wasps and other pests that can annihilate weaker colonies. Other disadvantages may include difficulty filling without suiting up or spilled sugar water leaking out.
Pail feeders can be created easily with just a plastic pail and drill, providing more capacity and less frequent refilling needs than their jar-based counterparts.
Contents
Frame Feeder
Frame feeders can be installed inside a hive to take the place of one or two frames in either a deep or medium brood box, giving bees access to sugar syrup from within a cone-shaped section within it. Bees enter and access it by climbing up and down its ridges – helping avoid drowning in its depths while also being able to exit without needing to scale any sides.
Monitor this type of feeder can be difficult as it consumes an entire hive box; so to check its level will require opening the hive. Beekeepers can protect this feeder against potential robbers by placing an empty box around it to protect it.
Pail Feeder
This pail feeder was specifically created to thwart robbers. Featuring an integrated stainless steel feeder screen, the pail should be filled with syrup before being filled slowly by inverting its lid, creating a vacuum. When completed, place on top of your hive or over the hole in its inner cover – for extra weather and robbing protection use an empty deep super as a barrier around these systems.
Honey bees can consume the syrup on its screened surface from this type of feeder, and take advantage of its slow feeding rate to stimulate their colony in spring feeding sessions. This type of feeder also allows for springtime feedings that help the colony.
These systems are generally easy to keep clean and maintain, yet require daily replenishment which may necessitate opening the hive in colder temperatures and leading to heat loss within it. Refilling can also disturb bees which could result in stings when opening their feeder.
Jar Feeder
The Jar Feeder sits atop your hive and offers a fast and reliable way to feed bees quickly and reliably. It can also serve as an additional water source if necessary or if your colony needs additional sustenance.
To create a jar feeder, all that’s necessary is a clean mason (type of jar) jar – typically of quart size is sufficient – along with 6-8 small holes punched out using a finish nail on its outer layer of lid.
Fill your jar with sugar syrup made of equal parts sugar and water, invert it, and check that no drips occur; this creates a vacuum through which bees will draw in their food supply. If there are drips, simply remove and replace with another jar; this simple practice provides extra nutrition when temperatures become warm or pollen shortages arise.
Bottom Board Feeder
Bottom board feeders are popular among northern climate beekeepers, where they can make the difference between keeping your hive alive over winter or losing it due to starvation. Their insulated design and moisture absorber helps prevent bees from freezing while their screened in feeder allows quick refills without disrupting bees; plus it helps avoid drowning of bees when opening and closing lids.
One of the more frequent uses for screened in feeders is when starting up a new colony, such as after installing package bees. A feeder like this can feed bees until they gather enough resources on their own to sustain themselves. Screened-in feeders also make for great tools when testing Varroa mite treatments as they allow mites to fall through while at the same time keeping them out of climbing back up into the hive and potentially ruining any test results.
