There are various methods for feeding syrup to bees. Most are effective during warmer weather but none truly perform when temperatures become more temperate. Some solutions (hive top feeders) may be costly while other inexpensive (Boardman feeders with jar lids).
Most of these solutions require bees to break cluster and gain access to the syrup, creating a significant challenge during spring.
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Frame Feeders
These 1.3-gallon feeders fit easily inside any deep or medium box, replacing one frame. With their cap-and-ladders system designed to prevent bee drowning and provide access to syrup without disrupting clustering patterns, these feeders offer convenient feeding opportunities while minimising bee drowning risks.
Honeybee keepers often opt for double deep brood nests due to the additional room they provide for growth of colonies. While beekeepers can use them year round, some beekeepers choose to remove them seasonally to prevent overcrowding of the brood nest and limit expansion possibilities of their colony.
Frame feeders may pose the threat of bees building comb on them, reducing their capacity for syrup delivery and creating chaos within the hive, leading to fermentation-tainted honey production. To combat these problems, you could add a grill or barrier over the frame feeder opening for greater protection from bees building comb.
Masonite Feeders
Masonite feeders with flat tops are easy to keep clean, providing protection from wind and rain while being protected by cats and squirrels. A Plexiglas or window panel protects food from them both, while also allowing you to watch birds feed. A log feeder can be made by drilling quarter-sized holes into its side while leaving some bark intact on either end for footholds for clinging birds; placing short dowels under some holes as perches; attaching eye bolts at one end and hanging the feeder from tree or post.
Milk-jug feeders can be simple and straightforward to make, yet bees may still robbing them of nectar or nectar stores. A #8 hardware cloth ladder will solve this problem easily.
Baggie Feeders
Baggie feeders use gallon ziplock bags that are placed atop of the hive and cut open for feeding bees. While they are cheap, this requires them to leave their cluster and travel for syrup – which can be challenging in freezing temperatures as it means losing heat as they travel further distances to get it.
These feeders come in an assortment of sizes with various rims to accommodate one or two bags. A ten-frame Langstroth hive can accommodate two of these feeders.
Beginners often start out with simple systems that are easy to set up and require no inspection, yet also provide protection from the elements such as snowfall or rain. Unfortunately, such methods don’t perform well during cold weather and require many single-use bags that quickly add up if deployed indoors. They may also cause robbing as their syrup can’t remain protected against potential adverse elements.
Hive Top Feeders
Hive top feeders (HTFs) are feeders placed atop hive boxes that replace one of their upper frames, often to provide bees access without drowning them in syrup. Their designs vary but all feature a shallow box for holding syrup and hardware cloth that allows bees access while protecting them from drowning. HTFs typically fit 8 or 10-frame Langstroth equipment and hold up to three gallons of syrup at any one time.
Sugar feeders can also be used to administer medication in a form more appropriate to beekeeping, and provide protection from rain and sun. Monitoring their level is less intrusive than checking an entrance feeder, though you may still require using a smoker or disturbing bees in order to effectively track its level.
Attractive aspects of this feeder include not requiring beekeepers to open their hive in order to refill or check syrup levels, while still being protected from robbing by a deep body hive body enclosing its feeder and keeping out pests such as rats or insects.
Miller Feeders
Standard, simple feeder for heavy industrial applications that provides increased accuracy and control over welding parameters. Capable of handling two wire types on one feeder to avoid downtime caused by changing spools/drive rolls; equipped with tool-less rotatable drive to eliminate severe bends in feed paths that reduce gun liner life while feeding difficult wires more effectively.
Case-style feeders (like Miller’s SuitCase VS and RC series) work off an arc voltage source, eliminating the need for an independent control cord between power source and feeder. This enables operators to modify wire size, voltage, amperage at the feeder without having to return back to power source.
Suitcase feeders are constructed to withstand rugged use in harsh environments and come equipped with protective features, such as crushproof or flame retardant cases which protect internal components against damage.
