Bee colonies typically rely on natural honey stores accumulated during autumn to sustain them over winter; however, sometimes special circumstances call for additional feedings to supplement natural stores.
Bee feeders are insulated boxes fitted with moisture absorbers and top entrances designed to supply bees with sugar syrup in wintertime.
Contents
Internal Sugar Brick & Patty Tray
Winter feeding your bees may be necessary in order to protect their colonies or replenish honey stores quickly. A candy board or winter feed patties, which contain pollen substitutes or carbohydrates and fats, could provide the solution.
Beekeepers typically utilize no-cook candy as winter clustering aids. It can be attached directly to the inner cover or directly atop frames in their hive box. Some beekeepers add these between boxes; however, this could increase burr comb buildup which could compromise winter clusters and lower flying strength of bees.
Many beekeepers opt for winter blend or pollen patties during winter as these have lower protein contents, so they won’t unnecessarily promote brood production and exhaust the colony’s food supply – making them suitable for use.
Hive Top Feeder
Beekeepers rely on feeding colonies sugar syrup as part of their practice to promote early spring development or endure dearth periods. There are various strategies available for feeding syrup to colonies; each method possesses both benefits and drawbacks.
Entrance feeders feature a sliding tray that slides into the entrance of a hive and an inverted syrup container to enable bees to easily access food without leaving their hive. They’re perfect for spring feeding but may not work so well in winter due to potential threats such as robbers.
Division board feeders can help reduce robbing by being easily filled and refilled; their simplicity also makes them ideal for cold climates; however, due to being closed systems without open air circulation they may lead to ice forming inside them, making operation during drought periods challenging.
Liquid Bee Feeder
This 1.3-gallon bee feed tray sets a new standard in top feeders; replacing two medium frames at the center of a hive box to give bees year-round access to nectar and nectar-rich syrup, its patented cap and ladder system minimizes drowning while its textured interior wall reduces burr comb build-up for easier clean-up and is easily cleanable.
Beekeepers looking to create their own syrup from sugar water or Stan’s soft sugar bricks will find this entrance feeder extremely helpful in attaching a Mason jar or 5-lb round jar to the entrance of their hive and monitoring food levels and refilling as required, eliminating moldy honey that bees don’t enjoy eating.
These bee feeders may be more costly, but their long-term advantages make up for it in reduced feeding time and travel costs associated with smaller feeders. Furthermore, they provide a sturdy solution suitable for use during harsh weather.
Bucket Feeder
Pail feeders can be especially effective during times of chilly temperatures when outside nectar sources are limited; their stainless steel feeder screen embedded directly in the bucket lid enables bees to access syrup without inverting their jar like Boardman entrance feeders, which may lead to robber robbing or drowning of bees. Plus, pail feeders hold more syrup than frame feeders making them the ideal solution when feeding continuously is required – perfect for wintertime feeding duties!
These feeders come pre-drilled with the appropriate hole size for a 2 inch tint plug and blank spaces to close or add more holes (depending on how you feed your bees). While you should still poke two to six small holes into the tint plug for optimal syrup flow rate into beehive bodies, ground feeders or feeders over inner covers offer better solutions.
