There are many different types of bee hive feeders available to you. There are bottom feeders, window screens, jars, and more. All of these are great options for supplying food to your bees. It is important to know the differences and find one that will work best for you.
Contents
Jay Smith bottom feeder
The Jay Smith bottom bee hive feeder is a good way to show off your beekeeping skills without having to deal with the logistics of building a conventional hive. This streamlined device is easy to install and can feed up to a dozen bumble bees at a time. The unit is made of a sturdy wooden board with a hinged lid. The unit comes complete with a thin division board feeder on each side. It is also fitted with a quart of a 1:1 sucrose syrup. The feeder is suitable for both novices and experts alike.
There are other similar but more expensive units on the market, but the Jay Smith model stands out as an aficionado’s favorite. It is easy to clean, and can hold a good number of bees. It also comes with a handy manual to help you along the way.
Inverted container
An inverted container for bee hive feeder can be a plastic pail or a quart jar with a lid. Inverted containers work on the same principle as a water cooler. They keep liquid in by air pressure. This is how bees access sugar and artificial nectar.
An inverted container for bee hive feed should have a lid and small holes. If it has a recessed lid, bees’ tongues will get to the feed. You can also cover the holes with #8 hardware cloth. This prevents bees from getting their tongues into the liquid.
The Warre quilt feeder fits in the Warre quilt frame. It has a sloped floor. It is 280 mm in diameter by 60 mm high. This feeder is available worldwide.
The Busy Bees ‘N’ More inner cover has a circular hole in the middle. This enables you to check on the bees through the cut out hole. This is a good way to check on the colony when early March comes around.
Jar
A jar bee hive feeder is a type of bee feeder that is designed to reduce the risk of a bee drowning. The jar is filled with sugar syrup and is placed on top of the inner cover of the hive. A vacuum is created through small holes in the lid of the jar. This allows the bees to draw the syrup from the jar.
Using a jar bee hive feeder is convenient. You can replace the hive top as needed, and keep the bees fed without having to open the hive.
A jar bee hive feeder can also be used as a watering station in the summer months. You’ll need an empty hive body box, four quart-sized plastic jars, and a lid. Once you have your supplies, it’s time to get your hive ready to be fed.
Window screen
Hive screens are an easy way to keep bees safe and prevent them from panicking. They also serve as a substitute for hardware cloth. A robbery screen is usually attached to the front entrance of the hive.
A screened bottom board is an easy way to keep moisture out of the hive. This makes the inside dry and provides ventilation. In arid regions, this is like opening a window on a hot day.
A telescoping top cover is another easy way to keep bees and minimize damage. It can be used on a frameless box or set on the ground metal side down. This reduces damage and leaves room for stacking bee boxes.
An inner cover is a second layer at the top of the hive. This works much like a double pane window. The sides are two inches tall to keep weather out and provide leverage to remove the cover.
Boardman
If you’re a new beekeeper or have an established hive, you may want to look into a Boardman bee hive feeder. It’s a simple and effective way to feed your bees. It works by inverting a glass jar full of syrup so that the bees can feed from the bottom up.
This type of feeder can be purchased, but beekeepers can also make their own using a simple square of wood and a mason jar with a lid. The key is making sure the jar is large enough to hold the liquid.
It’s a good idea to purchase a bee hive feeder that includes a lid that can be refilled, but the bucket feeder model does the job. The bucket combines the advantages of a top feeder with the convenience of a top feeder.
