Beehive feeder boxes enable bees to feed directly within their hive, helping prevent robbing and reduce inspection frequency. They may also help deter theft of honey by making feeding easier for beekeepers.
These feeders consist of an inverted container placed over an entrance hole on an inner cover or enclosed in an empty super. It is easy to check and refill without disturbing bees.
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Entrance feeders
Beekeeping requires feeding your bees with sugar syrup as an integral component. Feeding will assist them until they can find food themselves; but remember, this measure is only temporary; once bees start foraging more they’ll rely less on their feeder.
Entrance feeders are one of the most widely-used types of beefeeders. They consist of an inverted feed jar that slides easily into a hive’s entrance for bees to easily access their meals. Entrance feeders are easy to monitor, won’t disturb bees, and require filling less frequently than their counterparts on top of hives.
Baggie feeders are another popular type of entrance feeders, comprising of a shallow frame positioned beneath an inner cover with plastic feed bags attached that bees can access easily by cutting slits in. Not only is it cost-effective and simple to set up but this type of feeder does not require expensive or specialized equipment to work effectively.
Hive-top feeders
This type of feeder sits atop the hive and aligns with a hole in its inner cover, holding either one mason jar or multiple smaller containers and featuring a lid with small holes for bees to eat through and allow mite treatments (if necessary) into their system. These feeders can be monitored without opening the hive, making monitoring less disruptive and safer; less likely to induce robbing as entrance feeders, yet require additional maintenance such as refilling frequently and keeping containers free of mildew build-up.
Bees access their syrup through a round hole and crawl up a cone with textured sides for easier medicating, without exposure to sun light that could weaken medication. It’s available for 10 and 8 frame hives and works well when combined with either a division board or solid body hive body.
Frame feeders
Frame feeders are containers designed to replace frames in Langstroth hives, with their cap extending over the top bars and featuring an access ladder designed to keep bees from drowning in sugar syrup.
Easy to Use. Partially fill a plastic freezer bag with sugar syrup, puncture several small holes with a nail or brad, then insert into your hive by inserting into a riser box, with no risers or lid. Slide in your frame feeder afterwards!
Bees will drink their sugary nectar through holes. This type of feeder is particularly useful during cold weather as it prevents freezing and mite treatments can easily be added. Unfortunately, refilling may be difficult since it must be removed from the hive first before refilling again – something which disturbs bees and may invite intruding robber bees; additionally it only holds limited amounts of syrup so may need refilling daily.
Hive-bottom feeders
This type of feeder consists of an inverted container positioned over an oval entrance hole on its inner cover and often covered by an empty super to prevent animals and high winds from dislodging it. These feeders can hold large quantities of syrup but must be replenished often since only a few bees at any one time can access it; they also tend to mold if exposed to air.
One type of hive-bottom feeders resides in a hive box and features a plexiglass wall separating its large reservoir of liquid from a narrow pool where bees can access it. Bees crawl over and through an access channel to gain access to this style of feeding; monitoring is simple without disrupting the hive, refills are straightforward, mite treatments dissolved into sugar syrup can easily be added as mite treatments; but bees may become dependent on this form of sustenance over time and stop foraging altogether.
