The round feeder holds a quart of syrup and sits above an inner cover hive body. Easy to refill and improve weak hives by moving sugar closer to their entrances, this feeder also helps reduce robbing.
They tend to drown bees (though using an #8 hardware cloth ladder helps), can leak in wintertime and are susceptible to warping in their boxes which reduces feed capacity, leading to drone or burr comb building on them.
Contents
Internal Hive-Top Feeders
These feeders consist of a small-mouthed mason jar sitting atop an inner cover inside of the hive and accessible via either an opening in its wall, or through narrow notches at the base of either a western or shallow 10 frame super (depending on width). Bees enter through these openings to gain entry.
This feeder is easy to fill and monitor without opening the hive or disrupting its cluster – an advantage during peak feeding seasons when robbing is likely.
However, its open design makes it easier for robbers to steal food from a colony than with closed feeders, while also exposing more quickly to elements during cold weather conditions and increasing mold growth faster than other feeders.
Baggie Feeder
Baggie feeders, gallon plastic zip lock bags filled with sugar syrup and placed directly above a hive cluster with two to three small slits on top, allow bees to siphon off all their nectar in one gulp, perfect for warm weather when there are still blooms available for gathering pollen and honey stores.
These bags can either be purchased or made yourself. While they can work well in warm temperatures, they’re less effective in cold conditions. Furthermore, these bags tend to drown the bees; an alternative would be the Miller feeder which consists of a wooden or Masonite trough equipped with a float and #8 hardware cloth ladder designed to prevent drowning.
Some beekeepers use wood or cardboard risers to raise the height of their feeder and increase bee space above it, so bees can access syrup without becoming trapped and dying from suffocation.
Inverted Container
Beekeepers in Northern climates sometimes use bucket feeders when setting out new packages or swarms in spring. A bucket provides long-acting syrup which is more readily accessible by bees above their cluster than frame feeders are.
However, these containers can slosh and spill their contents, necessitating either a ladder or float to reduce drowning risks and be difficult to clean afterwards.
This type of feeder typically takes the form of a one-gallon pail with lid and some means of attaching it over the hive, providing quick refill without opening the hive door. While not as robust or resilient as Boardman feeders, its holders may include quart jars, paint cans with holes or plastic pails – these could all make suitable choices as holders for this feeder type.
Miller Feeder
The Miller Feeder, created and patented by C.C. Miller, is one of the most commonly used bee feeders. Most new beekeepers receive it as part of their starter kits or can purchase one from various bee supply companies.
There are different variations of this feeder; some with long feeder channels and others that feature the feed jar beneath the entrance. With longer channels, bees must break cluster in cold weather to move down, potentially dripping syrup onto themselves in the process.
Frame feeders use a jar at their entrance that requires you to move the hive in order to fill with nectar, and can be difficult to fill, causing disturbance of bees as well as issues with water seepage during hot temperatures.
Rapid Feeder
Plastic feeder designed to fit directly over an inner cover of a hive and align with its centre hole. Its clear cap protects syrup, bees and sugar water from each other to reduce drowning risks while simultaneously decreasing robber attacks on the hive. With up to 85 bees feeding at any one time it provides rapid feeding; though slower than Miller or Ashforth feeders.
Fill it quickly by lifting its clear lid and pouring, without disturbing bees or creating any additional opportunities for theft. Store it inside an empty super for weather protection and reduced robbing opportunities; holds up to 0.9 gallons, suitable for either an 8-frame Langstroth or 10-frame hive super.
