Dadant offers this hive-top feeder that simply screws onto mason jars for easy refilling, providing an especially helpful service during fall when large colonies exhaust their stores quickly due to inclement weather.
During the Initiation and Orientation phases, bees collect sucrose from a strip of filter paper near their hive entrance. After collecting enough sucrose to satisfy their crops, they fly back towards their home hive.
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Product Description
Lifeline bee feeders are devices designed to support bee colonies when their usual resources become limited or unavailable, such as during spring/summer nectar flows are at their peak or autumn weather prevents foraging efforts from being undertaken by bees. They provide much-needed assistance during these difficult periods for bee colonies.
There are various types of bee feeders that can provide support. One such option is the frame feeder – plastic devices roughly the size of a brood frame that can easily slide over into place to replace supers. Unfortunately, bees frequently drown due to inability to scale its smooth walls; designs like ladders or floats have attempted to alleviate this issue but still result in numerous bee deaths.
Another form of bee feeders is hive top feeder, a white plastic device which sits outside a hive with an easily accessible feeding tray that slides easily into its entrance to enable bees easy access. It is easy to monitor without disturbing bees when refilling or checking syrup levels.
Product Features
Lifeline bee feeders are front entrance feeders that hold up to one gallon of syrup for feeding new colonies or maintaining existing colonies during times of scarcity. Robber bees cannot easily gain entry, and monitoring resource levels is easy without opening your hive.
Gravity or frame feeders can be difficult to refill; with an easer feeder it only takes the beekeeper removing its lid and inner cover to fill up again, leaving bees undisturbed. Furthermore, it doesn’t leak due to temperature changes or poor seals as its designed to sit on top of hives instead. It is an excellent choice for feeding colonies during fall season in preparation for winter while remaining easy enough for both beginner and experienced beekeepers alike to use efficiently; but this type of feeder might not work so well during spring/summer when bees could collect enough resources on their own.
Product Benefits
Beekeepers seeking a more natural feed solution will find this product appealing. Made of water, lecithin, sucrose and an essential oil blend, it has been tested and proven successful at increasing colony population while encouraging bees to consume sugar syrup.
Bee food can help a new colony get established when introduced as a package or during inclement weather that limits nectar foraging, while it may also help strengthen weak colonies or boost brood production in fall or spring.
Frame or division board feeders are easy to use as they sit inside the hive and only require the super to be placed over them. Unfortunately, however, cold temperatures make these not the ideal way to feed bees, limiting access to food for some bees. Entrance feeders can be more challenging as their filling process may leak or drip, potentially damaging hives while leaving unwanted mess behind.
Product Conclusions
One way of providing bees with sustenance is using a frame feeder. These inside-hive feeders come in plastic or wooden varieties and contain jars filled with syrup that the bees can access easily.
Another method is using a baggie feeder. These easy-to-make feeders consist of sugar water solution sealed into food-grade plastic bags that can quickly and efficiently fill and close without disrupting beehives.
Dry pollen feeders can provide additional pollen during spring and autumn when bees have difficulty finding their own pollen sources. Be careful not to overfeed your colony as this could impact its health; keep a close eye on their needs so as to know exactly when and how much to feed; this way you will avoid harming it as well as becoming dependent on manual feedings for survival.
