Sugar syrup feedings can help stimulate bee colonies, sustain them during a dearth period or build stores for winter. There are multiple methods of feeding available including gravity and frame feeders.
One effective strategy is a top feeder, which fits on the inner cover of the hive and features a plastic reservoir to store syrup. Top feeders are easy to refill and prevent robbing from above.
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Toughtimbers Hive Top Feeder
This hive top feeder is an effective solution to keep your bees fed during tough times. Constructed of durable material, it is easily monitored without disturbing the hive while refilling is quick and effortless – not to mention that internal feeder prevents inadvertent robbing caused by entrance feeding!
Internal hive-top feeders are containers suspended over the entrance hole in an inner cover, and can sit atop or be enclosed within an empty super. They hold lots of syrup without becoming moldy due to being enclosed from air exposure.
One downside of these feeders is if they are moved while full, their syrup may slosh out and create an unsightly mess. Furthermore, they are more prone to freezing in winter, making cleaning them difficult. Another alternative might be installing one of your frames as a division board feeder instead.
Honey Hive Farms Hive Top Feeder
If your beehive needs feeding, there are multiple methods available to you. One option is an entrance feeder (also known as a Boardman feeder). This comprises an exterior-sitting feed jar connected with an exterior tray; syrup then drips out from it into a feeding tray where your bees can access it. However, this method makes keeping track of syrup levels difficult, potentially freezing during cold weather conditions and being subject to freezing if exposed directly to air conditions.
Hive top feeders provide another viable alternative, designed specifically to be installed atop 10-frame hive boxes under their inner cover and easily filled without disturbing the hive. With several sizes to choose from and an integrated steel safety screen to protect from drowning, these feeders are suitable for liquid or solid food such as patties and fondant.
Toughtimbers 10-Frame Hive Top Feeder
Feeding colony sugar syrup is an increasingly common practice among beekeepers in order to promote growth, sustain them during periods of dearth and stock up stores for winter. There are various methods available for feeding colonies including gravity feeders or frame feeders – while in certain circumstances hive top feeders can prove particularly effective.
This hive top feeder fits onto 10-frame equipment and features a clear glass jar with enough capacity to store up to one gallon of syrup. Refilling is straightforward without disturbing the hive itself; additionally, using such an easily visible vessel allows users to monitor syrup levels more efficiently.
Refilling a hive top feeder is faster and less prone to leakage due to temperature fluctuations and bad weather, while it should also ensure all entrances remain closed to prevent robbing.
Honey Hive Farms 4-Frame Hive Top Feeder
Feeding your bees the appropriate diet is crucial to successful beekeeping. Doing this will enable them to produce their own honey while withstanding harsh winter weather – and this often includes supplementing them with sugar syrup feedings.
There are various methods of feeding your bees syrup: some use dry sugar dumped down the back of their hives (not recommended with Screened Bottom Boards), while others utilise frame feeders, black plastic troughs that sit on the inner cover and feature rough surfaces to help bees access their syrup supply. Unfortunately, frame feeders often drown bees; instead a better choice would be Brushy Mt’s 8 frame top feeder which offers limited access and comes complete with its own #8 hardware cloth ladder and doesn’t bulge as much when feeding bees!
There are also in-hive feeders designed to replace one of your frames. These can be filled with plastic bags of sugar syrup which should be carefully cut open and placed under the inner cover of the hive.
