Bees can usually find food on their own, but during shortages or extreme circumstances they may need help. A beekeeper might provide sugar syrup or pollen powder to their colony as additional source of nourishment.
Homemade honey bee feeders can be inexpensive and simple to create, yet should be handled carefully to prevent diseases entering the hive through feedings.
Contents
1. Jars
Beekeepers use jar feeders as an inexpensive DIY project to supplement nectar during times of shortage, or when conditions prevent their bees from foraging for food sources.
To create a Mason Jar Bee Feeder, start with a clean glass quart-sized jar that has been washed thoroughly with soapy water and punch small holes into its lid using a drill.
A hole size that is too small will not work; too little syrup would drown bees if their bodies came into contact.
Some beekeepers place these jars directly atop their hives; others use short pieces of wood to elevate the jars above the inner cover so bees can easily access and feed without disrupting their hive. A Boardman feeder base may also help prevent overflow and leakage of these jars.
2. Buckets
Beekeepers commonly rely on bucket feeders (commonly referred to as pail feeders, contact feeders and syrup cans). Once filled with sugar water and inverted, this form of feeding allows bees to access its contents – this method may be cheap but is certainly ineffective in feeding bees efficiently.
Buckets attract numerous insects (wasps and hornets), as well as bee predators such as robbers that may contaminate sugar water supplies with disease-carrying organisms or create sticky substances that bees don’t enjoy eating. Furthermore, when moved around or tilted slightly off-center they create sticky mess for bees to consume which they find unpleasant to consume.
While not the most economical solution, bucket feeders can be invaluable resources for new beekeepers or emergency situations where alternatives don’t exist. Just ensure to include a lid to keep out pests and keep close to your hive to reduce theft of syrup by robbers. Some beekeepers also utilize Boardman feeders (jar and lid with wood base) at the entrance of their hives as another solution.
3. Wire mesh
Homemade honey bee feeders come in various varieties. Some are more effective at preventing robbing while enabling bees to access syrup without drowning in it.
One type of feeder used by beekeepers to feed their bees is known as a baggie feeder, composed of plastic feed bags that beekeepers fill with sugar water before placing inside their hive on frames for bees to access via delicately slitting the bags. Bees then gain access to this source of nectar through delicately opening them up.
An alternative solution is an in-hive feeder, which acts like an additional frame in your hive to store syrup and is easily installed and refillable. While this approach makes the in-hive feeder easy to use and refill, it may not be effective at preventing robbing since it exists external to your colony. Moreover, these types of feeders tend to leak some of their syrup onto both hive and ground which attracts ants as well as encouraging further robbing which may prove more difficult than anticipated and could even end up wiping out entire colonies altogether.
4. Glass
Home hobbyists have access to several varieties of glass homemade honey bee feeders for home use that are both cost-effective and simple to build. Not only are these inexpensive and easy to assemble, they’re also attractive and can help prevent bee theft by making bees more visible to predators.
Boardman Entrance Feeders, consisting of an inverted jar attached to the entrance of your hive, provide an easy way of monitoring how much syrup remains and refilling without upsetting bees. They’re great for use with nucs and small swarms alike!
Your container should be about one quart in size with an air tight lid that seals it watertight, ideally one with clear glass to see when they are empty. In addition, something to hold off the ground such as plywood cut to size or square of wood with two smaller pieces glued either side will help hold your jar off of it all – use a hammer to punch 5-8 very small holes into its lid for air vents.
