Honey feeders are vessels designed to distribute pollen or syrup (or its replacement) directly into honey bee hives when there is an abundance of pollen or nectar, or there is an unexpected summer dearth. Beekeepers utilize honey feeders when there are shortfalls of pollen or nectar sources such as in early spring to encourage comb building or during a severe summer drought.
Hive top feeders are an excellent way to feed an 8-frame Langstroth hive as they hold four gallons of syrup at one time and can be easily filled without opening the hive. Plus, these feeders include screens to keep bees from drowning.
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Types
Bees can usually forage for themselves, but sometimes additional feeding may be necessary. Beekeepers use different kinds of feeders to feed their colonies during shortages or weather conditions that prevent foraging by bees – entrance, hive top, division board and pail are among four basic styles of feeders used by beekeepers.
Entrance feeders (also called Boardman feeders) consist of an exterior feed jar connected to an entrance tray so bees can access their sugar solution easily and at their leisure. Entrance feeders are economical, easy to monitor and clean but may encourage robbing as their syrup tends to quickly mold if not kept cool enough.
A jar feeder is simply a food-grade container filled with sugar syrup that’s food grade approved. In order to protect the syrup from spoilage and contamination by pests, beekeepers usually add a screened lid that’s fitted with holes so only bees can access it, with other animals unable to gain entry through its openings.
Benefits
An entrance feeder consists of a feeding tray that slides into the entrance of a beehive and an outer-hive container filled with syrup that allows you to easily keep track of feed levels and refill as necessary. However, this vulnerable jar may freeze over in cold temperatures.
One approach involves feeding sugar syrup directly from an inverted jar inside the hive, using top feeders available from bee supply companies or crafting one yourself using plastic freezer bags with metal lids that have been partially filled with sugar syrup and punched with 6-8 small holes for feeding purposes.
Division board feeders, which consist of shallow containers that sit atop frames at the base of a hive, provide another viable option. They make feeding one colony easy without disturbing other colonies nearby; however, some beekeepers believe these feeders encourage robbing by outside bees looking to steal away sugar mixture for themselves and take it back home with them.
Cost
Feeding your hive is essential when weather conditions, resources shortages or certain environmental factors prevent bees from foraging for sustenance. Feeding is also necessary during spring dearth periods, summer nectar flows or winter conditions when foraging is limited or impossible.
An open feeder typically consisting of a five gallon bucket fitted with perforated holes at its base for bees to access is one popular open feeder option; other possible DIY solutions could be using baking sheets, bird baths or plastic bags as DIY options; these containers may however leak during cold temperatures causing leakage to accumulate which may trap bees below and lead to them dying due to freezing temperatures causing leakage into their interior spaces resulting in their death.
Frame feeders, made of food grade plastic and available from various brands ranging from 1.5l to 6l, are another popular choice that sits inside a beehive. Ceracell offers excellent 5-year feeders.
Maintenance
Beekeepers must determine which feeder will best suit their colony. An effective feeder should be easy to fill and maintain while also minimising robbing and drowning of bees.
Ideal, the feeder should be situated in the center of the hive to encourage foraging bees and prevent them from swarming and disrupting production. This position also reduces chances of swarming disrupting production.
Frame or division board feeders can easily be integrated into the hive by taking the place of one or two frames, with less risk of inducing robbing and more straightforward filling and monitoring processes. They require a larger super for coverage and should be checked frequently for cracks which could allow sugar water to leak onto the floor of the hive and cause chill or drowning of brood cells; additionally they should be kept in a heated environment to reduce heat loss when refilling and feeding them back out.
