Mason jar honey bee feeders provide an easy and cost-effective method of feeding bees. All that’s required to use one is a clean quart sized jar that has an attached water tight lid; bees love these!
This method can help bolster a weak colony during early Spring, during a dearth, or supplement foraging during Fall. Furthermore, its external nature ensures it doesn’t interfere with inspections of the hive.
Contents
Easy to make
An easy way to feed bees, DIY mason jar feeders offer one of the quickest solutions. All it requires is some basic materials: an empty glass jar and either two-part or single piece aluminum lid; make sure that whichever jar you select has a small neck as this reduces chances of tipping when feeding time comes around.
Your bees need access to sugar syrup; without it they may drown if not allowed access. With that in mind, use a hammer and nail to create 6-8 small holes in the lid with just through plastic holes rather than driving your nail all the way through it. Do this so you are sure not to drive your nail through all 8 layers! It is very important that bees can access sugar syrup.
There are various other hive top feeders designed to work with mason jars available on the market today, such as division board feeders that replace one or two frames inside the hive; these feeders are easier to monitor but require opening the hive in order to refill them. A quad hive top feeder, on the other hand, holds four standard quart mason jars and can be placed above an empty body box to bring food closer to bees while decreasing robbing by robbers.
Easy to clean
This simple and quick method for feeding bees provides quick results at an economical price point by using an ordinary jar and lid as its feed container. In addition, its construction makes it more durable, less likely to leak and less disruptive to the hive as its placement above its inner cover rather than on top makes for smooth operation and minimal disruption of their daily lives.
To create a mason jar honey bee feeder, all that’s required is a clean glass jar – usually of the quart size – with an airtight lid – either regular mason jar lids or two piece canning lids will work – and some punch holes using either nail and hammer or an electric drill in its lid to create an airtight seal against water leakage. When punching holes into this lid using either method, small nailhead-sized holes should also be punched so bees can get through easily while leaving enough space so bees can get through them easily enough so bees don’t get trapped behind these holes to get through them quickly enough! The holes should be close together but large enough so bees can get through easily enough without getting stuck between their walls!
Easy to refill
As weather patterns vary, beekeepers often need to provide additional food sources for their bees. Which feeder type you select will depend on factors like climate and local flowering cycles – one popular solution is using a Boardman entrance feeder made of Mason jar or 5lb glass honey jar that makes refilling easy while monitoring feed levels without disturbing their colony.
Another simple yet effective option for beekeeping in warm climates is using inverted jar/can methods, which work particularly well when placed directly onto a hive’s inner cover hole or frame tops and do not pose the risk of spilling sugar water onto bees.
Your goal should be to position these feeders so that their lid does not obscure any feeding holes, using small sticks of wood to elevate and secure jars so they do not topple over onto queen cages or bee brood.
Easy to move
Mason jar feeders differ from division board feeders in that they can be monitored from outside the hive without opening it up, and are less prone to drowning but still contain leakage which may release syrup on bees.
As another option, placing a jar feeder above the inner cover of a super in the hive makes refilling and monitoring easier, and reduces robbing. An entrance reducer should also be installed near this feeder to protect bees against potential thieves.
Jar feeding may not be appropriate in all circumstances, but it is an easy, inexpensive method of providing extra nourishment to new colonies or small swarms that have recently emerged. Furthermore, it can supplement existing hives during draught conditions; especially important when bees are gearing up to enter their first season of activity. Plus, its quick setup, cleaning process and refill process make jar feeding an invaluable addition.
