Miller feeders sit atop of a hive and limit bee access with their long central slot and wooden floats.
These bottles are easy to fill without breaking winter cluster, making them suitable for large feedings, yet may spill syrup and become damaged from rainwater damage.
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Top Feeder
The Top Feeder is an effective solution to both prevent robbing and keep bees away from syrup. A beekeeper fills it with sugar water before placing it upside-down over an inner cover hole on their hive, creating a vacuum in which bees feed from holes drilled in its bucket and away from syrup.
This top feeder is easy to refill without needing to crack open your hive or disturb its cluster, while remaining relatively inexpensive compared to other top feeders available on the market.
Prior to using top feeders, it is crucial that their hardware cloth is sealed tightly around any bee-sized holes, and access from below is denied. By closing any gaps and covering bee-size holes with silicon sealant, closing off any risks of drowning can be reduced significantly. This feeder fits on any 10-frame Langstroth hive; just ensure it sits atop a medium super to protect from predators while giving the colony additional heat protection.
Bottom Feeder
Bottom feeders can be an invaluable addition to an aquarium, as they help maintain cleanliness by eating waste from other tankmates and searching the substrate for signs of algae or food left behind. Bottom feeders are easy to care for and can be fed granules, pellets, wafers, frozen foods or live worms as food sources.
Many species of bottom feeding fish possess adaptations for searching the floor of their tank for food, such as cat whiskers, spines or tentacle-like appendages resembling tentacles from an octopus’ tentacles. Some are carnivorous and hunt other bottom dwelling animals or scavenge from bodies killed by predators.
Clown loaches make excellent bottom feeders in large aquariums. Their peaceful nature makes them popular community tank residents. Synodontis catfish make another excellent bottom-feeder option, ideal for African cichlid tanks; their schooling habits make them best kept in groups of at least four. Finally, Kuhli loaches provide entertainment with their funny antics – something which should only be watched closely! They do well when kept in small groups on substrates with plenty of hiding places such as sand or fine gravel substrate.
Frame Feeder
These plastic feeders serve as replacement frames in deep hive bodies and give bees access to syrup directly. Their cap-and-ladders system helps prevent drowning of bees; making these an excellent choice for early feeding in cool spring weather or colder climates and for easy cleanup after use.
RancherMan found them easy to refill; simply taking off the inner cover and lid, pouring sugar water in, and replacing them is all it takes for him to add new bees! He found that adding anise or peppermint essential oil attracts even more bees to his syrup solution.
RancherMan typically adds two cups of syrup to compartment one on his first night because bees will already be busy consuming one cup in compartment two. This feeder makes a great alternative to baggie feeders which can become expensive over time.
Baggie Feeder
Beginners kits and homemade versions of feeders provide many options for beekeepers looking for their first winter experience. A feeder that doesn’t need to be removed for inspection purposes has limited access by bees while holding plenty of syrup – ideal conditions.
Frame feeders do have some disadvantages: they may cause bridge comb to form, are more economical to use and often drown more bees than frame feeders; and cannot withstand very low temperatures as their narrow opening makes restocking difficult without smoking and disrupting bee colonies.
To use this type of feeder, place a plastic zip bag full of feed across the top bars of your hive and cut slits into it using a razor blade so bees can access their syrup. When the bag is empty, simply replace and close up your hive as usual – this type of feeder works equally well with sugar, pollen patties or grease feeds!
