Entrance feeders are simple feed jars placed over the entrance hole of a beehive for quick refilling and easy monitoring without opening the hive. Unfortunately, they are vulnerable to mold growth as well as animal tampering.
Frame feeders (or Division Board Feeders) provide an alternative to entrance feeders. Once they’re full, these slid over the super and onto the hive after being filled up.
Contents
Easy to use
Feeders provide your bees with sugar syrup when nectar flows are low or weather conditions are cold, or to administer medications that dissolve in sugar syrup. Usually placed near or inside the hive entrance for optimal use and to minimize robbing; frame feeders with rough sides or ladders must be avoided at all costs to protect bees’ lives.
Hive top feeders are another popular option, as they sit directly atop your hive with its outer cover on. Its reservoir can store up to three gallons of syrup; refilling this device doesn’t require opening your hive!
Easy to clean
An entrance feeder can be an effective solution for feeding bees during times of limited resources or poor weather, when their foraging ability has been limited by conditions that preclude foraging. Easy to fill and monitor, as well as cost effective, it’s the ideal solution when resources or conditions prevent foraging bees from foraging for food themselves. But remember: bees do not need constant sustenance – once food becomes available again they should resume foraging activities on their own.
Some beekeepers employ division board feeders, which are inserted directly into their hive instead of frames, to keep feed within the hive and reduce robbers’ threat, yet still offer effective feeding without risk of robbery. Unfortunately, these devices often feature rough sides and ladders which cause bees to drown while climbing them.
Pail feeders are another kind of feeders designed to fit in front of the hive and filled with syrup via an inverted pale. You can use this feeder with pollen patties or 1:1 cane sugar feed; plus they’re easy to keep clean! These make great options for feeding smaller colonies.
Easy to refill
Entrance feeders differ from both hive top feeders and slop buckets in that they allow you to see how much syrup remains without opening the hive, but may cause robbing. Furthermore, you must access the hive frequently to refill them which could make bees defensive and increase your chance of being stung.
Entrance feeders work by placing a feeding tray inside of the hive entrance and inverting an upturned sugar water or syrup container that has a hole. They’re typically made of plastic and fit perfectly in the entrance. Plus, their perforated lid fits any standard canning jar – perfect for NUCs and small beehives alike! These feeders can also help when bees arrive from packages as quickly as possible so that they have food available quickly after arriving to their new homes – especially essential when first arriving from package introduction when bees have no resources at their disposal and must find food quickly in their new homes; when bees must quickly find food sources in their new homes as quickly as possible so they must quickly find food as soon after arrival from package installation as they have no resources other than beehives where resources may not exist and must quickly find sources.
Easy to monitor
Entrance feeders consist of an inverted mason jar placed at the hive entrance. Quick to refill and monitor from outside, entrance feeders make filling easy – though weak colonies may experience increased robbing due to this arrangement. To minimize potential robbers entering through their entrance reducer, consider adding one as well.
Baggie feeders are budget friendly solutions for adding syrup directly into your hive without opening it up, yet require delicate slitting of plastic feed bags so the bees have access. Unfortunately, they can become costly over time if your colony requires frequent feeding sessions.
Internal top feeders are an effective way of protecting beehives against robbers. With its built-in float that prevents bees from drowning in syrup, internal top feeders are an ideal choice for beginners in beekeeping or when adding new packages of bees to an established colony.
