Frame feeders can be particularly effective in warmer conditions. Consisting of a narrow box that sits inside the brood box and features an inbuilt float to protect treatments or drip onto bees from contact, these are designed to serve beekeepers well during hotter spells.
Another alternative is a Boardman feeder that holds a quart mason jar over an inner cover hole for easy monitoring without disturbing bees.
Contents
Simple design
Bees are resilient creatures that are usually capable of providing themselves with food sources; however, sometimes additional support may be necessary – whether that’s providing extra supplies before winter sets in or helping during drought or inclement weather conditions. Feeders provide an inexpensive means of doing just this and are easy to monitor without disturbing their hive’s ecosystem.
One popular type of bee feeder is the frame feeder, which comes in various sizes to occupy more or less space on a bottom board. Unfortunately, however, these feeders tend to drown bees and don’t work well in cold temperatures.
An alternative solution is the baggie feeder, a gallon ziplock bag containing up to three quarts of sugar syrup filled with bees that feed from it through an opening on top. Bees then siphon out this form of feeding until all of it has been consumed – an inexpensive method that works in both hot and cold temperatures.
Easy to refill
This entrance feeder is ideal for beginners because it requires no assembly; simply screwing onto the bottom of a mason jar is all that’s necessary to use it! Plus, being made from high-grade plastic means it won’t harm bees when refilled from outside eliminating intervention at the hive!
These feeders work by giving bees access to sugar syrup through an inverted quart mason jar, making refilling simple. There’s no assembly or modification necessary; therefore, you can buy multiple packs for reuse later.
There are various kinds of entrance feeders, including the Boardman feeder – often included with beginner kits – which is easily installed into any hive entrance and easy to check, although susceptible to robbing. Another popular model is Miller feeder with its feeding gallery running across its top and two separate feed chambers.
Easy to clean
Beekeepers frequently utilize bee feeders to supplement their beehives’ food supplies during times when nectar and pollen supplies are low, such as key seasonal transition periods such as late fall. When selecting your ideal feeder it should provide security against robbing as well as protect its syrup mixture against predators such as predatory insects.
There is a range of bee feeders on the market that can meet your specific needs, from simple feeder trays with inverted feed containers to more intricate solutions built directly into hives that take the place of empty frames inside brood boxes – making them easy to monitor and clean.
There are also plastic frames fashioned in the shape of a Langstroth 10 frame brood box that provide an effective means for introducing new bees into hives, stimulating feeding or providing stimulated feeding during autumn, but these frames are susceptible to warping which limits feed chamber capacity and may result in drone comb development.
Easy to transport
These feeders are an excellent option for both new colonies and established hives during winter, being lightweight, easy to install, and capable of holding standard jars of syrup. Plus, you’ll be able to monitor their feeding levels.
They come in various sizes to accommodate various hive equipment types and can be placed anywhere within a hive: on its roof, over an oval inner cover hole or placed in western or shallow supers. Furthermore, these accessories have clear caps to reduce drowning risks for bees.
Frame feeders are another popular type of bee feeders. Easy to use, these simple devices allow beekeepers to keep an eye on how well their colonies are feeding as well as prevent disease transfer or parasite infestation. Some beekeepers even build platforms to elevate syrup jars more easily so refilling can happen with minimal disruption to colonies.
