The Warre hive is a vertical stacking top bar hive designed by Abbe Emile Warre in order to resemble the natural environment of honey bees. It incorporates natural comb and retains scent and heat retention properties.
Warre beekeepers take great care in protecting the bees’ nest warmth and scent by not rearrange comb or opening their hives more frequently than once annually. Empty boxes from inside are removed in spring and fall so bees can move their honey stores up top before winter hits.
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Entrance Feeders
Entrance feeders provide bees with food without opening their hive. Entrance feeders can be useful when nectar production drops low or when administering medication to bees.
These feeders can be made out of various materials, including inverted mason jars or buckets with screened holes, offering several distinct advantages: visibility outside the hive allows constant monitoring of syrup levels for easy adjustments;
One possible drawback of using a syrup feeder is that too many bees could become submerged, leading to robbery. To combat this problem, place it upside-down before placing on the floor of the hive.
There are also other types of feeders such as fondant and raft feeders; the former type can be particularly helpful when feeding bees in horizontal top-bar hives where their top bars float above liquids.
Sugar Feeders
Warre hive feeders provide bees with additional food sources when their own pollen and nectar isn’t enough, helping new colonies or those unable to forage for nectar as efficiently. They’re especially beneficial when feeding newborn bees who might otherwise go without.
These feeders are specifically designed to fit inside a warre hive’s front entrance to provide bees with sugar syrup without needing to open their hive. They work with all varieties of hives including Langstroth, flow nuc and top bar.
Hive top feeders are an integral component of beekeeping, and come in various designs. From mason jar-inspired feeders to elaborate models with multiple sections and compartments.
Beekeepers don’t often see entrance feeders, but these units can still easily check syrup levels without opening the hive. Furthermore, an empty box provides further protection from weather and robber bees.
Raft Feeders
Raft feeders provide an effective means of feeding warre hive colonies during wintertime when bees may have congregated too far from their stores or have run low on sustenance and need extra sustenance to survive. They’re especially helpful if your warre hive has run low on food supply – or when their stores have run dry!
These raft feeders don’t interfere with your beehives’ entrances when filling them with syrup, meaning that their bees won’t be disturbed when filling their containers. This makes for an easier fill process when adding more syrup!
Additionally, these raft feeders help minimize the risk of robber bees getting their hands on your syrup from outside your hive by restricting access from outsiders.
Beekeepers need to get creative when feeding a hive, using frame feeders or bucket feeders and other methods not easily adaptable for top bar hives.
Fondant Feeders
Fondant can provide emergency feed during winter (when syrup cannot be fed) to prevent starvation or spring (when stores run low or boost needed to prepare them for the year ahead) when feeding may become problematic or the bees need an emergency boost without creating robbing behaviour like syrup does. Its instant delivery allows beekeepers to give fondant directly as necessary without worrying about robbing being caused by beekeepers feeding it to bees – perfect for keeping bees happy and productive!
Fondant can serve as a nutritional supplement by placing it directly over a cluster of bees – this reduces chances of starvation since bees won’t have to leave their cluster to access food sources.
HiveAlive provides a ready-to-feed fondant patty that can be placed directly over the colony over frames or the inner cover for immediate feeding. Each fondant patty contains the correct dose of HiveAlive added and essential vitamins & amino acids essential for bee health.
For those who prefer an alternative form of hive feeder, we offer a 3 season in-hive feeder that is easy to use and virtually maintenance free. It fits 8 and 10 frame equipment, medium, or deep hive bodies, making for convenient feeding!
