Ventilation with polystyrene hivetop feeder

[Bud Krueger]

This is my first posting, so please be kind. This was our first year at beekeeping and we were moderately sucessful (24 pounds for us and another 12 for our mentor). Am about to put the polystyrene hivetop feeder back on and am concerned about providing adequate ventilation without allowing breezes to blow in. Would pieces of popsicle sticks at all four corners between the feeder and the top box be okay? Is some sort of baffle necessary to protect from the breeze? BTW, the mouse guard goes on tomorrow morning. TIA.

[iddee]

Opinions are like..........ETC.
My opinion is the feeder doesn't need ventilation while the temps. are high enough for them to feed. The feeder should be removed when the temps. are too cool for them to feed.

All right, the rest of you guys can attack me now. :eek: tongue.gif

[RonS]

Bud,

I live in Zone 8, so I do not experience the types of winter that you do. Here, I will likely continue feeding through November, maybe even into December. We have a drought here and had no nectar flow in my area. With your weather, I'd think that the feeding opportunity would be about over. First, the feed (liquid) would freeze. Secondly, the bees will cluster as the temps get below 50 degrees and will not make it to the top feeder. Simply put, even if you could keep the syrup from freezing, the bees could/would not eat it.

Also, from your cited harvest (no one down here got anything this year), it appears that your bees were able to put up substantial stores of honey and pollen for their use, provided that you left them at least one deep or two mediums for their consumption, and I'm sure that you did. So, why feed?

I use the same type of top feeder and do prop up one end with small sticks for ventilation. Here, however, it is because of the heat. We are still having 90 degree days. The screened vent holes drilled into each box should be enough for vapor ventilation while still allowing the bees to maintain the proper temperature. I would worry about setting up a chimney effect that would adversly affect your bees. Mine love it, but then the girls are still wearing their bikinis.

Ron

[Bud Krueger]

Thanks for the responses. Used the 1/16" popsicle stick pieces at each corner. Seems to do be doing the trick. Now feeding 2:1 mix and the mouse guard is in place.