Baggie Feeders

[mbcpa]

I think my entrance feeders are encouraging robbing. I see a lot of bees paired up as though they are fighting. When I check to see if my queen has been released, I plan to switch to a baggie feeder. I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

Fill a gallon ziploc mostly full with 1:1.
Place the ziploc directly on the top bars?
cut a couple/three 1" slits in the bag.
Place a honey super for height.
Place the inner cover.
Place the outer cover.
Put a longer entrance reducer on the bottom board.

Easy as that?

Should i put the inner cover on first, then the baggie on top of that? I think this will create an upper entrance due to the notches in the inner cover.

How much risk is there for burr comb in the empty super?

Do I need to check the baggie every day?

thanks in advance. You guys are a ton of help.

[Omie]

Better to put about four slits with a razor that are a HALF inch long, not an inch long. I did 1" cuts once and the cuts wanted to start leaking. Keep the cuts smaller and near the middle. Don't fill the gallon bag more than 2/3 full. Lay it right on top of the frames. If you have a shim, use that instead of a whole super for height.
I think you'd be ok checking the baggie every other day. Keep extra bags in the fridge to keep from fermenting. Let them come to room temp before laying on the frames.
Remember you can't easily pull up frames once the baggie is lying there, because when you move it the syrup starts leaking out all over- so do any frame inspecting in between when you take off an empty bag and put a new one.

[mbcpa]

Thank you.

Let me follow up my decent question with a few dumb ones.

How long does it take syrup to ferment?
I have a gallon left from last wednesday that is sitting in the garage. Is it no good?
How long will it keep in the fridge?

What is this shim you speak of? Is it something I buy or something I make? What are the dimensions?

thanks

[Jaseemtp]

I have been using the baggies to feed and it has worked out great. I do not have any trouble with burr comb. Omie is right that if you want to poke around in the hive its best to do it when the old bag is empty and you are ready to give them a new bag.

[Michael Bush]

>Easy as that?

This will likely result in a lot of wild comb in the empty super. If you make a shim just big enough, it will lead to a LITTLE wild comb in the shim. Never give a hive in the spring room or they will build comb in it.

[Barry]

if you want to poke around in the hive its best to do it when the old bag is empty and you are ready to give them a new bag.

or place a queen excluder on first and lay the bag on it, then you can lift the bag off with feed in it if you need to get in the hive.

[signalten]

or place a queen excluder on first and lay the bag on it, then you can lift the bag off with feed in it if you need to get in the hive.

Great idea. At least I can get some use out of the excluders

[Beetrucker74]

I am trying to put the bag on the inner cover off to the side of to center hole, that way i can check everyone and the ones that need i can just let the telescoping cover off and have just a small opening in the center. I have pollin patties on so I put hole in the patty for the bees to go through. Most of the 15 i did like that started to come up onto baggy right a way after some syrup went into the hole.

[mbcpa]

How long will sugar syrup last before it starts to ferment?

[bigbore]

you have about a 3 0r 4 days before it starts to ferment. I use a candy board type box for feeding through baggies. then I can pick up the feeder with the bag in it to inspect. got a hole in the middle like a solid inner for access, and I don't have a problem with burr comb in the box.

[mbcpa]

How long will the syrup last in the fridge?

[waynesgarden]

you have about a 3 0r 4 days before it starts to ferment.

My 2 gallon pail feeders take a lot longer than 3 or 4 days for a colony to empty and I've never noticed any signs of it fermenting in that short a period of time when I go the refill them.

Maybe it's our cool Maine climate, but 3 or 4 days seems a little fast even for the South.

Wayne