Feeder designs for TBHs query

[Cold Bees]

So far I've heard of a couple feeding mechansims for TBHs.

1) A follower board feeder, which I fail to understand, I've seen a picture or 2 of the feeder somewhere, but it's made of wood, how do you keep the syrup in the middle from soaking through, how do the bees access it?

2) I heard that you can make a drip jar style feeder out of pvc tubing and plastic bottles

3) I suspect that someone can point me to a super easy way to feed syrup.

Any and all ideas welcome, sorry if this is an old discussion, my search did not turn it up. Could use pictures, plans or any guidance. I plan to build the KTBH's as per Michael Bush's site.

[TheCheatOSX]

This post on my blog shows the construction of my board feeders. You can use melted beeswax to seal them. I'm going to use Camcote. It's the stuff they paint on old extractors to seal the metal. It's an epoxy paint and is "food safe". I've also hear of people using fiberglass resin and regular epoxy paint.

I drilled three holes into the side just below where the top bars sit. I also put some hardware cloth inside the box at an angle so the bees don't drown. A hole is drilled through the top bar to allow for filling.

[Shapleigh's Bees]

The slickest idea I've seen so far, mind you I have no experience it just seems to make sense to me, is the follower board combined with an entrance style feeder. http://www.fourmagicacres.net/pages/apiary.htm shows this kind of feeder.

This couples the advantage of it being inside the hive, and outside of the bee space. Since it isn't under the bars, you don't need to take off any to refill it.

Baggie feeders seem a simple solution as well, as does feeding granulated sugar.

[Michael Bush]

Here's instructions on how to make a frame feeder:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesdoolittle.htm#CHAPTER14

These instructions are outdated but the concept if valid. I would not use white lead for sealing, but use exterior glue to seal things up instead, and the sides are best made of luan plywood and the whole inside coated in wax.

[Hambone]

Im doing a baggie. My bees are set to be here in a week. Last night I made a batch of 1:1 syurp. Just to test it and see how it worked. I put 12 cups of sugar in 3 quarts of water and boiled it until it desolved. Let it cool and put in a 1 gallon zip lock. I cut 3 slits in it sitting on my counter top. Seems like it will work just fine.

And I know they will love it because its the same thing I have in my hummingbird feeders in my back yard, and there are 20-40 bees on the feeders all day long.

[Cold Bees]

Derek1,

Where do you put the baggie in your TBH, I make 1 to 1, so I surprised it does no run out of the slits you made? I put a baggie with fondant in the lang hive for the winter, over the inner cover, with another, empty deep to house that and some other stuff, then the outer cover. But syrup I only put out in jars so far...

I really like all of these so far!

I am tempted to try the follower board feeder, since it would be so easy to refill going forward.

[Cold Bees]

Mike,

I've spent hours pouring through these old books you put up, a real treasure trove, hopefully, in the next year or 2 I can try some of the various breeding methods listed by the old wise ones. It's just nice to read that unassuming prose from back then, when self-promotion wasn't the name of the game, and a guy was willing to just tell you how to do something.

Thanks for that.

[Hambone]

Well I've never put one in yet. Im either going to carefully place the bag under the bees if I use a follower board or I am going to put it in the back if I don't use one. I think when I boiled the mixture the little bit of evaporation helped having more space in the bag. I don't think it will matter to much if some spills out. I think they will just slurp it up.

[Shapleigh's Bees]

Place the baggie then cut. Surface tension works to your advantage.

[Aram]

here's a link to an external one I posted a while ago: Chicken waterer
if you use one like this make sure you fill the dish with stones to prevent drowning and plug the hole with a pebble so no bees can sneak in the jar when it's empty.
Among the replies there is a larger, one gal. converted dog waterer.
One concern with external feeders is that it might set off robing.

[spwg]

Just a note on the frame feeders that Michael discusses. I built two frame feeders using 1x1.5 stock left over from the top bars with luan ply on the bee side and plexiglas on the other so that I could see the syrup level. After hiving my first bees last saturday (hooray!), I sealed every thing up.

Checking back on monday, I find that there are easily several hundred bees that have decided that hanging out inside the feeder is a good idea. This is going to make refilling very difficult. If I'd known, I'd probably have gone with a boardman/follower combo instead. I'll post my pictures on my Flickr stream later tonight, if anyone is interested.

spwg

[Cold Bees]

Thanks for the insight. You might just wait for it to dry out, get drained by them. I bet they'll clear right out of there when it is empty.

[Hanover Honey]

Baggie is by far the simplest way to feed a TBH. Lay the baggie full of syrup falt on th bottom like a pancake. In a KTBH with a narrow bottom, I put a plank of wood half way up the walls to give it more room. Then cut slits in the bag. The bees crawl up top and drink, as the syrup is cunsumed, the bag colapses. Time now for a new bag!

[BeeAnonymous]

I have two follower boards. One of them has a cut out for a board feeder.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...8/IMG_3623.jpg

[trapperbob]

I went to home depot and bought new empty paint cans and used a very fine nail and poked about nine holes in the lids works just like the bucket feeders but actually fits in the hive. I used two of them in one hive since I live a ways away and do not visit but once a week.Set them on a couple of sticks to raise them off the bottom a little so they can access the syrup.

[Baloo]

I just cut a rectangle shaped hole on the end of my TBH that fits one of those standard plastic mason jar entrance feeders. Since it is located in the opposite end as the entrance there is no robbing. It is easy to check and refill.

[Hambone]

I tested trapperbob gallon feeder. Its going to work great. I went to Lowes tonight and got 2 empty metal gal. paint cans w/ lids $3.88ea. And a box of #19 nails .97$ I put in 11 holes. Filled it with water (to test) and set up on a couple of pieces of wood. Zero leaks. Hammered down the sharp edges and retested. No leaks again. Great idea.