I have been open feeding out of the barrel and found that using about a half bag of pine bark nuggets in each barrel keeps drowning down to a minumn. I have seen straw, pine needles, grass, etc., but I loose very few bees this way. You might give it a try!
Good tip! I use styrofoam packing peanuts. You need to make sure that you're not using the ones made from corn starch, for obvious reasons, but they work well and are usually free.
My only complaint is that the bees, once they're done with the syrup, will tear up the styrofoam into a dust. Not really a big deal, but bees DO create static electricity when they fly. Styrofoam dust and static electricity? You do the math...
I took a 1x10 and cut a circle out of it just a little smaller in diameter than the interior of the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket and drilled a bunch of holes in it. Then I cut an old t-shirt a little larger than that and stretched it over the wood and stapled it on the back side.
Just let it float in the feeder. The syrup soaks up in the t-shirt and the ladies land on it and have plenty. Just check it every four days or so.
i use old towels in a water station. I wonder if you were to take an inflatable tire for a wheelbarrow or similar and attach some window screen to it if that would work well?
What's the rule for open feeding? I.e. I recall you can't do this too close to your hives or it encourages robbing. I have a bunch of honey from frame leakage after a cut out and 2:1 I'd like to get back to the girls.
I use a chicken water that holes 3 gal of feed put it about 50 or so feet from nearest hive fill water tray with pea gravel and adjust bottom opening for the flow that you want and it works very well very small lose. it fills from top
I use the big pine bark nuggets. (Not shredded mulch) It just creates floating chips. The bag at home depot said Pine Bark Nuggets $2.50 bag. I open feed about 75 yds away to prevent robbing. Use about a half bag per 55 gal drum. Worked well for me!
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