which top feeder do you prefer the wood one with pontoon floats from dadant or the plastic one with screen? The wood one allows the bees to go everwhere vs the screened that keeps them in one area.
A gallon zip loc bag laying on the top bars. If you have a relatively level hive, seal the seal and only make a small slit or two in the top side, you will not drown a single bee.
I take my cappings scratcher and poke two rows of holes in a full gallon size ziplock bag of syrup when feeding. The little ladies can get their little proboscis right in through the holes. its like a feeding trough for bees haha.
@ Dale 3rd = Yes, I use a 2" ring (I call it a feeding shim) and the gallon freezer bag. works great. I recommend only filling the bag 2/3 to 3/4 full. I've had some leaking issues if I over fill the bag and then make the slit a little too long. Tension on the bag pulls the slit apart I guess. As long as there is a nice air bubble it will settle right on the liquid and not leak.
I like this 10 Frame Plastic Hive Top Feeder. It works great, doesn't drown bees, and can hold a couple of gallons so you don't have to fill it so often.
NOTE: This feeder is NOT good when the weather is cold and the bees are clustering in the center of the hive. They will not break cluster to go out to the feeder entrances at the front and back of the hive.
this is my first bee season and I got one of the plastic lined Mann Lake top feeders with the screen and I like it a lot. No drowned bees so far and it's easy to fill and check. Mark
I have the ones with wooden floats, allthough Brushy mnts new ones have wooden floats, with plastic mesh inbetween the floats. I dont have a problem with bees drowning using either version. They can hold a couple of gallons of syrup, and the bees can drain one in about 5 days.
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