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Holes in the feeders - Is there an optimum that keeps it from running out?

5K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Adrian Quiney WI 
#1 ·
I made up some feeders this fall from gallon paint cans.

I punched a bunch of holes in some, and just a few in others.

The ones with a few didn't seem to offer the bees enough flow, and they took a long time to take the syrup.

The ones with a bunch of holes ran out and made a mess in the hive.

Is there a trick to it?

Thanks,

Adam
 
#13 ·
Adam, the same thing happened to me. I was considering moving from 1 gallon plastic pails to 1 gallon epoxy-lined paint cans, but I had the same issue. I was looking to change because when topping up my nucs for fall I have previously added syrup through a bucket resting on a top cover with a hole in it - bucket outside in the elements. I wanted to go to putting the can directly on the frames in the style of MP, and then use a shell to cover it; I didn't have any shells, and so I tried the paint can on top of the lid. I didn't like it because 2 out of the 5 had an unpredictable leak, and when sealing a couple I was kind of ham fisted and ruined them. I am not complaining, as this is the only tip from MP that hasn't worked out. I want to do the feed-on-the-frames-with-a-shell-thing and so the next thing I'll try is the 1/2 or 1 gallon mason jar; Whichever of those that will fit in my 9 inch wide nuc. I hadn't had the same issue with the plastic pails - funnily enough the opposite as the bees have sometimes propolized the holes shut.
 
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