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Best feeder type

9K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  BeeGhost 
#1 ·
I am trying to figure out what type of feeder I need. I know I am probably going to start a debate. I am thinking I want the feeder that uses the mason jars but do they leak since they are inverted with holes and how well do the baggy feeders work.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to Beesource!

There are quite a few different feeding methods that all involve having the feed above the bees. Two of those are mentioned above. Applied properly, virtually all of them will work well.

Avoid Boardman style feeders that sit in the hive entrance. They are easy to use, but are prone to start robbing.

If you would like to make a good top feeder with a large feed capacity, Beesource offers plans to do so here:
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/miller-type-feeder/

Similar Miller style feeders are also available for purchase at many supply companies.
 
#4 ·
Well I have read and heard the miller style feeder they eat more if this is the case then are they able to draw comb quicker and I have also read about the drowning of bees and that is also a concern and are there any tricks to the Miller style feeder that would help with the drowning like adding hardware cloth or pop sickle sticks that float


Also has anyone used the baggy feeders just wondering how effective or messy they are
 
#6 ·
I have tried lots of them and like the hive top feeders from Brushy Mountain the best (the ones that have the floats in them). Second choice would be the baggies. The baggies definitely kill less bees and aren't as messy, but the bees don't seem to eat as much as they do with the top feeder.

The floats in the BM feeder work well for not drowning bees.
 
#5 ·
I like the mason jars on top. I use 3/4" plywood with either 1 or 2ea 2 7/8" holes.



This one I made our of 3/8 plywood. I think lid fits down in the hole a little to far and can crush some bees when you put a new jar in. That's why I like the 3/4" plywood. It creates a little space from the bees to the feeder.


 
#7 ·
> I have also read about the drowning of bees and that is also a concern and are there any tricks to the Miller style feeder that would help with the drowning like adding hardware cloth or pop sickle sticks that float

The Miller style feeder in Beesource plans I mentioned above has no floats, not does it have an open area that may lead to drowned bees. The feeder uses screen in a contained area to provide a ladder for bees. Some of the commercially available Miller feeders are also designed in the same way.

You may wish to look at the illustrated plans to see if you could adapt the feeder you are referring to mimic the Beesource feeder. :)
 
#10 ·
I got my first bees in Decemeber of 2012 (yeah, kinda of a strange time, but... :) ). I used ziplocks a couple of times as suggested by my mentor. He uses them successfully and I'm sure thousands of other beekeepers do, too. But, I had some problems and quickly moved to quart-sized mason jars...I've never looked back. :)

With jars you're probably going to need a "shim" to enclose the quart jars so that it is protected from the elements and out of reach of robbers. I use inner covers with telescoping covers and the "shim" goes on top of the inner cover and below the top cover. I use a medium box/super as my shim when feeding with quart jars. I screen over the escape hole and the extra 2-3/4"/70mm hole that I drill in the inner cover (sometimes I feed two quarts at a time)...I use #8 (1/8") hardware cloth for the screen. The screening keeps bees from clinging to the jar lids and also flying up out of the holes when I remove the jars. I block any notches in the inner cover that allows bees and other critters to come inside the shimmed space. Feeding through the feeder holes in the inner cover is a good way of putting feed right above the cluster.

I bought a few one-piece "store bought" feeder lids to see how they worked...they work great and were just a little more expensive than regular one-piece lids. These lids have 13 small holes punched into them. I think that half that many would work just as well. I've read where different numbers of holes affect the feeding rate (makes sense to me) and that the different feed rates stimulate the bees in different ways...that's something else that this newbee (me) has yet to fully get a grip on. I'm thinking it's something like fast 1:1 feeding promotes brood and wax creation whereas a slower rate of a thicker syrup tends to put them in a more conservative mood. I've still got a lot of learning to do!

If you go with ziplocks you will need a short shim but rather than feeding on top of the inner cover I've seen most people that feed that way put the ziplock directly on the tops of the frames.

I haven't had any jars to leak on me that I'm aware of but I've always had them under the top cover so no sun exposure. Tighten the lids firmly. The only problem that I had was actually feeding too much and too fast and finding during last years apparently enhanced swarm season that I chased several swarms. :eek: The biggest negative aspect of jars is that they're glass and will break...I haven't broke one, yet (now watch me go break some!). Something else that will happen if an empty is left on the hive too long is that the bees will seal the holes in the lid with propolis...just stick the lids in the freezer for a few hours and then use a straight pin to punch the hardened/frozen chips of propolis out of the holes.

One-piece jar lids are very nice in that they sit more flush to the screen. You don't want a gap between lid surface and the screen or the bees tongues might not be able to get to the syrup. An old beek shared a trick with me regarding using two-piece lids...he said to turn the lid upside down in the ring...so that the gasket faces out and against the ring and the center area of the lid protrudes outward rather than inward. This moves the surface of the lid closer to the screen (and bees). I haven't tried this but he says that he's had no problem with it...he does this on his own hives and last time I saw his yard he probably had 30 hives there. YMMV.

I'm not sure how many hives you're feeding, but I needed just a quart of syrup the other day for a small cutout. I'm pretty sure that it was 3 cups of sugar to 3 cups of water that made almost a perfect quart volume. I'm going to have to try it again to be sure, but I think that's what it was. Also, dissolving some crushed up Vitamin-C (ascorbic acid) in the hot water will bring the pH closer to that of honey and will also help retard fungus from growing in the syrup for a while...it's good if you make more than you can use quickly.

When you're feeding keep a monitor of how much the bees have stored....you don't want them filling the hive up with sugar water!!!

I like jars...but everybody has there own preferences. :) Jars are durable (within reason), re-useable, have good visibility for monitoring, and you can use them as a glass for sweet tea when not feeding bees with them. ;)

I'm just a rank newbee so take all of that with a grain of salt, it's subject to correction by somebody that's smarter than me! :D

Best wishes,
Ed
 
#14 ·
I don’t cover them. They typically take it down fast enough that I don’t have any mildew issue, though this year I have 3 from late splits from last year. They take it pretty slow and when it gets about a 1/4 left in the jar I start to see a little mildewing starting, but that is the only time I’ve seen it.
 
#12 ·
Mann lake baordman feeders with the tubes, or a boardman with a piece of screen mesh in it. The drowning bees come (in a boardman) other bees continualy knocking bees back into the feed. Think trying to get out of teh pool when everyone else wants in... for under 10.00 you cant beat them... And FYI I think the floats are the worst system ever
 
#16 ·
No problem with pressure building up inside the jar causing excess syrup to be pushed out? I've "read" that can be a problem with jars exposed to the heat of the sun...and that's why I'm asking you since you've got hands'on experience with it!. ;) I've got a few migratory tops that I could experiment with this summer. Are your feeder holes screened? Thanks again. Ed
 
#19 ·
I do not screen my feeders. I pull them if there is going to be a twenty degree difference in day and night time temps.

Another jar feeder set-up.
Nice looking feeder setup there, rail. Is that a four or five holer...almost looks like a hole in the middle?

Charlie, rather you than me on that drive!!!!...that's a long one, it's a wonder you were even able to type! Hope you had a good trip.

Ed
 
#22 ·
I've tried baggies, hive top, bucket and just recently, jars.

The hive top was alright, but another bulky item to have laying around when being stored and also an added cost. Baggies are great in a pinch, but need a shim to use this method, or an extra empty box. I used 2 gallon buckets last summer/fall and they worked good, but the sugar seemed to eat the rubber seal and they turned out to be short lived and again needed an extra deep body to cover.

I recently bought and used one gallon frame feeders with the cap & ladder system, they are awesome and if needed I will use them in all my full size hives. Very few dead bees at all.

I also converted my nuc tops to include a hole for jar feeding. But instead of using a 2 7/8" hole saw bit, I just used my jig saw set on a slight angle and cut the holes out, this way the jar "wedges" in naturally as the hole is narrower on the bottom. I also use 3/4" plywood for all my tops. And I only poke 3 holes in the jar lids.
 
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