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Syrup feeder holes?

8K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Honey man 
#1 ·
Curious.
What kind of hole pattern and hole size works best in a Mason jar, syrup, feeder? Do the bees crawl upside down on the jar lid drinking syrup from the holes? Do they overcome the vacum lock in the jar?
Thanks,
Mark
 
#2 ·
There is a large margin for error on the size of the holes - a push-pin thumbtack works fine on the small end of the spectrum - hitting the lid with the corner of your hive tool makes much bigger and uglier holes which still work fine. The more, larger holes you make the more bees can feed at one time and the quicker they can get food into the hive - so it depends on how fast you want to feed them, and how bad you think they need it.

They hang on the bottom and whatever the physics of the process are the jar ends up empty if they are hungry.

BTW, I also use a 4 gallon bucket feeder which works on the same principle with similar holes all in a patch about the size of a jar lid (if there are holes all over a bucket lid it becomes critical that it is level or the syrup will leak out) and a big hive can empty it in about a week through those holes if they want to.
 
#4 ·
I bought an entrance feeder with the rest of my hive stuff, and it came with a pre-punched jar lid. Seems to be very tiny holes, like finishing nails that just barely pierced all the way through (talking smaller than a piece of thread here), and they were distributed about the same amount and pattern as you would see holes in a salt shaker lid.
 
#5 ·
I take a wood or sheet rock screw and use it to punch holes in the lid with a hammer. All it takes is just the tip of the screw and little bump more.

Yesterday I needed to make a bigger hole in one of the lids. I was in the apiary and didn't have a screw or hammer. I did have a pair of needle nose pliers and used them. Of course, it ended up going in way farther than I had planned. It made a pretty big hole but the suction still worked fine and the bees didn't care.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for picture and all the practical advice beekeepers. I guess a bunch of small holes works.

I guess the thing that keeps bothering me is the "vacuum physics". After the first squirts when you turn the unit over a pretty good vacuum develops. If it wasn't for the bees the vacuum would not allow any drainage. I'm wondering do the bees suck the sugar water out and overcome the vacuum?

Oh if i could just talk to a Bee for about a week. However, she'd probably be overcome with laughter at my understanding of bees.
Mark
 
#9 ·
I used the lid for a boardman feeder similar to picture drove about 15 small nails through a 1/4 in plywood board
does not have to be a paticular pattern, then simply lay that on a mason jar lid tap a couple of times with hamer and you have it :applause:
 
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