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As things are winding down we are already looking forward to next season. We are planning on splitting the current hive and starting two more from packages, so we'll need all the woodenware, etc. for three more hives. The experience of one season has taught us a bit about equipment and there is a couple of things we'd do differently. One thing is to possibly go without deeps and just use all mediums (thanks for that tip, MB). The other equipment change we'd make is to use a different hivetop feeder. We have the one from Mann Lake and it seems to be of poor design and construction. The plastic tub is flimsy and has twice been repaired. The access to the opening is far too wide and is always loaded with burr comb (why isn't that opening made narrower, to the dimension of a "bee space"?) Finally, most frustrating of all, the screen is so loose that the bees are always getting into the syrup, especially when it's running low. It's irritating to remove the telescoping cover to fill or check the feeder and find a raft of drowned bees floating in the syrup and even more crawling around where they don't belong.
Who makes the best hivetop feeder? What about the plans found at this site - does it make a good feeder?
Who makes the best hivetop feeder? What about the plans found at this site - does it make a good feeder?