>Even with the mesh, you still get more drowned
bees
This has not been my experience.
>Feeding bees one gallon at a time is a joke.
So laugh! It worked for me. Why feed 5 gallons to a hive if they only need 20 pounds of feed? My whole goal is to NOT feed my bees and a few quarts of stimulative 1:1 can go a long ways. Also, I don't really mind the work. At least I didn't last fall. The bees took syrup at about the same rate I was comfortable mixing it up and hauling it to the apiary in 5 gallon pails. That said, I did manage to disappear 800 pounds of sugar..
Compared to the typical inverted-jar feeders, of which I've tried quite a few, these are superior. I've never had trouble with them leaking. I have on the other hand dumped a few gallons into a few hives using inverted containers.
But I suspect you're not talking about used pickle jars from the local deli..
>So "sweetness comes after difficulties"?
Maybe if you stopped being such a cheapskate,
and invested in some decent feeders, you wouldn't
have so many "difficulties"!
Dulcius ex asperis is the motto of the Fergusson Clan, of which I am a proud member. My highland ancestors would run you through for your disrespect! I however, do not take myself so seriously!
As for being cheap, I will not mention what I invested last year to gear-up from scratch and bring 26 hives on-line my first season, but if you know as much about beekeeping as you seem to know, you should have a pretty good idea at what that figure is. Hah! Cheap in deed!
As for decent feeders, my best one is a miller feeder I built. I built another one for a 5 frame nuc. The 3 hive top feeders I bought from Mann Lake are crap for a variety of reasons I won't go into. Needless to say, I won't be buying any more of them.
As for hive top feeders in general, I won't be building (or buying) many more. They're fine, if correctly designed, but impractical if you've got more than dozen or so hives, IMHO.
So what do you think I should spend the money I haven't got on for feeders?
>Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur!
I don't know latin, but anything said in latin sounds profound
[ January 24, 2006, 07:10 PM: Message edited by: George Fergusson ]