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Made 12 of the no drown feeders today . Still got to make the ladders . Now the question is the smaller pan really big enough it holds 1 quart and a 3/4 that's without the ladder in it . Or is the bigger pan more ideal ??
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No drown top feeders
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The ladder is screwd on so ya . Would be able to change easy if the support brace wasn't added . Here's a pic of one done not sure the size boxes it is for . ,mine are made for 8 frame boxes. View attachment 10177
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Now I'm thinking using the larger pan like this with the cross brace . How much storage for syrup is really needed???
View attachment 10178
View attachment 10178
I am using 2 gallon frame feeders and they are half empty every Saturday. So a gallon a week, the nice thing about yours would be pop the top off and fill it quick and easy and not cool of the brood chamber but I am thinking bigger would be better, you can always only half fill it if that's all your needing. Thanks for posting the pictures . I think some time in my workshop this weekend will be in order.
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It's the fatbeeman design you can look it up on the net for the instructions.
I use the same type of hive top feeders myself and love them. Mine holds nearly half a gallon and i end up feeding the bees about every other day right now. They were packages and have to draw comb out so it keeps them chugging it down. I might add that the ladders use a 22.5 degree angle on ends of each of the ladder pieces with exception to the one that fits tightly against the inside edge of the box. FYI if you build these make sure your hardware cloth wraps completely and tightly around the ladder and all the way back across the enclosure board where the bees come up. If you don't you will most likely have problems with bees escaping into the feeder. I bought a couple from the FBM himself that used plastic jugs which is ok, but the wire didn't wrap all the way and caused bees to die. So i modified the design a little for my own that i built with 0 dead bees so far.
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Shouldn't these be called "less drown" feeders. I don't care how you make them. There are some bees that have this thing about committing suicide by syrup. No matter what you do there is always a portion of the hives that walk the plank to the sweet sea of death every time you feed....
Very good point..Shouldn't these be called "less drown" feeders. I don't care how you make them. There are some bees that have this thing about committing suicide by syrup. No matter what you do there is always a portion of the hives that walk the plank to the sweet sea of death every time you feed....
You must use some sort of small floating pieces of material to cover the syrup to prevent drowning. I cut up sheets of thin packing foam (the 1/8" thick stuff), cut up into 1/2" squares and spread evenly over the syrup. If you don't use floats you will have drownings. I have NO drownings.
I also use flexible fiberglass window screen as a ladder; this will rest on top of the float material and move with syrup level.
There are two syrup dishes placed near my hives, along with the floats, and they are continually covered with bees during daylight.
I also use flexible fiberglass window screen as a ladder; this will rest on top of the float material and move with syrup level.
There are two syrup dishes placed near my hives, along with the floats, and they are continually covered with bees during daylight.
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