I'm outside feeding lately (dry autumn so far, no real rains in sight, little-to-no nectar available and so-so pollen) and spoke with an engineer last night about an issue I see with using frame-feeders in hives. Here's the gist:
I'm feeding a beek pal's bees nowadays (she's hospitalized/doing major rehab due to an accident). Her feeders are inner ones, so I have to lift each of her 5 hives' heavy mediums to get to the frame feeders. A real chore, and I ain't 16 anymore! I could take out frames individually, but that's not really practical -- and her bees tend to be super-defensive.
Keeping inner feeders in my own 3 hives -- not desirable. The ones I've used in the past tend to get used as SHB hotels once syrup levels go down, and disaster ensues, since the bees can't get to the beetles and SHB eggs, I guess. Again, having to lift the mediums to reach the deeps' feeders - uh-uh.
Is there a solution to this? Is there some method whereby a "feeding tube" could somehow be inserted into the hive/hive-body wall to feed the bees w/o having to remove mediums? If so, there could be the issue of knowing when the feeder was full , so as not to flood the hive with overflow syrup. Lots of potential variables here, I know.
Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions re: this?
Mitch
I'm feeding a beek pal's bees nowadays (she's hospitalized/doing major rehab due to an accident). Her feeders are inner ones, so I have to lift each of her 5 hives' heavy mediums to get to the frame feeders. A real chore, and I ain't 16 anymore! I could take out frames individually, but that's not really practical -- and her bees tend to be super-defensive.
Keeping inner feeders in my own 3 hives -- not desirable. The ones I've used in the past tend to get used as SHB hotels once syrup levels go down, and disaster ensues, since the bees can't get to the beetles and SHB eggs, I guess. Again, having to lift the mediums to reach the deeps' feeders - uh-uh.
Is there a solution to this? Is there some method whereby a "feeding tube" could somehow be inserted into the hive/hive-body wall to feed the bees w/o having to remove mediums? If so, there could be the issue of knowing when the feeder was full , so as not to flood the hive with overflow syrup. Lots of potential variables here, I know.
Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions re: this?
Mitch