[GOHoney]

I have two new hives around 60 yards apart. I installed the bees last Saturday. Entrance feeders and reducers. It looks like they are flying back and forth between hives. They are bringing in a lot of pollen. I am seeing some fighting at the entrances. A few dead bees on the ground not a lot. Am I causing robbing with the entrance feeders?

Thanks

 

[CLICKBANGBANG]

I would not use entrance feeders. Especially with small hives. Almost anything else could be better.

I like using 1/2 gallon jar feeders on top of the hive with a small tube soldered to the lid going into the box. I can refill without opening the hive and can track how fast the bees take the feed. When I'm done feeding, the bees propolise the hole in the lid shut. This keeps me from needing an extra lid for feeding with top of hive jars. I picked this up from Randy Oliver.

 

[GOHoney]

Thanks CLICKBANGBANG. I do have a couple of empty deeps. Maybe I should put them on and put the feeders inside.

 

[GOHoney]

It is all out war at both hives today. I am moving one of them after they are in tonight. The only place I can put them is at the other end of the property about 3/4 mile away. One question, it is supposed to start raining after midnight and all day tomorrow. After that it is going into the 20's for one night and warming slowly through the week. Is this a good move?

Thanks

 

[ggileau]

I would not use entrance feeders. Especially with small hives. Almost anything else could be better.

I like using 1/2 gallon jar feeders on top of the hive with a small tube soldered to the lid going into the box. I can refill without opening the hive and can track how fast the bees take the feed. When I'm done feeding, the bees propolise the hole in the lid shut. This keeps me from needing an extra lid for feeding with top of hive jars. I picked this up from Randy Oliver.

I agree with Click. Last year I struggled with robbing. Get rid of the entrance feeders! I have read that putting Vick's Vapor Rub around the entrance will confuse the robbers but not the host, they know where to go and the robbers do not get the scent of the feed. I haven't tried it yet so I'm not to sure if it will work.

 

[Belewsboy]

Get rid of the entrance feeder and install robber screens on the weak hive or both hives for that matter. They will absolutely stop the robbing.

 

[Splatt]

I agree: get some robbing screens on. My first hive got robbed almost as soon as I got it home, and the screen gave it the fighting chance it needed to stay alive.

 

[Michael Bush]

>Am I causing robbing with the entrance feeders?

Probably, yes. It certainly sounds like it.

www.bushfarms.com/beesrobbing.htm

 

[GOHoney]

Thanks for the advice. I will never use them again. I moved one hive and the next day all was back to normal. Except for this cold snap. Supposed to be down to 25 tonight. I have enough empty hive bodies to put the feeders inside on the next four arriving May 13th. I hope I will not have to feed the much.

 

[Kiran]

You can try baggie feeding, the Ten Frame Baggie Feeder from Brushy Mountain is simply a 2.75 inch shim made of 3/4 inch lumber.
Another option is to jar feed them, place the jar above the inner cover, Place a super (or large shim) around it and put the outer cover on top.
If jar feeding, prepare the jar first by replacing part of the lid with a fine screen or by simply making many small holes in the lid.
By the way, which method do you find works better?