no stores

[randydrivesabus]

looks like its feeding time around here. i checked my hives today and they have just about nothing put up for the coming winter. explains why they were so easy going...nothing to steal nothing to protect. i sticky boarded for natural mite drop count and then i'm going to feed. its been very dry here.
i've been reading about how some of you feed all your hives from one location not close to the hives...like community feeding. does that really work? i'm thinking of feeding individual hives with inverted jars but community feeding sounds easier. comments?

[Grant11]

I am in the same boat order feeders today . One of the hives lots of bees no honey .

[Pond Creek Farm]

I'm using hive tops.  I hate the ants, but I own these so I feel compelled to use them.  I would lilke a community feeder as well.  One plus is that the bees can use the hive feeders 24/7 but I am told they will not fly to the commuity feeder at night.  I have no idea if this is true, but its sounds reasonable.

[TwT]

I use hive top feeders mostly but community feeders also use about 10 boardman feeders plus five 1 gallon chick waters ( I started using these last year when I found the 5 stored in my shed from back when I had chickens, figured I could use them and they work well, all five was emptied in about 2 hours with 9 hives working them) , , I place them about 100 feet from hives, the 1 gallon chick waters I screen the hole up with a little silicone and after setting down I put rocks in the bottom so the bee's have something to keep from drowning plus a place to drink. local feed store have them. the only problem is after empty you have to dump rock , fill then put rocks back in other than that they work very well.

[TwT]

oh and the reason I screened over the hole on the bottom part is to keep bee's out, they will pile in the hole when empty and cant get out, about 3 pounds of bee's, done that when first tried them  :-D

[bmacior]

Wouldn't community feeders draw in the wasps? :evil:  I know my humnmingbird feeders do.  The water I supplied for the bees was used exclusively by the wasps so I quit that.  The bees are on their own for water.  I bought the smallest pet water I could find (1 qt) and use it as a hive top feeder.  No drip to draw in the ants or other critters. 

[TwT]

never seen them at the feeders, but after extracting I leave supers out in the open so the hives can clean them, see some bumble bee's and yellow jacks and some wasp on those but the none ever fighting, everyone just trying to get some thing to eat. when I put feeders out last year nothing could have gotten to it, the bee's was about 2 inches thick, and none dead after it was emptied. 

[AndersMNelson]

No stores here either :(  WHERE'S THE RAIN??

[eivindm]

Allen Dick has some pages about drum feeding in his beekeeping diary:

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/2001/diary100101.htm#drumfeed
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/2000/diary091700.htm#drumfeed
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/incl/4i1.htm#drumfeed
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/2002/diary100102.htm#drumfeed

[WhipCityBeeMan]

I use the poultry water containers as well.  They do work great.  In fact I often put one near my living room window.  Its fun to watch the girls suck down the juice.  Also it provides the opportunity for my family to get interested in bees without risk of getting stung. 

[johnnybigfish]

GREAT tip TWT!
I'm gonna go out and refill my waterer(Mines like yours but holds about 2 gallons) before the bees crawl in...I saw it was low just a little while ago but I figured on filling it tomorrow...Thanks!
your friend,
john

[annette]

I'm using hive tops.  I hate the ants, but I own these so I feel compelled to use them.  I would lilke a community feeder as well.  One plus is that the bees can use the hive feeders 24/7 but I am told they will not fly to the commuity feeder at night.  I have no idea if this is true, but its sounds reasonable.

Someone mentioned to use mineral oil around the supers to keep the ants out of the feeders. I did this last week and did not see any ants crawling up the supers. It's sort of messy, but seems to work.

[qa33010]

   If I need to do communal feeding for a large number of hives (large number for me) I have used a five gallon straight sided bucket and small cell bubble wrap cut to just fit inside the pail.  I put some cuts along the inside of the bubble wrap, fill up the bucket and set the bubble wrap on top.  Have not had robbing or drowning issues issues with this gizmo, so far, and seems to work well enough for me.  I have seen them at times groom each other in the bucket (I may have some pictures of that) which I thought weird.  But I use it only if I'm in bad shape, time/weather/stores.  Otherwise if they have enough stores I leave them alone and make candy for late winter if needed.

   annette, I have used cotton balls, but found my finger dosn't leave any fuzz behind even though it is a bit neater.  You're right it can be a little messy.  I spilled the bottle all over me the first time I was going to use it in a fogger that I had borrowed.  As I wiped it on the hive box I remembered the movie "A Bugs Life" and in the opening when the leaf(?) landed in front of the ant and he was lost.  So I smeared it around and got better, especially since my fingers are able to cover the opening of the bottle.  The kids just enjoy using it and making minor messes with it.

[poka-bee]

Gauze, cheesecloth an old tshirt cut up, a sponge might work, or a bbq or paint brush?

[annette]

I did use a small paint brush and it worked out great, but what I mean by messy is it dripped down the super and I saw streaks of it sliding down. Maybe next time, I will use a bit less.