best feeder?

[beewitch]

Hello.  First year beek - had to combine my 2 hives into one stronger one last month.  In checking it last week, saw good overall strength in the colony but little to no honey stores.  I'm in Atlanta, we're in a dearth now, hotter than hell, with only a little flow expected any time soon.  Understand I should feed 1:1 now along with pollen patties to get my girls to build up for the winter?

My real question is what feeder to use?  I know Boardman's are wrong to use now because of robbing potential.  I've had little luck with baggy feeders.  Any advice for this backyard beek?

[riverrat]

1 gallon inverted pickle jar over the top hole in the innercover works great

[annette]

Hello.  First year beek - had to combine my 2 hives into one stronger one last month.  In checking it last week, saw good overall strength in the colony but little to no honey stores.  I'm in Atlanta, we're in a dearth now, hotter than hell, with only a little flow expected any time soon.  Understand I should feed 1:1 now along with pollen patties to get my girls to build up for the winter?

My real question is what feeder to use?  I know Boardman's are wrong to use now because of robbing potential.  I've had little luck with baggy feeders.  Any advice for this backyard beek?

Just curious why the baggy feeders don't work for you??

[beewitch]

I must be making the holes too large...  Maybe there's a secret I don't know yet.  :-P
When I tried it this spring, I had drowned bees and baggies empty in a day.  Can anyone give me some hints cause I'd rather use the baggies?!

[charlotte]

I put only 3-4 slits about 1" long.  Sometimes bees still get inside if it's empty, but usually only a few.  You are putting the slits on the top, right?  The bottom of the bag should not have holes.  The bees will climb onto the top of the bag to eat.  A shim works nicely to add alittle extra space.  Maybe your lid was crushing the bag & causing the syrup to leak out?

[glenn c hile]

I really like the hive top feeders for ease of use.  You can crack the lid and refill without distrubing the bees, holds several gallons fo feed, etc.  Several models to chose from but I prefer the wooden one that Brushy Mountain sells with the floating wooden slats (item 688).  I also like the styrofoam one from Betterbee. 

Tried jars, heavy and a pain to fill plus you have to open the hive.  Baggies work ok but again you have to open hive and take some work to prevent leaking. 

[jgaito]

so far i've had zero spills or drowned bees with this:

[Kathyp]

i use the 1 gallon poultry water containers.  just make sure you screen the hole or the bees will climb inside and die.  you can either mass feed early in the spring or do as jgaito has done for individual hives.  for individual hives, i  just use a big jar with holes in the lid over the inner cover hole.

[AllenF]

I have about stopped using top feeders and bags now.  I got a good deal on the yellow deep plastic division board feeders.   Just carry a couple of 5 gallon buckets of syrup to the hives and just pour and go.  No more plastic baggies blowing around the yard and very few drowned bees. 

[annette]

I must be making the holes too large...  Maybe there's a secret I don't know yet.  :-P
When I tried it this spring, I had drowned bees and baggies empty in a day.  Can anyone give me some hints cause I'd rather use the baggies?!

I use the gallon size ziplock and a good brand, do not use cheap ziplock bags. Fill about 1/2 - 2/3 full of syrup. Make sure the ziplock is sealed. I go over this several times with my fingers making sure it is truly sealed. Place on top super and I make 2 slits in the baggie about 2 inches long and about 1-1/2 inches apart. I never have drowned bees with this technique.  Once I did drown some bees because I was making the slits to long and to far apart. (not sure why that mattered, but the way I do it now works really good)

Check out Linda Blog. That is all she does is the baggie feeders:

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2008/11/baggie-rules.html

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2009/08/feeding-bees-all-over-town.html

[annette]

Guess what??

See below my quote from a previous post:

"If you go with the baggie feeders, just some suggestions so you do not make the same mistakes that I did. Fill up the gallon size ziplock bags only about 1/3 full and make sure you are using the good ziplocks, not some cheap brand. When you fill them up leave the air bubble in them, then seal them up. Double check the seals, I mean every inch of them. I just press and press every spot and believe me when I say that I find some spots that were unsealed.  After you place it on the hive, take a sharp knife or razor, something very sharp so it doesn't drag on the baggies and make the slits into the air bubble very carefully. The slits should be short around 1/2" and just a few of them. They should also be around 1/2" apart from each other. I made a horrible mistake a few weeks ago and made rather long slits and to many of them. Well the bees drowned in the baggies.

Take Care
Annette"

Well that is something else. I am not even following my own suggestions. Ignore the previous post and follow this one.  I think perhaps I better follow my own post as well.

[conky]

Beewitch you mention pollen patties, I wouldn't do that now - hive beetles love those things, I am further south than Atlanta, but I've never found them necessary. There is usually plenty of pollen to go around even in a nectar dearth, I watch my bees bring in pollen in January. Besides nectar dearths are normal no need to try to artificially inflate your hives population as long as they are healthy. 

Of course this is just my opinion but when I first started everything I read said feed, feed, and if in doubt feed some more! And now I realize that often it is unnecessary. As an example my first fall and winter I kept hive top feeders on and by February I had hives full of capped syrup. Hope this helps, just pay attention to your hives and feed over winter if they get light.

[beewitch]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback - esp on "baggie protocol".  That helped immensely.  So, if I don't feed now, when should I start?  Can anyone in this climate advise?   Colony seems very strong except for lack of honey stores.  Thanks!

[VolunteerK9]

Sorry if its already been covered, but now is not the time to use an entrance feeder as one of your options. (just in case you were thinking about it).  I figured this out a few weeks ago when I set off a huge robbing frenzy. Is anyone interested on the book I plan on writing titled 'Trials and Tribulations of a Beginning Beek' ? The majority of the content will cover my dumba** moves that Ive done in my first year  :-D  jk

[beewitch]

jk - I'm sure I could contribute to the dumba** chapter in your book - despite apprenticing for a year and reading everything I can lay my hands on.  How many times have I come in from the beeyard, hit my forehead and said "doh!".

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm