Results on my open feeding experiment

[FordGuy]

OK, you scientific types who demand control groups, minimum of 30 subjects, double blind, placebo, this is not the thread for you!!!

Some of my simple dumb country boy observations:

By way of an abstract - Open feeding is beneficial for the beekeeper who finds himself/herself needing feed in a hurry, has several hives of similar field strength, not enough time to devote to tending to each one individually, and the hives are showing signs of distress from lack of forage. I used open feeding during a dearth - and a dearth that occurred during a draught - and a draught that occurred during extremely hot weather. I did not intend the aligning of these horrible planets, but that happened none the less.

1. open feeding rewards those hives that have sufficient foragers. Those that are weak when it comes to a field force may derive little or no benefit since they have to put on more of a hive defense to protect against the secondary effect of open feeding - robbing. Among hives that are evenly staffed with field bees, the open feeding is both effective and convenient.

2. open feeding benefits the enemies of the honeybee. Ants, yellowjackets, paper wasps, predatory wasps, bald faced hornets, and waspy looking wisps, and wispy looking wasps, as well as lanky stingy looking things I frankly had never seen ...or heard...before. One tiny blue wasp would chirp when other wasps got too close!! If you want to see a parade of nasty suckers, open feed and see who comes a callin....If you are determined to open feed, the bucket should be a sufficient distance from your hives so that you don't attract ants to the hives. I had a weak nuc made of old wood that had many holes. The ants were able to attack the nuc from so many holes the bees could not defend.

3. effectiveness of open feeding. The bees were able to suck down a large amount of 1-1 in a short amount of time. That's pretty effective in my opinion. The only other factor bearing on effectiveness is bee mortality. With open feeding, you will have bee mortality. Some bees will be found drowned in the feed. This is not clearly due directly to the open feeding, but may be a number of factors, such as a worker just reaching her natural end, being unable to lift off after a full honey stomach (again, age, wear on wings). Perhaps a mis step or being stepped on by another bee may cause a bee to become drenched, and while grooming it is stepped on again and then unable to lift off. It is unknowable how many similar deaths occur comparitively with natural feeding, say from spiders waiting on the bloom, birds because the bee had to fly farther. The workers may actually suffer less wear and tear if the open feed is placed within a hundred meters of the hive - I think the trips will be shorter, but the bees may make more of them until all available space is filled. I also wonder if the water carriers are enlisted to carry 1-1, and if this saves them from having to carry so much water, and beefs up the field foragers.

4. methods. I started with a 5 gallon bucket and sticks. Quite a bit of drowning. The sticks' irregular surface defeated the purpose, not allowing bees to have a foothold. I then used one inch square cedar stakes. This works well but you need several side by side, and going into the bucket from opposite sides, in an alternating patern. This turned out to be one of two acceptable methods. The next method I tried was a chicken waterer. Man I had high hopes! Sadly, the galvanized one I tried had a design flaw that attracted bees inside where more drowned than with any other method. I am curious about the plastic waterers, as their design is different and probably would do just fine. AT the same time, I tried a 5 gallon bucket with ...pine straw on top. This turned out to be my favorite feeding method. The pine straw doesn't so much float, but forms an interlocking mat. I am now trying the smaller chicken waterers that hold a quart. I may give a follow up later on this.

[CWBees]

Hi FordGuy,
I open feeded this spring with sugar syrup using a Le Bistro Cat waterer http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441779503&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302033556&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1187146315835&itemNo=1&Ntt=le+bisro&In=All&previousText=le+bisro&N=2 filled with aquarium stone so the bees would not drown themselfs. It worked great as long as the feeder was full of syrup otherwise the bees would dig into the stone and if you filled the feeder again they would drown. Otherwise as long as you kept the feeder filled, the bees made out good. I also had a pollen substitute feeder that the bees were all over. This helped me build my hives up very quickly this spring.

[Brian D. Bray]

The method of open feeding I use, when I use 1, is just to set up a 1 gallon paint can ($1.99@local hardware store--never used).  I use the nails I have for putting frames together to make a number of holes in the lid (punch holes from inside of lid so the dimples hang like teats) so that the holes aren't too big.  I then set it up across the orchard from my bee hives.  I have to refill it every day or so.  I imitates a natural nector source more than most type feeders do.  I have experienced very little robbing using this method.  Also the bee death loss is minimal since the bees have to suck the syrup through the holes in the lid.  Most other insects are also kept out of the syrup.

I find it very effective in feeding the entire apiary at once and don't have to mess with feeders for each individual hive.  If I want to feed a single hive I use the same container but place it inside an empty super on the hive.  If a bottom entrance is used, I set the can on the inner top over the the escape hole in the inner top.

1 style of feeder 2 methods of feeding.  I use it usually when feeding top off of winter stores as a single feeder for the entire yard.  Also a can put out multiple cans if I want.