Feeding with top entrance

[Pond Creek Farm]

I am curious about top entrances. How would one intall a package with one?  I have hive top feeders and I am not seeing how this wuld work with a top entrance.  Perhaps another method of feeding a package is in order with a top entrance.  Also, can one modify a telscoping cover for use in a top entrance configuration?

[bassman1977]

How would one intall a package with one?

Same way you would if installing a package with a bottom entrance.

I have hive top feeders and I am not seeing how this wuld work with a top entrance.  Perhaps another method of feeding a package is in order with a top entrance.

If your entrance is made properly, this shouldn't be an issue.  I have a hive that is supposed to be a bottom entrance hive but somehow they manage to use the top as an entrance.  They squeeze between the outer and inner covers.  If they can get in and out from top, that's all you should have to worry about.  Another thing is that if you are doing things correctly, you really shouldn't have to use a feeder on an established hive, so eventually this should be a non-issue...at least most of the time.

Also, can one modify a telscoping cover for use in a top entrance configuration?

The hive referred to above has a telescoping cover.  It is unmodified and so is the inner cover.  Like I said, they make it in just fine.  They prefer it to the bottom entrance it seems.

The one thing that I dislike about them using the top for an entrance is when inspecting, they seem to congregate and get a little agitated while I have the hive torn apart.

[Brian D. Bray]

I have top entrance and bottomless hives.  the way I installed my daughters package this year was to slide in the sheet of 1/4 inch plywood I have for mite counts shook some bees in, pulled the cork on the queen cage and placed it in the center of the hive and then shook in the rest of the package on top of the frames.  Even with taking time to explain everything to my daughter as I went it took less than 10 minutes.  The next day I removed the plywood sheet and the queen cage.