feeder bucket seals

rast · February 10, 2009, 07:08:11 PM

Anyone ever try to make or buy new seals for the lids of the 1 gal inverted feeder buckets?

Pond Creek Farm · February 10, 2009, 10:24:12 PM

Help me out, what are these beasts?

rast · February 10, 2009, 10:31:27 PM

1 gal. plastic buckets with snap on lids that have seal in the lids where they snap onto the buckets. Poke a few holes in the lids, fill the buckets with syrup and set them upside down over a feeder hole in the hive cover.

Brian D. Bray · February 10, 2009, 11:23:12 PM

1 gallon paint cans work better. The clean ones you can buy for mixing or sharing paint. Use a #4 nail to poke the holes and tap it just enough to leave a pyramid shaped hole.

Romahawk · February 10, 2009, 11:30:01 PM

Quote from: Brian D. Bray on February 10, 2009, 11:23:12 PM
1 gallon paint cans work better. Use a #4 nail to poke the holes and tap it just enough to leave a pyramid shaped hole.

Never used a paint pail but out of curiosity when you poke the holes in them do the pyramid projections protrude up inside the pail or do they point down. Seems like the bee might snag his tongue on the sharp points if they were hanging down.

Brian D. Bray · February 10, 2009, 11:34:41 PM

Quote from: Romahawk on February 10, 2009, 11:30:01 PM
Quote from: Brian D. Bray on February 10, 2009, 11:23:12 PM
1 gallon paint cans work better. Use a #4 nail to poke the holes and tap it just enough to leave a pyramid shaped hole.

Never used a paint pail but out of curiosity when you poke the holes in them do the pyramid projections protrude up inside the pail or do they point down. Seems like the bee might snag his tongue on the sharp points if they were hanging down.

I make the punchs from the inside of the lid so that the dimples of the pyramids point down. Using just the point of the nail to make the puncture leaves just a small "break" at the end of the pyramid. The smaller the hole the easier it is to create the vacuum to keep the syrup inside the container. I've punched as many as 30 holes in a 1 gallon paint can lid and not had it leak. You can pry the lid off and tap in back on with you hive tool.

steveb · February 18, 2009, 04:39:56 PM

I have to agree that paint cans make a good feeder. I just go to home depot and buy the new unused cans. A couple of small holes in the lid and you have it. Of course I find that just about any pail, jar, or can that has the ability to seal works well. The bigger the better. If I can recycle it all the better. I sell some commercially made feeders but not to many as I try and teach people how to use what they have to make their own pail type feeder instead. Just make more sense and I think they are better.
Steve

jdpro5010 · February 18, 2009, 05:17:49 PM

I would have thought you would have corrosion issues with the paint cans or are they plastic?

Brian D. Bray · February 18, 2009, 10:46:45 PM

Quote from: jdpro5010 on February 18, 2009, 05:17:49 PM
I would have thought you would have corrosion issues with the paint cans or are they plastic?

Nowa days they're teflon coated on the inside. Way back in the 50's and 60's before teflon was used there could occassionally be a rust issue if the cans weren't dried out with a towel after use or a little syrup was left in, but a piece of steel wool solved that problem rather well.