Need help with hive top feeder

Rob Steff. · April 17, 2008, 09:44:58 PM

Hi all,

I'm a new beekeeper and just got / installed my bees today. All went well until I put my hive top feeder on. I got the feeder from bee-commerce.com - you can take a look at it here -- http://www.bee-commerce.com/detail.aspx?ID=26

The problem I am having is that a lot of bees seem to be drowning in the syrup. One problem I see is that the feeder is plastic. I saw a couple bees that couldn't climb up from the syrup because there feet were constantly slipping on the plastic.

I was wondering if it is normal for bees to drown in a hive top feeder, and if anyone has a solution for the slipping problems. There are probably between ten and twenty drowned bees so far in each feeder last I looked.

Any thoughts? What feeders do most of you guys use?

Thanks,

Rob S.

pdmattox · April 17, 2008, 10:01:14 PM

I don't have any experince with this type of feeder. I use a jar on the top that goes through a hole in the top cover.

johnnybigfish · April 17, 2008, 10:38:44 PM

Hey Rob,
I use a top feeder too but not like yours..mine is lower, all brown plastic and 2 white plastic strips on both ends...My bees were drowning too at first...I finally figured out that my 2 white strips werent pressed down all the way and the bees were getting passed the strip and going directly into the main syrup part which caused alot of them to drown...Does yours have some movable platsic parts that might not be inserted all the way?

your friend,
john

steveouk · April 17, 2008, 11:12:09 PM

HI rob, i have a different one but i have had similar problems, check the wire screening that there are no gaps and also check your lid is flush. i found my bee's where crawling in because my lid was not quite flush with the top of the feeder

Michael Bush · April 17, 2008, 11:29:17 PM

There is a bee leak somewhere. Duct tape can be a big help. :)

Rob Steff. · April 18, 2008, 01:57:36 PM

Thanks for the info everyone. I just checked the hives again this morning and found around 20 drowned bees per hive. The problem is that the drowned bees are NOT outside of the wire (so it's not a problem with bees getting in from outside), they're all inside the wire where they're supposed to be.
One problem I see is that the wire is kind of bowed out; it's probably up to an inch away from the plastic.

I think that right now I'm going to put a few screws through the screen on the side to narrow down the space the bees have, and while I'm at it maybe scratch up the plastic with a sandpaper.

Got a few questions.
-Is it OK to do these adjustments so soon after I installed the bees? Would it be too much stress to take the cover off so soon?
-How long can drowned bees stay in the syrup before I take them out? Does it hurt bees to drink from syrup full of dead bees?!

What is considered to be the best feeder out there??

Thanks again,
Rob

Robo · April 18, 2008, 02:18:53 PM

Quote from: Rob Steff.
-Is it OK to do these adjustments so soon after I installed the bees? Would it be too much stress to take the cover off so soon?

If you got bees drowning, I would go ahead and fix. Just try to be quick and efficient.

Quote
-How long can drowned bees stay in the syrup before I take them out? Does it hurt bees to drink from syrup full of dead bees?!

Depends on the temperature, but sooner or later they will start to mold and/or the syrup will ferment. I wouldn't worry about it though, it won't hurt them in the short term.

Quote
What is considered to be the best feeder out there??

I'm sure you will get plenty of opinions on this one :roll: I personally go for the inverted jar. Here are my views on the different types.
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/feeder-compare/

Kathyp · April 18, 2008, 02:20:32 PM

i have tried a few. didn't like anything in the hive because of your problem and the moisture. ended up with the bucket/jar on top of the hive. works well. cheap. easy to check without opening hive. encourages me to eat artichoke hearts from costco....the jar is the perfect size! :-)

Brian D. Bray · April 20, 2008, 09:53:13 AM

Quote from: kathyp on April 18, 2008, 02:20:32 PM
i have tried a few. didn't like anything in the hive because of your problem and the moisture. ended up with the bucket/jar on top of the hive. works well. cheap. easy to check without opening hive. encourages me to eat artichoke hearts from costco....the jar is the perfect size! :-)

Another justification for self indulgence--I'll add it to my list.

Cindi · April 20, 2008, 10:28:20 AM

RobS. Welcome to our forum. You have found the best place to spend time and ask your questions. You are already asking your questions and getting responses, yeah!!! When you have a little time, why don't you go to the greetings forum and tell us a little bit about yourself, nosey I am (hee, hee) (and so are others too, hee, hee). You have entered the world of the bees, you will soon be deep under their spell as so many of us are, it is a good thing. The more you learn the more you will want to learn. Great. So, have a wonderful and beautiful day, welcome, welcome, welcome. Cindi

asciibaron · April 21, 2008, 02:40:43 PM

my bees have been busy drawing nectar and haven't been hitting the feeder pail - i looked at it on Saturday and saw what looked like some mold starting in the syrup. will this be a problem or should i remove the feeder pail? i was going to let it go until next Saturday and then call it quits on the feeder anyway.

-Steve

Robo · April 21, 2008, 02:42:50 PM

If they are getting enough of the real stuff, they will leave the syrup alone. Leaving it on until Saturday won't hurt anything.

Tucker1 · April 21, 2008, 08:29:11 PM

Rob: I just went thru the same problem. (Please see the string on "Drown Bees" written about 2 weeks ago.) The advise given to me by forum members solved the problem. I took the belt and suspenders approach and things worked out fine. It's awful discouraging to find drown bees.

Regards,
Tucker

Rob Steff. · April 23, 2008, 09:46:53 PM

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all the help. I followed the advice I found here and a few other places on the web, and now, after a couple days or so, have almost zero drowned bees! The bees also seem to be draining the feeder a little faster. What a blessing!

Did the first inspection of my hives, and found everything working great. I'm incredibly impressed with the bees I got - they are far exceeding everything I've read that I'm supposed to expect - and talk about gentle!!

Thanks so much for all the help and information, and Cindi for the warm welcome! I'll check out the greetings forum ASAP! ;)

Blessing to all,
Rob