Feeding Bees and drowning Bees new PACKAGES Is it worth the sacrifice?

[labradorfarms]

Ok update.... My paint can feeders have been on a week and bees have hardly touched them. They are on the cans but very little SS is gone...

Should I drill my holes bigger? I am thinking of going back to the Htop feeders at least they took SS from them......

[Kathyp]

do they even need to be fed.  what's going on inside?  what's your local flow like?  if they have another source that they like, they'll ignore the syrup.

[BeeMaster2]

You definitely do not want bigger holes. That will cause it to drip.  :(
The bees are much better off using natural nectar sources than sugar water.
Jim

[labradorfarms]

Well my Bees are still building up comb..... They were taking about a gallon a week with hive top feeders. My concern is that they cant get to the SS as easy as they did with hive top feeders. The only good I see with the can feeders are no drowned bees , but they have  built up very little comb without it..

I intend to stop feeding with they have 2 deeps drawn out.

One of my hives is big enough , I am not worried about them. My weak hive is the one I want to help with the SS.
Since april 12th they have not filled a deep yet. Maybe 5 frames are drawn.... My other hive has filled up one deep and working on the 2nd....
In Mississippi the its late spring not quite summer yet. There is some flow but its not fully here yet.

[labradorfarms]

I think very soon if nothing changes. My Hive top feeders are coming back.......

[Jim134]

If you are DIY I do nope this help you out.

http://youtu.be/u77xCjLySTM





          BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[RHBee]

If you are DIY I do nope this help you out.

http://youtu.be/u77xCjLySTM





          BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Thanks Jim. I never would have thought of that. A home made chicken waterer that's bee proof. I'll give it a try this fall.

[GSF]

Ray,

I experimented using a gallon chicken waterer to open feed my bees. I rolled up some small pieces of screen wire and put it in the collection area so they wouldn't drown. It seemed to work fine.

[Kathyp]

bees only build comb if they need to use it.  they will build it for brood and for storing food.  they won't build it just because you feed them, absent one of the first two conditions.

if they wanted your syrup, they'd take it.