Problem with feeders.

[Alleyyooper]

Way I see it just about every feeder I have seen has a defect of sorts.
Bordman feeders are OK for the back yard bee keeper that can refill them every day or every other day. They also are open to starting a robbing frenzy.

Frame feeders fit inside the hive and the idea behind them was good but lots bees drown in them as they were back when I started. I liked the concept back then but quickly saw the problem so I modified mine. More on that mod latter.

Even the early hive top feeders had a problem with bees drowning. My first was one with a 2 inch slit in the center with wire screen slanting out. The bees didn't pay attention in school and would get off that screen and drown.

I settled on gallon jars and two gallon plastic pails I got free from pizza joints, and bakery's. No drowning bees with them at least. Problem with them is you have to have a deep to put around them so the wind and wild critters didn't knock them off the hive. Also the outer cover would not fit correctly unless you had a deep side to the inter cover so the jars would fit down in them.







   Al

[Alleyyooper]

I seen some like this at a bee conference one year and liked the idea, still tried some other things with them.

So here is what I built from memory.





My hives are 19 7/8" long, so I cut the side rails that size.
 

Since I wanted some extra glue up area and some thing to help keep the feeders stable I cut the end bars and centers to 15 1/4.



With all the dados on the ends and centers 3/8" deep it gives me the over all width of 16 1/4.



Of course 3/4" wide dados allow a perfect fit of the end bars in them.



You can have the center bars as far apart as you wish and as close as 3/8" but I feel that is to close. I chose a inch. Find the center of the box measure a 1/2 inch on both sides of center for that inch.



Once you have that inch measurement you can set the fence on the table saw to cut the dados. Do one side rotate ends and do the other. Then you  reset the fence to do the centers the very same way, one side then the other. I measured so I don't have to do the figureing out every time any longer.



I used construction glue (locktite grab it) to glue the bottom on as well as staple it with 7/8" crown staples.



When that is done you can measure the area for the float. Just make sure you leave some clearance. I left about 3/16" on the sides and ends.
I made the floats out of 1/2x3/4 inch rails and the cross ties are 1/8"x 3/4" , didn't soak these but will all the rest as it tends to stop splitting. I replaced several that did split.





   Al

[Alleyyooper]

I had a horriable elder moment when I was cutting out the 1/8 float slats. Being safe I was useing a push block to push the wood thru the saw and I also made sure I had the zero clearance insert in place. Some would still shoot out the back of the saw so I had to chase them down. Tried the jig saw way to slow. the band saw has a cross cut blade on and just didn't want to rip the block.  I decided to built floats with a frame center bar and vynal screen.





It works with the screen up but they will need life jackets if down as there is a half inch of syrup above the screen.

I also figured out how to cut the 1/8 slats on the table saw with out a problem. Just push a wide board thru that is a couple of feet long then cut the size you need.

I do have those elder moments a lot more lately for some reason.

They hold just over a gallon and a half of syrup. nice for when we travel to out yards as we just lift the inter and outer covers off and pour from a pail the syrup. When they are really sucking it down it still will last about a week.

   Al

[Perry]

Nice design.
I have never tried frame feeders as I have seen too many with drowned bees.
I started using these German style feeders and they work well but only hold a half gallon.



I bought a few of these hive top feeders but did not like them either, expensive to buy, get moldy, difficult to work around, etc.




No doubt about it, my favourite are the pail feeders. No drowning, easy to use and move, etc. cheap. Yes, you need an empty super around them, but I am finding I never hve enough extra supers anyway so building extra is no big deal, it just means I'm prepared for lots of swarms! 

[brooksbeefarm]

Al, that is the type of feeder i make, only i make one end smaller for pollen and the larger side for syrup. Instead of a wood float i use bubble wrap cut a 1/4 inch or shorter than inside the syrup side so that it floats on top of the syrup, the big bubble wrap works best with slits cut in it for the syrup to seep through, most of mine will hold 2 gal. or more. I also put a 3/8 thick x 3/4 wide strip of wood all around the outside edge on the bottom of the feeder with a two inch gap on the front for a top entrance. Works great and i leave them on year round.When they are empty in the summer, the only place i find shb's is inside these top feeders usually only 5 to 10 and a dozen or so bees keeping them in a corner, i take the bubble wrap out when i'm not using them so the shb can't hide under them and the hive tool can nail them. Jack

[Barbarian]

You may find this link about different types of feeders useful.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/feeders.html

[Gypsi]

I never got into the wooden box feeders, the screen feeders, the big bucket feeders scare me to have that much syrup above my bees. The little half gallon or gallon bucket feeder would heat and swell and leak and shrink when it cooled and leak and I didn't like that much.

I don't use inner covers in the summer and I don't use telescoping covers in the summer.  I use quart jars with feeder lids from dadant, build simple migratory covers that cost me about $6 apiece to build, drill a 3 inch hole in the center, tack #8 hardware cloth on the inside with a staple gun, paint outside and edges and put on hive with a jar on top.  IF the plywood starts to warp and the bees are having a security issue I put an unnotched inner cover underneath.

Granted my apiary is in my yard and I can look at it every morning when I feed the chickens and fish on the lot. In early spring and late fall I set an extra medium box over it, stuff some  fiberglass insulation around the jar and slap a telescoping cover on top. Liquid will still shrink and expand but glass is much better about it than the plastic buckets, bees and brood are safer.  And I still don't have to open hive to change jars

[LazyBkpr]

   Using jars for the most part.. I still have a few gallon size small mouth jars, but typically use the feeder stands with 4 jars on top of them;   


   I grab one of my honey buckets, and dump the syrup into it as it gets empty, then I can use the honey gate to fill the syrup jars quickly.   I am going to have to buy bulk sugar next year, maybe even this fall for winterizing.. the wife is getting annoyed at buying the 25 lb bags..   I will say, they work quite well though.. dump an entire bag into  5 gallon bucket. add boiling water, fumagilin and apple cider vinegar. use wine stirrer on my battery powered drill to mix..   FAST and easy. Ready to go on hives in the morning..
   I have found that as long as the jars are covered, they do not leak terribly. When they do leak the bees have it cleaned up in very short order. No complaints at all about the inverted feeders..
   Even my exterior feed stands with the jars in sunlight do not leak faster than the bees can clean it up this time of year.

[Gypsi]

Very Nice Lazy Beekeeper... If I had more cold and needed more feed in I could adapt my lids to that style pretty easy and slap a couple of jars on at once.  With the robbing around here, I probably won't, but yes, my idea x4

[LazyBkpr]

   I make them for 2 jars as well....       

[kiwimana]

Hi,

I have just purchased the plans from The Fat Bee Mans "No Drown Feeder", I will make one up and see if the bees use it.

We have a flow at the moment, so I suspect the bees won't bother with sugar.  Fair enough I wouldn't eat McDonalds if I could get a Top Side Steak instead

Gary

[LazyBkpr]

I wouldn't eat McDonalds if I could get a Top Side Steak instead


   Too true!!    Let us know how Dons feeder works though. Might have to try a few out myself!

[Bakersdozen]

Alley, a fellow beekeeper just told me about this type of feeder.  He said he didn't have a single bee drown and he swears by them.  He got his at Dadant.

[Alleyyooper]

I built my own, No shipping cost and I get to work the table saw and other stuff.

   Al