Bee Feeders

Choosing which type of bee feeders to use for your honey bees is an important decision. There are several styles to choose from and each has pros and cons. In this guide, I provide the factors to consider as you look for the feeder that best suits your beekeeping goals.

With years of beekeeping experience, I am familiar with the struggles of making sugar water for bees in a efficient manner. Getting it to the bee yard and into the hives that need it-is not always easy.

Boardman Feeder (Entrance Feeder)

The boardman feeder is the most popular type that appears in most beekeeping kits. It is used with a regular glass jar and fits into the front hive entrance.

A beekeeper can easily see when to refill. But, this type of feeder does have its problems. A hungry colony can drain this in a couple of hours -are you available to refill it several times a day?

An even bigger issue, food hanging on the front of the hive can encourage robbing bee attacks. If you want to use a boardman feeder, it is best to place it inside the hive – with an extra box to enclose the feeder.

Mason Jar Feeder

This is basically the same as the boardman without the fancy wooden holder. It is really easy to make a mason jar bee feeder, because almost everyone has an extra glass jar around.

One easy way to use jar feeders is to purchase or make 4 jars feeders. Place all 4 inside the hive – sitting on the inner cover and elevated just a bit.

Use an extra deep hive box or brood box to enclose the jars and then put the top back on the hive. This allows the bees to have access to a gallon of food inside the hive.

Rather than placing it inside the hive – some beekeepers use a temporary hive top with a 1″ – 2″ hole in the top. 

The upside-down jar is placed over the hole so bees can reach the feeder holes. Weigh down the jar with a brick or strap. We do not want the wind or a raccoon to push the jar over. 

Hive Top Feeders

Hive top feeders sit on top of the hive under the telescoping top. They may be made of wood or plastic. This feeder will hold around 1-2 gallons of bee syrup and will feed the colony for several days.

Pros:

• easy to fill without disturbing colony
• holds a lot of food

Cons:

• they have a tendency to leak over time
• they are heavy when filled
• care must be taken to avoid spilling syrup around the hive
• if the lid does not fit tight – a robbing frenzy may result

Frame Feeders

A frame feeder takes the place of one frame in the hive body. If the hive normally holds 10 regular frames, you will use 9 regular frames and 1 feeder frame.

Having the same dimensions as a frame of honeycomb, this frame has 2 solid walls with an open cavity to hold sugar water.

Pros:

• holds up to 1 gallon of syrup (or more)
• located inside the hive close to the cluster
• good option in cool weather because bees can access the food easily

Cons:

• beekeeper has to open the hive to refill
• some bees will drown in the feeders
• they may leak over time

If you choose to use frame feeders, put some type of floating material inside the compartment to reduce drowning. I have used small sticks or wooden Popsicle sticks.

To use, fill the bucket with your sugar water and close the lid tightly. When you turn the bucket upside down, some syrup will escape until a vacuum forms. (It’s a good idea to have a bowl or something handy to catch this extra syrup).

Place the upside down bucket directly on top of the frames or over the hold in the inner cover. Bees will feed from the mesh feeder hole in the bucket (or small holes drilled by the manufacturer).

Like the boardman feeders, pail feeders inside the hive require extra equipment. An empty hive body or deep around the pail allows the hive to be closed.

If you choose, you can use a temporary hive top with a small hole drilled in the center. Place your upturned pail over the hole. A brick or rock on top of the bucket will prevent wind damage.

This method for feeding bees has some merits but it is also risky. It is not economical because you end up feeding every bee, wasp and yellow jacket in the area. Some bee death also results from fighting at the feeder or drowning.

If you do plan to try open feeding, ensure that the feeders are well away from your hives. A distance of at least 60-100 feet is best.

Open feeding can be worthwhile in certain situations. I use it as an indicator of natural forage. If the bees are getting a lot of natural nectar, they will ignore the open feeder.

If they attack the feeder in mass, they are not finding a lot of food in the field. Then, I know it may be time to consider feeding internally.

One easy method to practice open feeding is to make a bucket feeder. At least in this case, there is no drowning to worry about.

FAQs

Finally

When you find the proper bee feeder for your colonies, the job of providing extra nutrition becomes much easier. Keep them filled and clean to avoid contamination and always monitor your colonies when feeders are in place.