What is a bee feeder?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A bee feeder is used by beekeepers over winter to provide their bees with an extra source of food in the form of pollen, honey or a man-made substitute like Invertbee<\/a> or Ambrosia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A winter bee feeder is a feeding device used to supplement a bee colony’s diet in the winter months when natural honey stores have been depleted. The main purpose of a winter bee feeder is to keep the bees alive through the winter so that they can continue to pollinate plants and flowers as soon as spring comes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most common types of winter bee feeders include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose of the feeder is to help your bees survive the winter by giving them a source of food that they can rely on and not have to leave the hive in search of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The temperature outside during winter can be dangerously cold for bees and if they have to leave their hives, it could put them at risk of death from the elements or predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you go ahead and purchase a feeder for your hives let’s look at some of the different types of feeders available and some you should undoubtedly avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These simple feeders are without doubt the most popular amongst beekeepers due to their relatively cheap price and easy set-up. The feeder itself consists of an upturned receptacle that is sealed other than a small hole that will slowly leak out sugar water or syrup onto the feeder’s base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The base of the feeder is specially designed to give bees small islands to stand on while they feed. This is critical to avoid bees drowning and should be a paramount concern when selecting your entrance feeder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While entrance feeders are a great addition to a hive with low winter stores they can have some drawbacks. Due to their exposed position on the outside of the hive they can suffer from unwanted visitors like ants or robber bees drawn by the sweet syrup contained within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As their name suggests internal top feeders are located within the hive and attached to the brood boxes just below the lid of your hive. Internal top feeders allow you to fill up considerably more syrup than an entrance feeder and because they’re contained within the hive you don’t run the risk of other insects and predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be aware that internal top feeders have varying solutions to avoid bees drowning with some of the cheaper models offering ineffective methods. If you’re in doubt always purchase your feeder from a reputable brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often referred to as a division board feeder, frame feeders sit inside your hive just like a normal frame and can be purchased in either a plastic or wood finish. They vary in capacity starting at 1.5l all the way up to 6l for the jumbo feeders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s critical that any frame feeders have a float of some sort for the bees to land on. Without this frame feeders can be harmful to a hive, drowning bees that are essential to the colony’s survival through winter and the sparse spring months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you opt to use a wooden frame feeder we strongly recommend sealing the seams of the feeder with candle wax to create an extra seal and prevent syrup leakage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a doubt, the most cost-effective solution is baggie feeders or plastic bag feeders. Quite simply this is a syrup or sugar water solution placed in a food-safe plastic bag (freezer bags are great for this) and sealed tightly shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can place the bags directly on top of your hive by adding a spacer (a wooden frame that sits on top of your hive internally and creates a cavity for your bag feeders to sit in). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your bags are safely in place you can use a sharp knife to simply pierce a few holes that will allow the bees to access the precious contents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We love baggie feeders because they don’t drown any bees when installed correctly and they cost virtually nothing. The main downside to this kind of feeder is its environmental impact, due to the plastic bags required and the inability to rescue them after they’ve been cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need some help with placing your baggie feeders in your hive you can check out this awesome video from Garden Fork:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat are the different types of bee feeders?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Entrance feeders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Internal top feeders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Frame feeders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Plastic bag feeders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n