Today there was a very cold front that swept through our area and I became concerned for the Bees. I wanted to be sure that they had plenty of nutrition to maintain their temp. I needed a hive feeder that was quick and easy to make. I chose to build an entrance feeder because I did not want to open the hive in this cold weather. I saw no other plans for this on the net and so I devised my own. Not fancy but it did work. I hope the photos explain the process.
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3 comments:
Not to discourage you from designing and making your own equipment, I think it is great. Unfortunately too many people have become "buy everything" and have lost the skills and ingenuity to make things according to their own needs. But if it is too cold to open the hive to feed, it is too cold for the bees to come out to use a boardman feeder. An inverted jar over the inner cover hole is better approach in cold conditions. The bee cluster can move right up under the feeder and feed regardless of the outside temperature. For them to use the boardman, the temps must be warm enough for them to break cluster.
Ok that makes sense. I only used it for that quick cold spell and I had no idea that they still could not feed from it. Thanks for the comment and helping me to learn about what to do and what not to do. I am sure I will make some more errors in the future as well.
Thanks again for reading my blog.
Thanks for the design. I was looking to purchase a couple of entrance feeders, but couldn't justify the 11-dollar shipping charges. Now, an hour later I have the two feeders that I needed!
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