A Simple Way of Feeding Syrup

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I met a Bulgarian beekeeper this week who told me about his very simple way of feeding syrup.

He took a large plastic bag, the sort with a zip lock closure and filled it with sugar syrup. He then pricked a number of holes in one side with a pin and laid the bag, holes downwards, on the top frames. The bag was then covered with a spare hive body and the roof.

Big advantage of this method over a bucket and gauze is there is never any air in the bag so it is unaffected by changes in air pressure or temperature - which often cause the inverted bucket type feeders to leak. The holes need to be quite small I suspect.

The syrup does not leak out but drops form which the bees can feed on. I haven't obvously tried this myself yet but he swore it worked.

I guess any type of bag would work so long as the top was firmly closed.
 
Yes plastic bag syrup feeders work fine,this method has been around for a great many years,you can also cut slits in the bag with a razor or sharp knife and the bee's feed from the top.
 
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I suppose because you can use any size bag,large or small quantity of syrup,to just place on top of any size hive or nuc,plus very cheap and simple.
 
just place on top of any size hive or nuc,plus very cheap and simple.

But you need extra box over the bag. 30 hives, 30 boxes. Frames off from boxes to some store corner?

Protect from wasp and robber bees.

It is not "just put".

If you have syrup in blastic bag and you make a hole to it, it will bleed to ground by the help of gravitation.
 
But you need extra box over the bag. 30 hives, 30 boxes. Frames off from boxes to some store corner?

Protect from wasp and robber bees.

It is not "just put".

Do you,well i must have done something wrong,placed a freezer bag of syrup in the roof void of nuc's/hives in the past,no empty super or eke used at all,just the bag with syrup.
2.5 Litre syrup goes quite flat in the bag like a pancake,about 2" high,so i have plenty of space under nuc roofs for this,don't need a super on,just make vain space for no reason.
 
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2.5 Litre syrup goes quite flat in the bag like a pancake,about 2" high,so i have plenty of space under nuc roofs for this,don't need a super on,just make vain space for no reason.

Do bees make a tiny holes or how syrup stays inside bag?
 
No the bee's don't make holes,you just place bag on top of crown board and cut some slits with a knife,or punch some holes with pencil/pointed stick,point of knife,the bee's line up and feed like pigs at a trough,the syrup does not flow out on its own.
some pictures below.

The bees in the picture below have just discovered the sugar syrup floating by the slits in the baggie feeder.
http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2009/10/bees-eating-sugar-syrup.html



The rate of feeding is influenced by the length or number of slits made in the plastic bag. The bees often line up like cattle at a feeding trough!
http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cach...BAG&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a

Nothing new...
During the period from 1970 to 1975, we regularly experimented with feeding sugar syrup. The syrup was fed either in top feeders, or in plastic bags.
http://www.honeybee.com.au/Library/ca.html
 
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OK, now I understand. It acts like a pool.

Myself, small quantity 2-5 litre I pour directly into combs.

To nucs I take food frame from big hive or pour syrup into combs.

Loose syrup in the nuc may start robbing. That is why food frame is best.
 
Yes,it acts like a pool with sides,plus does not blow out syrup like a contact feeder can with varying temp/pressure.

Filling combs with syrup is ok,have done this also,but the bag is good if you have lots to feed in spring,and don't want to open them all to do this or open large colonys to take frames of stores away to swap with nuc's.
 
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I have pollen patties 2 months over frames and patty has 50% sugar.

I even food frames during spring. Others have too much wintersugar, even 10 kg. They must get consumed before yield.

Note, that I do not give extra sugar during spring. Average 20 kg sugar in September lasts untill May.
 
I Do feed my five frame nuc's in spring,fondant is stored in a board on top like cassette feeder,but next month if it warms up they get some syrup and any fondant left is removed and made into more syrup,pleased to say they are getting lighter.
 

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