Abelo Poly Ashworth Feeder - how to use it ?

[McFast]

Hi,

I am a relatively new beekeeper. I have had a couple of hives for 3 years.

We get wet, damp weather here and I have invested in two new Abelo poly hives - most experienced people round here have migrated to these eventually.

I bought the abelo poly ashworth feeder - in principle I sort of understand how it works but could someone who has one of these walk m through the orientation and usage.

Douglas

 

[ericbeaumont]

sort of understand how it works

It is the most versatile piece of kit:

Crownboard: use the feeder as CB all year round; the Abelo CB with discs is an expensive nuisance, so put it on eBay. In spring and summer I leave open the sliding baffle slot: if I'm late, bees will build comb in the feeder which releases pressure down in the boxes.

In some feeders (all, eventually) I have removed the steel slotted baffles to allow bees to do as they please; you will find that in time the fixing screws rust and that dead bees drown in the trough behind the baffle, which is fiddly to remove to clean. Murray McGregor at Denrosa led me to simplicity: he fills baffle-less feeder boxes with straw and pours on the syrup; bees don't drown and syrup is cleared faster.

In autumn I will fit into the narrow base feeder slot a length of silicone tube, to prevent loss of heat up into the box. The tube needed is 16mm OD x 386mm.

Fondant feeder
If necessary in early spring, flip the box over and cover the fondant that you will have put on the top bars. If you don't want to feed autumn syrup, put instead half a box of fondant or more on the top bars, flip the box and let them take it down. This is a variation of a fondant method used by Peter Edwards.

Syrup feeder
I haven't fed syrup for years because of the faff of buying and lugging and filling and cleaning and storing feeders. Despite that, the Abelo feeder is a cost-effective flexible asset.

Vertical AS
Put a box of foundation+Q on her frame on the floor; add supers if needed; close the feeder gate (or seal the slot as above) and put the feeder on the BB; put the full brood BB(s)+QCs on the feeder, having removed one BB wall plug; alter the orientation of this new entrance; add supers if needed, and deal with as usual.

While the feeder is in use as a split board, I lay a thick sheet of 450mm square plastic up top as a temporary CB; any thick plastic will do - feed bag, compost bag.

Floor
Open the gate or remove the baffle and put the box on the stand; put boxes on top and away you go. The box can be used either way, but if upright, be aware that the interior depth will allow comb extensions to be made on the bottoms of the frames above. No big deal, but these will have to be chopped off if you wish to move frames up into other boxes.

PS: Abelo feeder paint is not that good and you may decide to rub it down and put on a couple of coats of an oil-based paint; the feeder will then have to be aired for a few weeks before use.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Crownboard: use the feeder as CB all year round;

How much brace comb do you have to clean off at each inspection? And is the feeder hard enough to be lifted off a few dozen times in the year?

 

[ericbeaumont]

brace comb do you have to clean off at each inspection

From where? The base of the box when used as a CB? No more than usual, depending on usual variables.

feeder hard enough to be lifted off a few dozen times

Do you mean to ask whether it is sturdy enough for regular use (yes) or difficult to use due to weight (no).

 

[Erichalfbee]

No more than usual

Cheers

Do you mean to ask whether it is sturdy enough for regular use (yes

Cheers again.

 

[Paulypaul]

I have friends on timber kit, who use the Abelo poly ashforth feeder. It really comes into it's own, over winter. Adds thermal value, while providing a convenient fondant feeding space. Also provides emergency extra space for early spring expansion, In case you didn't get to inspect in time.

 

[McFast]

It is the most versatile piece of kit:

Crownboard: use the feeder as CB all year round; the Abelo CB with discs is an expensive nuisance, so put it on eBay. In spring and summer I leave open the sliding baffle slot: if I'm late, bees will build comb in the feeder which releases pressure down in the boxes.

In some feeders (all, eventually) I have removed the steel slotted baffles to allow bees to do as they please; you will find that in time the fixing screws rust and that dead bees drown in the trough behind the baffle, which is fiddly to remove to clean. Murray McGregor at Denrosa led me to simplicity: he fills baffle-less feeder boxes with straw and pours on the syrup; bees don't drown and syrup is cleared faster.

In autumn I will fit into the narrow base feeder slot a length of silicone tube, to prevent loss of heat up into the box. The tube needed is 16mm OD x 386mm.

Fondant feeder
If necessary in early spring, flip the box over and cover the fondant that you will have put on the top bars. If you don't want to feed autumn syrup, put instead half a box of fondant or more on the top bars, flip the box and let them take it down. This is a variation of a fondant method used by Peter Edwards.

Syrup feeder
I haven't fed syrup for years because of the faff of buying and lugging and filling and cleaning and storing feeders. Despite that, the Abelo feeder is a cost-effective flexible asset.

Vertical AS
Put a box of foundation+Q on her frame on the floor; add supers if needed; close the feeder gate (or seal the slot as above) and put the feeder on the BB; put the full brood BB(s)+QCs on the feeder, having removed one BB wall plug; alter the orientation of this new entrance; add supers if needed, and deal with as usual.

While the feeder is in use as a split board, I lay a thick sheet of 450mm square plastic up top as a temporary CB; any thick plastic will do - feed bag, compost bag.

Floor
Open the gate or remove the baffle and put the box on the stand; put boxes on top and away you go. The box can be used either way, but if upright, be aware that the interior depth will allow comb extensions to be made on the bottoms of the frames above. No big deal, but these will have to be chopped off if you wish to move frames up into other boxes.

PS: Abelo feeder paint is not that good and you may decide to rub it down and put on a couple of coats of an oil-based paint; the feeder will then have to be aired for a few weeks before use.

Wow. Thank you so much. This is a brilliant response and I appreciate the time taken to answer.

Can you confirm how the bees use the feeder - I assume they come up through the narrow uncovered slot into the metal baffle - if the baffle sliding door is closed they stay in the baffle - how do the bees feed in this situation ?

 

[ericbeaumont]

baffle sliding door is closed they stay in the baffle

Bees crawl up the base slot, up the walls, over the top, down the other wall face and feed when they meet syrup. They cannot access the full feeder (and drown en masse) so they stay there, clinging upside down to the wall and baffle, heads in the syrup trough.

It is not a foolproof system: in late summer or early autumn bees behave like shoppers on the first day of the January sales; crowds rush and stampede into the feeder zone and are drowned by those following behind. This will not prevent others feeding - they carry on drinking in-between the bodies; disease & rot risk is low because the bee exoskeleton contains the body contents.

The slots in the baffle have no purpose; in fact, they are counter-productive as they leak nest heat and humidity into the feeder, where it condenses. Bees know this and will propolise the slots; the beekeeper must ensure that the bottom baffle edge and the first couple of rows of slots are clear, to allow syrup to pass through into the feed trough.

You may ask why do Abelo supply baffles with slots? If you study the bigger Abelo equipment - wax processors and the like - you will see wide use is made of the same type of slotted stainless steel; my guess is that it was an easy option to use the same (off-cuts, perhaps) to make baffles.

Try using one with the baffle, and one without; occasionally I will feed liquid to bees in a baffle-less feeder, but it's a simple job to reach for bracken or leaves or dry grass or anything similar to hand, stuff a load in the box, pour on the liquid, and put on the roof.

 

[ericbeaumont]

It really comes into it's own, over winter

I agree, and use it like that, with similar results.