Ashford or Miller feeders

[WelshPaul]

I use a miller, but had to modify with some mesh as the bees were getting in the syrup and drowning.

 

[Into the lions den]

Millers are way too fiddly. Had a stack of them and we did use them, but their capacity was less that the Ashforths, and for some reason we *occasionally* ended up sorting through the bees knocked out on the grass looking for the queen, as yep, she had been up in the slot. Never once had that happen with an Ashforth. Gave 200 Millers away FOC to another beekeeper, they were proper factory made ones too. Having to carefully fill two small compartments rather than a single big one also slowed things down and, probably irrelevant to those with only a few to feed, the slower process gave much more fatigue to the backs of the people pouring in the syrup. We considered them a bit of a pest.

All this thinking of the slope with an Ashforth pattern in poly SHOULD be irrelevant, as all properly designed ones I have seen have internally sloped bases, so the syrup runs to the feeding area, no matter what angle the hive is sitting at (within reason). If there is no slope the designer has missed one of the better details in existing models.

For RAPID weight addition (like 12 to 24 hrs to take down the whole winter feed) remove the perspex barrier and add a very liberal covering of straw on top of the syrup.

Ashforths are good for inversion and use as fondant feed covers.........Millers are way more awkward for this as the centre bars get in the way, and generally obstruct the headspace right where you would want the fondant block to be, thus are less versatile.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Is that the one on legs to give beespace underneath?

No legs- if you go on P....s website it is the green feeder- acts like a super

No legs as such but (assuming it a Maisemore equivalent that P....s were selling) there are ridges giving beespace

 

[Poly Hive]

That looks like plastic to me not poly at all?

PH

 

[Heather]

I never mentioned poly, PH -it is rigid plastic -and as per the pic the sides look bowed there also- the bees can get up the sides where ill fitting lid leaves a bee space..think the clingfilm is working - will check tomorrow.

 

[REDWOOD]

Thanks everyone for your replies, still not 100% sure what type to make considering all replies and as time is not an issue with just a few hives I will probably go for the Miller

 

[Poly Hive]

Good luck but wrong choice. Listen to ITLD he has more experience of these matters than the rest of us put together. And times a few at that.

PH

 

[ditchgould]

Central entrance to feeder can run from back to front as well as side to side. That way you have part of the entrance directl;y above the brood - regardless of slope. In really cold weather, with the entrance to the rear because of ground slope, you may starve the bees as they may not choose to venture too far in search of food. I have seen it happen.

 

[tonybloke]

Central entrance to feeder can run from back to front as well as side to side. That way you have part of the entrance directl;y above the brood - regardless of slope. In really cold weather, with the entrance to the rear because of ground slope, you may starve the bees as they may not choose to venture too far in search of food. I have seen it happen.

most folk feed their bees with syrup when the weather is still relatively warm. in really cold weather, fondant is the usual choice

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Good luck but wrong choice. Listen to ITLD he has more experience of these matters than the rest of us put together. And times a few at that.

PH

Ashforth a bit less fiddly to make as well. (but to be honest I bought a few of the MM jumbo rapid feeders - like mons Ab's the first lot 'seconds' were only a tenner each (wish I'd bought more instead of telling everybody on this forum doh! )

 

[REDWOOD]

OK re read the replies and some books and talked to a few beekeepers and most seem to like the Ashford, now a good plan

 

[Haughton Honey]

most folk feed their bees with syrup when the weather is still relatively warm. in really cold weather, fondant is the usual choice

.....and some folk feed fondant all year round

 

[Arfermo]

I'd be inclined to go for that pattern as a Miller would have one half over full and the other more empty than useful.
PH

Nonsense.

If the miller feeder is placed with the centre section where the bees come up at right angles to any slope (bound to be one as it is almost impossible to be exact in levelling) then the slope is of no consequence, especially as in the case of the millers I have, when the level of the syrup is low enough the bees can emerge from under (on both sides) and clean the whole caboodle up thereby not wasting a drop.

 

[Poly Hive]

Sorry but I disagree if you give it some thought you will understand my issue.

PH

 

[Der Alte Fritz]

Thanks everyone for your replies, still not 100% sure what type to make considering all replies and as time is not an issue with just a few hives I will probably go for the Miller

with the proviso that you make a Miller with just a central feeding area and not one running all the way across. In that way you get the benefit of 'one' tank and the advantage of central feeding. Join the two two tanks with two narrow channels and you get a big feeding area as well.