Ashforth feeder ?s

[Monsieur Abeille]

Should one put a crown board over the feeder, or is the roof adequate on its own?

I think ts better to have a crown board over the feeder to cut down on aromas attracting robbers through any roof ventilation holes or gaps

Waxing -are you certain that the perspex cover was completely in place? My Ashforth has not had any bees in the reservoir apart from the first time when I made that error. While the slots should presumably be less than a bee, even if they were too wide the bees are unlikely to try swimming underwater.

Apologies if this sounds foolish, but did you double check that the roof/crown board you put on on top of the feeder was completely free of bees?

 

[Nose Ma]

Apologies if this sounds foolish, but did you double check that the roof/crown board you put on on top of the feeder was completely free of bees?

This struck me too. It's really difficult for a bee to get from the "hive" side of the weir to the syrup pool, without ducking under the weir/slot bit. I have never seen a bee do that, and I have never had a bee in the main reservoir. I do put a crown board above the feeder, to try and keep out anything that could sneak in through the roof vents, or some other way.

In short - if you have dead bees in the main reservoir they are unlikely to have come from inside the hive and via the weir.

 

[Black Comb]

Another reason to use a crownboard is that when you are re-filling (you will be if you are only putting in half a gallon at a time) if there are any bees flying about they will dive straight into the feeder. Slide the crownboard forward only a little and fill - less chance of diving bees.

I always use a crownbaord on top - it helps keep in the smell and stops wasps and bees trying to get in.

 

[Headnavigator]

if you have dead bees in the main reservoir they are unlikely to have come from inside the hive and via the weir.

Had a similar problem first time I used one. First of all the crown board was not completely bee-tight and needed a weight on it - it became apparent that it was probably robbers drowning when I found a few sodden wasps in there. Second, this was a home-made second-hand feeder and the access part was covered by a perforated zinc sheet, bent over the top of the weir. It was too stiff to make a proper seal all along and I think a few bees had managed to access the pool that way too. Now all OK. I suspect often these things consist of more then one problem which is what makes it difficult to solve.