No drowned bees

[Delgirl]

I have seen quite a few suggestions for stopping bees drowning in feeders eg tights etc. Over a week since new nuc installed and found using upholstery foam with no gaps down to syrup works like a charm. Not one dead bee. Cut not too thick to be too compressed but syrup is going down into hive easily.

 

[deadcertie]

I have seen quite a few suggestions for stopping bees drowning in feeders eg tights etc. Over a week since new nuc installed and found using upholstery foam with no gaps down to syrup works like a charm. Not one dead bee. Cut not too thick to be too compressed but syrup is going down into hive easily.

Good idea but... surely there are chemicals in the foam, no? I quit using this type of feeder as I always get drowned bees, whatever 'hack' I find online.

 

[Blunt Spike]

I think this is a good idea. People have used similar to give water to tarantulas for years, they suck at the foam. I wonder if the sugar will clog it up though.

 

[Delgirl]

Good idea but... surely there are chemicals in the foam, no? I quit using this type of feeder as I always get drowned bees, whatever 'hack' I find online.

Gave it a thorough soak and squeeze first.

 

[Delgirl]

I think this is a good idea. People have used similar to give water to tarantulas for years, they suck at the foam. I wonder if the sugar will clog it up though.

Not yet. Not sure how it will work with 2:1 though. Working well on the 1:1 anyway.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

People have used similar to give water to tarantulas for years, they suck at the foam.

do they get much honey from them?

 

[Blunt Spike]

do they get much honey from them?

Its not just about the honey JBM as well you know.

 

[Otbed]

I've got a few different types of feeder and when I first used them in 2021 I was shocked to realise they were all really just bee drowners. Couldn't believe how poor the designs were. What I did to stop this was first of all really roughen up the outside of the cone and inside of the cup with coarse sandpaper, then paint the cone with outdoor masonry paint (like you'd use on a poly hive), then cover the wet paint with fine sand. Problem solved - the bees have a rough bouldery slope to grip on to. Since then, I've just had one bee drown. I'm also amazed to see people top up feeders by pouring syrup in like a tidal wave and probably drowning a good percentage of the bees at the waterline! If you go gently the bees can back up.

 

[pargyle]

I've got a few different types of feeder and when I first used them in 2021 I was shocked to realise they were all really just bee drowners. Couldn't believe how poor the designs were. What I did to stop this was first of all really roughen up the outside of the cone and inside of the cup with coarse sandpaper, then paint the cone with outdoor masonry paint (like you'd use on a poly hive), then cover the wet paint with fine sand. Problem solved - the bees have a rough bouldery slope to grip on to. Since then, I've just had one bee drown. I'm also amazed to see people top up feeders by pouring syrup in like a tidal wave and probably drowning a good percentage of the bees at the waterline! If you go gently the bees can back up.

I've just roughened the cones with sandpaper - all my feeders are these rapid types ... pouring the feed in slowly gives them time to back up. Rarely see any dead bees - I like these rapid feeders - the bees are in the garden so I can top up regularly, you can see the feed going down, fits nicely in an empty super on top of the crownboard and I pack it out with Kingspan. If there's any syrup left in it's easy to tip it out.

I've tried full size English feeders, contact feeders and frame feeders ... still prefer the rapid feeders but each to their own - as long as it works for you there's no wrong way.

 

[blackcloud]

Last year the wasp problem was so bad I had them drowning in the feeders too.
The methods above are commendable but I have a cleaning fetish with feeders,qx's and floors so I'm still unconvinced.

 

[Murox]

I've got a few different types of feeder and when I first used them in 2021 I was shocked to realise they were all really just bee drowners. Couldn't believe how poor the designs were. What I did to stop this was first of all really roughen up the outside of the cone and inside of the cup with coarse sandpaper, then paint the cone with outdoor masonry paint (like you'd use on a poly hive), then cover the wet paint with fine sand. Problem solved - the bees have a rough bouldery slope to grip on to. Since then, I've just had one bee drown. I'm also amazed to see people top up feeders by pouring syrup in like a tidal wave and probably drowning a good percentage of the bees at the waterline! If you go gently the bees can back up.

I always just roughen up the CONE - but your image shows a tube wth a vertical surface - not what I would have described as a cone at all.

 

[Appletree23]

This is interesting. I know a lot of foam in the UK has to legally be fire treated. Could the bees be sensitive to the chemicals in this? I'm looking at the upholstery foam here to maybe try but wanted to get other peoples opinion first.

 

[Delgirl]

I have checked my order from the Bay people and no mention of fire retardant used in the production. Not to say it does not have any in it but I would guess any well washed sponge product would be good too.

 

[Otbed]

I always just roughen up the CONE - but your image shows a tube wth a vertical surface - not what I would have described as a cone at all.

No it's just the closeness of the lens to the cone that gives a distorted image - it is indeed a cone I assure you! Cameras do occasionally lie.

 

[Murox]

No it's just the closeness of the lens to the cone that gives a distorted image - it is indeed a cone I assure you! Cameras do occasionally lie.

Ok thats a relief, I had visions of some manufacturer making another piece of "not fit for purpose" kit and selling it to the unsuspecting. Cameras lie all the time these days!

 

[DorsetNewBee]

I am trying to start a new thread so apologies if I have out of ignorance accidentally hijacked someone else's. My bees keep getting jammed in the base of the cup of my rapid feeder and drowning, leaving the others above them unable to get at the syrup. They seem very very hungry and have used up all their stores. I keep swapping the blocked feeder for a fresh one but it keeps happening, having never been a problem for the past 2.5 years. Has anyone else experienced this? I have now borrowed a contact feeder from a friend (I have a WBC hive) in the hope that this works better. Queen looks fine, brood box rammed with bees, and despite wasps and robbing bees the hive seems well defended as far as I can tell. I have been feeding them for the past ten days but the frenzy only began about a week ago. Any comments would be very welcome. Thank you.

 

[Belgianbeekeeper]

I am trying to start a new thread so apologies if I have out of ignorance accidentally hijacked someone else's. My bees keep getting jammed in the base of the cup of my rapid feeder and drowning, leaving the others above them unable to get at the syrup. They seem very very hungry and have used up all their stores. I keep swapping the blocked feeder for a fresh one but it keeps happening, having never been a problem for the past 2.5 years. Has anyone else experienced this? I have now borrowed a contact feeder from a friend (I have a WBC hive) in the hope that this works better. Queen looks fine, brood box rammed with bees, and despite wasps and robbing bees the hive seems well defended as far as I can tell. I have been feeding them for the past ten days but the frenzy only began about a week ago. Any comments would be very welcome. Thank you.

Since i'm Flemish some of the therms used in this forums are a mystery to me,rapit feeder or contact feeder,i most likely know them but don't make the connection;Anyway,the pics are excamples of the two systems we use and neither ever showed a situation as you describe,the only tricky moment is during refill,need to do that with a slow but steady flow so they know they've to back up and have the time to do so.

 

[DorsetNewBee]

Since i'm Flemish some of the therms used in this forums are a mystery to me,rapit feeder or contact feeder,i most likely know them but don't make the connection;Anyway,the pics are excamples of the two systems we use and neither ever showed a situation as you describe,the only tricky moment is during refill,need to do that with a slow but steady flow so they know they've to back up and have the time to do so.

Well the lefthand photo is like my rapid feeder and I am familiar with the practice of not topping it up too quickly so that the bees can move up and out of the way. In this case though I put a full feeder on, the bees started to pile in and feed, and when I checked again a few hours later they looked like there had been a stampede and the bees at the front had been squashed by those above them. They then drowned and the bees higher up couldn't get at the syrup. I kept replacing the feeder with a fresh one but in the end tried the contact feeder which is on at the moment. Thank you very much for your reply.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Since i'm Flemish some of the therms used in this forums are a mystery to me,rapit feeder or contact feeder,i most likely know them but don't make the connection;Anyway,the pics are excamples of the two systems we use and neither ever showed a situation as you describe,the only tricky moment is during refill,need to do that with a slow but steady flow so they know they've to back up and have the time to do so.

Both are rapid feeders just differing in capacity

 

[deadcertie]

Since i'm Flemish some of the therms used in this forums are a mystery to me,rapit feeder or contact feeder,i most likely know them but don't make the connection;Anyway,the pics are excamples of the two systems we use and neither ever showed a situation as you describe,the only tricky moment is during refill,need to do that with a slow but steady flow so they know they've to back up and have the time to do so.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/what-is-a-contact-feeder.31532/