Plastic frame feeders

[drstitson]

PH - big green ones from MM (the gloucestershire supplier NOT the tamil bee watcher!). lugs may need trimming to fit some poly hive formats. were £5 each in the sale.

 

[Jimbo]

I have both wooden and plastic National frame feeders that I use in my Nuc boxes. The plastic frame feeder drowned a lot of bees. The wooden one was OK. I will need to look at making the inside surface a bit rougher. The advantage of the plastic feeder it is easier to keep clean

 

[Nic Rhodes]

I am experimenting with stiff plastic wind break materal (from our new bee shed) as a material to go inside frame feeders to allow a good ladder for the bees to climb up and down on. Looks promising.

 

[DanBee]

My experience is that frame feeders are a liability if left wet over winter. There is a temptation for a small cluster to get divided between inside and outside the feeder, often leading to death due most probably to chilling. It's now part of my autumn routine to empty any dregs out of frame feeders before inspections cease for winter. If feeders are dry then only the odd dead bee ends up in there, probably just natural mortality.

These are wooden frame feeders with coarse-sanded varnish and wooden floats. No significant deaths/drownings are experienced with them if/when they are used in the active season.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Evening all,

Has anyone found any problems with bees drowning in the plastic frame feeders? I have heard one or two reports of this and wondered what the consensus was. Do you sand paper down the inside for a better grip? Also, do you provide a bigger, wooden float? (Some are wood already I know, but some are plastic and both seem a little on the small side to me.)

Thanks for your experiences.

Meg

Meg - Have a look at this thread, especially #18 from Mike A which describes a well thought out home made float

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12491

 

[drstitson]

"I am experimenting with stiff plastic wind break materal (from our new bee shed) as a material to go inside frame feeders to allow a good ladder for the bees to climb up and down on. Looks promising."

good idea - a diagonal sheet would allow bees access to all levels.

 

[BBG]

We bought T**s National plastic feeders in brown last year and sent them back due to the fact they drowned hundreds of bees.

The smooth walls means the bees cannot climb out.

MB Langstroth work very well as said earlier.

 

[Spadaman]

"I am experimenting with stiff plastic wind break materal (from our new bee shed) as a material to go inside frame feeders to allow a good ladder for the bees to climb up and down on. Looks promising."

good idea - a diagonal sheet would allow bees access to all levels.

I had a similar idea with the ones I bought some from Maisy More in their sale ( £5 each). I have used some rolled up plastic netting that is sold as gutter mesh ( to stop leaves blocking up gutters) . I put the rolls in vertically so that the bees have loads of ladders to climb out of the syrup. not used yet so cannot say if the idea works but the very smooth plastic sides meant that something was needed.

Last year I was working with a friend ( and mentor) on his Langstroths with wooden frame feeders. Whilst in the main these were fine for the bees there were also some occasions when the bees just could n't get the skill to climb vertically out of the feeder and there were hundreds of dead bees floating on top of the syrup. Very sad sight.

 

[Cazza]

We bought T**s National plastic feeders in brown last year and sent them back due to the fact they drowned hundreds of bees.

The smooth walls means the bees cannot climb out.

MB Langstroth work very well as said earlier.

Thanks for the warning, I have just bought some.
Do you think shade netting inside would work as a ladder? I happen to have some knocking about.
Cazza

 

[Poly Hive]

Having lost most of the "official" floats I use what ever twigs are about and they are very good at preventing casualties. Given that bees can stroll up glass windows its not the smoothness of the sides that causes problems for them but more getting covered in syrup. A raft seems to work pretty well.

PH

 

[iand]

I have found a the full range of variation in respect to bee drownings in frame feeders, from 1-2 to an inch layer of dead bees. Sometimes the bees will move their cluster into the feeder area quite happily even drawing comb/ rearing brood (be careful of the Q).
Some feeders I have seen were ribbed but they (Motherlode plastics USA) brought out a newer version with a surface more akin to a fine sandpaper, supposedly to help with the grip problem. Even they offer as an extra a cover & bee ladder.
At home I made/use wooden frame feeders/floats no great problem with them (so far).

 

[Holly Bees]

Sorted now for the Langstroth frame feeders black with ribs down the sides!!!...lets see how it goes!