Plastic or Poly Miller feeders

[crazy_bull]

Having a conversation about the pro's and cons of various feeding methods with a fellow beek, both of us agreed that wooden miller feeders require a certain ammount of maintainence, to prevent leakage and then triggering wasp attacks and or robbing. A solution we thought of would be plastic or poly miller feeders.

Though i have never seen any let alone any in national size, i've seen plenty of other plastic feeders ie rapid feeder buckets or smaller plastic insert feeders that require some form of eke to house them on the hive.

Anyone know if any are made.

C B

 

[marcros]

Having a conversation about the pro's and cons of various feeding methods with a fellow beek, both of us agreed that wooden miller feeders require a certain ammount of maintainence, to prevent leakage and then triggering wasp attacks and or robbing. A solution we thought of would be plastic or poly miller feeders.

Though i have never seen any let alone any in national size, i've seen plenty of other plastic feeders ie rapid feeder buckets or smaller plastic insert feeders that require some form of eke to house them on the hive.

Anyone know if any are made.

C B

i thought that thones did a plastic miller at one point. i may be wrong...

 

[victor meldrew]

I have such rapid feeders , they are rectangular, quite shallow and fit most crown boards including nationals. They are easy to keep clean (the bees do this job themselves if you remove the inner weir cover when syrup levels are low enough). The only draw back is their capacity , only 1 gallon; still ,on the plus side they can be refilled without having to disturb the colony just like the standard Miller /ashworth feeder.
I paid a tenner each, they are Italian made and substantial .

John Wilkinson

 

[crazy_bull]

I have such rapid feeders , they are rectangular, quite shallow and fit most crown boards including nationals. They are easy to keep clean (the bees do this job themselves if you remove the inner weir cover when syrup levels are low enough). The only draw back is their capacity , only 1 gallon; still ,on the plus side they can be refilled without having to disturb the colony just like the standard Miller /ashworth feeder.
I paid a tenner each, they are Italian made and substantial .

John Wilkinson

Do you need to have an eke around them?

Are they the ones with two liftable lids?

C B

 

[victor meldrew]

Not if you modify your roofs .
Simply add an extra fillet of timber to the frame work inside the roof to hold it clear of the feeder, or use an eke by all means or simply use an empty super !

John Wilkinson

 

[victor meldrew]

Yes ,they have a weir plus conical cover and an outer snug fitting lid.
Thornes do supply them I think. They also supply a very flimsy variety which requires the manufacture of a frame in order to stop them twisting and spilling the contents . Personally I would leave those well alone as the pukka ones will last a life time .

John Wilkinson