poly nuc feeder ideas for DIY version?

[Roola]

Has anyone on here modified their paynes polly nuc to cut out the feeder and thus enlarge the box for more frames?

 

[Swarm]

Yes, have a word with Fatshark. Modified for eight frames IIRC.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have intended to do just that but never did. Might PM fatshark. Thanks Swarm

 

[Roola]

I've read that the feeder can be more trouble than its worth with mould or removing syrup... Any ideas what people have done to feed newly installed Nucs should they not use the feeder... I'm intending to try 2 frame Nucs this year and so syrup is going to be important.

 

[Erichalfbee]

A feeder board, an eke and a nuc feeder. Easy.
PS mould was never a problem with me but drowning bees were

 

[EKBee]

I've modified the Pynes nuc it's fairly easy to do.

The wall of the feeder you're going to cut off can be cut once removed to provide support for the extra frame to rest on

I used a small japanese style saw for the side cuts & a Stanley knife for the base of the wall
The base was a bit raggedy where the wall was removed so I smoothed this with a B&D powerfile (or you could smooth with sandpaper)

I've added a thin perspex base with multiple holes to the Pynes eke so that I can feed fondant without having it directly on the frame tops ,but hopefully its not too high above the frame tops to create a barrier they wont cross. This will enable easy removal for next winters oxalic trickle treatment. Drilling all the holes takes a while so some patience is req

As another modification a second eke is glued to the thin standard roof & filled with celotex to give a decent depth of insulation above the fondant

Hopefully this will be a good way of overwintering a nuc next year, time will tell

 

[Davelin]

I have over wintered two poly Nucs this year like that. Second eke with celotex in. Both flying well for past couple of days, but it has been a very mild (if wet) winter. Not out of the woods yet mind.

 

[Swarm]

I blocked up the integral feeder of mine, I did consider the conversion but didn't really see the point. Mine are standard nationals and I use a second eke if I'm going to feed and place an ice cream container full of straw on top of the frames. The clear cover goes over this and the second eke, with insulation goes on top. My current nuc was given a donation of a nice full frame of honey before they were tucked up and they are looking fine.

 

[Roola]

What I don't know how to do is how to feed them through their flimsy crown sheet... I'd like to put a 1 litre feeder above in the eke but it would push down the plastic sheet and squish bees... I thought of buying some thicker polycarbonate sheeting and cutting to size but I don't think the eke would then fit over e top without leaving a gap.

 

[sipa]

There is absolutely no need to mess about with extra insulation on these poly products, they work just fine as is..

If you use a commercial syrup it won't ferment for a long time, may many months.

 

[Erichalfbee]

What I don't know how to do is how to feed them through their flimsy crown sheet... I'd like to put a 1 litre feeder above in the eke but it would push down the plastic sheet and squish bees... I thought of buying some thicker polycarbonate sheeting and cutting to size but I don't think the eke would then fit over e top without leaving a gap.

You can use the existing flimsy sheet if you place a thin bit of strip wood across the frames somewhere near the middle; even bisecting the feeder hole will do. That then takes the weight.

 

[itma]

I block off the feeder.
And I've had a robbing + mass drowning episode with an ordinary frame feeder. // ADDED - had to take the nuc off-site to stop the nonsense... anyway, I don't like frame feeders in nucs much either.

Running 14x12, 8 frames wouldn't be a nuc any more!

I've fitted (plastic) frame rails to the 14x12 ekes. Makes frame removal for inspection MUCH easier. But, with the flimsy there's no top beespace.
I have a couple of framed (so beespace) coverboards made from donated (really!) estate-agent-board Correx.
They work OK, and support a feeder. The round white 4 pint rapid feeder fits nicely inside the eke.
But the feeder eke (or roof) sits rather high on the join above the framed coverboard.


The idea of fitting a coverboard into the feeder/insulation eke seems to be genius level creativity. (Or rather, it simply never occurred to me, doh!)
OK, now for some precision cutting of a scrap bit of perspex that I was given ...


/// ADDED 2 - I put fondant in the top beespace rather than over a coverboard. Not so many bees, so an 8mm slice does them proud. So, I won't be drilling umpteen holes through my in-eke coverboard!

 

[Roola]

Was just on the Paynes site and noticed they have the 'old style' feeder on sale. As I will be getting some paynes poly hives I wondered if anyone has these and how they are? It says they have no perspex cover... i'm happy to make my own if that works... has anyone else made a perspex cover for them?

 

[itma]

I think the 'old-style' has been at £10 for over a year!

Read what Paynes say they have changed, and then look at a few of the threads on here about modifications people have tried.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The problem, for me, with Paynes feeders is that there is a bee space gap between where the bees enter and the syrup reservoirs. I emailed them and they said it was intentional, allowing the bees to enter the space, when the levels of liquid had fallen, to clear up the last remains of syrup and also allowing the feeding of fondant in the same feeder. To my mind you would need to refill it before the bees got in there and I consider such a gap a trap for drowning bees.
I have made a shallow grove in the underside of the removable partitions and slotted in some rigid plastic netting.
I don't know whether the old style feeder has the same gap.