Stampede in feeder drowning bees is this normal?

[8ace]

Put feeder on today 2:1 with hive alive just had a look in to see if they are taking it (thornes square feeder think it's 6 pint) and in their rush to take it have stampeded and pushed a lot of bees under the syrup an drowned them! Does this normally happen? Can't recalll seeing any dead bees in the feeder last time unless they cleared them out

 

[Erichalfbee]

Blooming awful when that happens.
I put my feeders on in the day and leave them empty. Bees come up to investigate and finding nothing disappear but they know it's there.
Come back in the evening, when they have stopped flying and add syrup slowly. That should prevent any stampede.
As you have the feeder on already, wait for them to empty it. Throw out the bees and clean it up then proceed as above.

 

[8ace]

Blooming awful when that happens.
I put my feeders on in the day and leave them empty. Bees come up to investigate and finding nothing disappear but they know it's there.
Come back in the evening, when they have stopped flying and add syrup slowly. That should prevent any stampede.
As you have the feeder on already, wait for them to empty it. Throw out the bees and clean it up then proceed as above.

Ok thanks how long would it take for them to empty 4.5 litres Do you think a few days?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Mine are taking 2 litres in a day.
You can always siphon some of the syrup out to hurry things up.

 

[Arfermo]

Different feeders, different problems. If you were to use the plastic type contact feeders there will no drowned bees. Otherwise Miller/Ashforth type such as the one you mention are often a problem with drowned bees. Takes care in filling to minimise it.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Different feeders, different problems. If you were to use the plastic type contact feeders there will no drowned bees.

Yes, less problems with contact feeders, i much prefer them.

 

[For want of a better word]

Yes, less problems with contact feeders, i much prefer them.

Unless the damned things leak!!

Mytten da

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Put feeder on today 2:1 with hive alive just had a look in to see if they are taking it (thornes square feeder think it's 6 pint) and in their rush to take it have stampeded and pushed a lot of bees under the syrup an drowned them! Does this normally happen? Can't recalll seeing any dead bees in the feeder last time unless they cleared them out

Having my bees at home I use the round rapid feeders and top up frequently. Similar access arrangements for the bees to get to the Hivemakers recipe thymolised syrup. With this arrangement I find very few drowned bees, maybe one or two if the feeder is filled too rapidly. Conversely yesterday at the association apiary one member who had fed with a Hive Alive mix had masses of dead bees blocking the gap between cone and cup of a white plastic oblong feeder. She cleaned out the dead bees and put the feeder back into service. It will be interesting to see what next visit shows.
When the light caught the surface just right it suggested a floating layer so there may be an advantage in using lecithin emulsified treatment on performance grounds (as well as cost)

 

[peterbees]

Put feeder on today 2:1 with hive alive just had a look in to see if they are taking it (thornes square feeder think it's 6 pint) and in their rush to take it have stampeded and pushed a lot of bees under the syrup an drowned them! Does this normally happen? Can't recalll seeing any dead bees in the feeder last time unless they cleared them out

Have a look at my website notes on feeding bees http://tinyurl.com/pxuglsh

 

[8ace]

Here's the chaos this morning they have taken about half of it so hope to clean out tommorrow and feed in small doses maybe twice a day

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's why I like my round 2litre feeders. They invariably empty in a day and i'm topping them up largely empty of bees.............in the evening.
Maisie's do a feeder like yours 8ace with two access funnels BTW

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

That's why I like my round 2litre feeders. They invariably empty in a day and i'm topping them up largely empty of bees.............in the evening.
Maisie's do a feeder like yours 8ace with two access funnels BTW

The Maisie's two access feeders are big though - very big, hold three or four gallons and there is so much space inside the feeder area that you can get quite a few casualties. all mine are now the one gallon square rapid feeder types - I find in general i don't get many casualties in the feeders (you have to expect a few) but you get the occasional colony with the lemming gene and you just can't stop them piling in and drowning - i had one colony out of twenty who were like that last autumn.

 

[8ace]

That's why I like my round 2litre feeders. They invariably empty in a day and i'm topping them up largely empty of bees.............in the evening.
Maisie's do a feeder like yours 8ace with two access funnels BTW

Just had a look at that one they've sold out. Perhaps that would help disperse the concentration of bees. I'll have to persevere with this one for now I guess and fill just enough at a time that they won't hold each other's heads under it stoopid bees

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just had a look at that one they've sold out. Perhaps that would help disperse the concentration of bees.

From experience I think it would make things worse

 

[8ace]

From experience I think it would make things worse

Like double the madness?

 

[Finman]

.
When my bees drown in the feeder, the reason is mostly that feeder plastic surfaces are too slippy. I scrab the surface with some sharp tool.

Mostly there is a jam in the feeder. If there is no jam, bees will not take syrup properly. So, you cannot avoid that. I use 8 litre feeder and hive takes that amount in one day.

Now I bought new 15 litre polyfeeders. They are better than I believed..

30 000 bees are able to make a rush in the feeder. It is a miracle if they cannot..

.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Like double the madness?

No, the one observation I had on the giant Maisemore feeders was that there was a lot too much space between the central cone and the 'cups' that cover them unlike the smaller feeders that are a little more than single beespace. This means there is a lot more room for bees to crowd in to and a lot more syrup exposed for them to drown in

 

[sail819]

I use a well known type of large Poly' feeder, to stop mass drowning I have inserted skirts made from plastic anti insect netting at the base of the removable partitions which prevent my bees from getting totally immersed. In addition I made floating mats of the same netting just hot glued to some dense compact foam, this prevents bees entering the main reservoir's of the feeder & drowning. Quick and easy to construct and clean after use.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Float a layer of cappings on the surface. Since I started doing that I have never drowned a bee in one of those feeders. (Payne's nucs are a different matter; trick there is to us TWO float sticks.)

 

[Arfermo]

Unless the damned things leak!!

Mytten da

From splits or carelessness in tightening the lid down properly? Either way own fault!! I use Miller/Ashforths too by the way and expect to have some casualties - but never with contact feeders used with due care.