Swienty Poly feeders

[Roola]

I've recently bought some swienty poly hives and the feeders. With the runners in the boxes I'm running bbs. .. my concern however is that the feeders have a flat base so don't seem compatible with bbs. Has anyone designed a lip around the base in any way to allow it to sit above the frames? I'd consider going to tbs but don't really want frames sat directly on the flat rests as I can imagine propolis being a nightmare. Amy ideas?

 

[Jimmy]

I added a 6mm rim using strip wood. Seems to work well for me.
You could try a framed QE between the feeder and BC.

 

[fiftyjon]

I don't use runners in my poly hives and the lugs don't get too stuck on the flat rests. I have found that if I just use the boxes as supplied without any modification they work fine, including just putting the feeder onto the top box without a shim.
I used a shim once and the bees built a lot of brace comb between the top bars and the base of the feeder.

But make a 6mm shim as suggested above if you want.

 

[Roola]

HAve you varnished the rests or applied vaseline? I've found with my paynes poly nucs that the bees do a good job of propolising down the frames and removing them can give a bit of a 'start' which unsettles the bees. All my other hives are bbs but considering the tbs option.

 

[Swarm]

Take the runners out and go TBS. There is no recess in the bottom of the box so it will sit directly onto the lugs below when used as BBS. An oversight in design? No idea but I could only picture a mess of propolis and dead bees.

 

[Roola]

Take the runners out and go TBS. There is no recess in the bottom of the box so it will sit directly onto the lugs below when used as BBS. An oversight in design? No idea but I could only picture a mess of propolis and dead bees.

ok cheers, do you have any probs with them proping frames to rests?

 

[Swarm]

It's too early to say yet, I've been told that the bees tend to make less mess around the lugs on TBS and I think I remember ITLD saying there was no need for varnish or vaseline. Mine has only recently been filled so time will tell.

 

[Roola]

Ok thanks. Right then, decision made, tbs it is! Just got to work out about removing the runners now. Might just swap them into new brood box! Cheers for your views.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm running two Payne boxes with TBS. On one there is a 2mm home made plastic "runner". The other has the frames straight onto the rests. The bees have made more propolis on the rests /around the lugs where there is that slight runner. I'm taking it out when I change brood boxes in the spring.

 

[Swarm]

Went through it today and very happy with it.