One of the best parts of beekeeping is that bees are extremely independent and self-sufficient. This is because once bees have established themselves as a colony, they have the ability to find, gather and use natural resources retrieved from kilometers away to make honey.
That means that beekeepers rarely have to worry about providing bees with food because they instinctively gather their own from their surroundings. Yet, sometimes, situations can arise where bees need intervention from their keepers to provide them with extra resources for them to survive.
Therefore, a beekeeping feeder can be an extremely helpful tool for keepers to make extra resources accessible for their bee colonies. In this post, we will discuss when it is necessary for beekeepers to feed their bees, what types of feeders they could use to do this and the best feeders in 2022.
What is the purpose of a feeder in beekeeping?
While bees usually forage food from nearby plants and flowers, sometimes there may be a shortage of food resources nearby. Alternatively, beekeepers may want to encourage their bees to behave in a certain way by mimicking an abundance of food resources. When this happens, beekeepers need to find a way to substitute their bee’s food.
Beekeeping feeders are then used by beekeepers to feed the bees pollen, honey, or honey substitutes like sugar syrup.
These feeders are not intended to be used all the time! They provided a very limited helping hand to the bees. While there are definitely times when the use of a feeder can make or break a colony, the resources available to foraging bees are much more suited to bees than anything that can be offered artificially by a beekeeper.
When is it appropriate to use a feeder?
Establishing a Colony…
The most well-warranted time to implement a feeder is when setting up and establishing a new bee colony. The bees are being placed in a new home with no resources or food to fuel them to leave the hive and to gather their own food. This would put the bees at great risk because they need food and resources in order to successfully establish themselves as a colony. Therefore, it is advisable to install a feeder when installing a colony.
Winter is Coming…
Other instances when a beekeeping feeder may be implemented in a colony is, for example, in early spring to promote comb building; during resource scarcity to provide a larger colony with energy or in autumn to help bees in colder climates to prepare for winter.
Generally, honeybees store supplies of honey during the warmer months to survive the colder, winter months. The keeper can help the bees by providing feeders during autumn as winter approaches. This is only necessary when the bees have not collected sufficient reserves of their own. It is important to assess their need and to provide feeders accordingly and not “just because”.
You can read more about why and how honeybees prepare for the winter here.
Different Types of Beekeeping Feeders
Entrance Feeder beekeeping
Entrance feeders are the most popular type of feeders, best matched to the Langstroth or Warre beehives. These feeders sit at the entrance to the hive box and are usually made up of an inverted jar sitting on a platform made of wood. The bees can then access the food via holes in the lid of the upside-down jar.
An advantage of the entrance feeder is that it is easier to monitor the remaining syrup without disturbing the colony. A disadvantage, however, is that this accessible position invites robber bees to the hives.
Hive Top Feeders
The hive top feeders sit on the top outside cover of the hive box on top of a hole in the inner cover of the hive box. The most common type of hive top feeder is made up of an inverted jar with holes in the lid from which the bees can eat. Some hive type feeders are designed with additional features, like finger grips or spring-loaded clips.
Frame Feeder beekeeping
Frame feeders are slotted into the hive in place of one of the frames in a Langstroth hive. These feeders typically feature a float to prevent bees from drowning when they feed.
A major advantage of this type of feeder is that due to it being fully within the hive, there is a minimized threat of robber bees invading the hive. A disadvantage is that it is necessary to inspect the hive in order to check food levels.
Where to Find the Best 10 Bee Feeders in 2022:
According to BeeKeepClub, the following are the best bee feeders on the market today! Click on the links below to check out these feeders.
- Foxhound Bee Company Front Entrance Honeybee Feeder
- Harvest Lane Honey FEEDBBG 102 Entrance Feeder
- Mann Lake Entrance Feeder
- Harvest Lane Honey FEEDBB 102 Entrance Feeder
- Little Giant Farm & Ag FRAMEFDR Frame Feeder
- Honey Hive Farms Boardman Entrance Feeder
- Toughtimbers Beehive 10 Frame Top Hive Feeder
- Toughtimbers Entrance Bee Feeder
- Little Giant Farm and Ag BKTFDR 2-Gallon Bucket Feeder
- Farmstand Supply Ultimate Hive Feeder
In Conclusion…
Beekeeping feeders come in handy when your bees need a boost. We discussed three of these feeders, the entrance feeder, the frame feeder, and the hive top feeder.
Accordingly, we saw that feeders can be placed in many different places relative to the hive. This includes being placed immediately outside the hive, be a central part of the hive or be disjointed from but inside the hive. These feeders can also be attached adjacent to the hive box, slot into the entrance or be built into the hive box as a hive component.
Feeders are meant to be used at specific times, like when there is a shortage of food or before winter to help the bees store resources to survive. Remember that bees know best and will usually forage all of the food that they need from their natural environment!
Lastly, we hope that our list of the top 10 feeders or 2022 helps you find the perfect feeder for your colony!
