DIY bee feeder (photo)

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

A bee feeder is an integral part of beekeeping. Today it is not difficult to find and buy it. It is a special device for feeding bees. There are many varieties of them, but the main rule is that such a feeder is accessible to bees, namely, it has a special inlet that allows insects to get inside.

They are made of wood, stainless steel, ceramic, glass or plastic (non-oxidizing materials).

A do-it-yourself bee feeder can be as high quality and convenient as a store-bought one. Despite the fact that its independent production requires a lot of effort, but this will greatly reduce cash costs. Of course, it is much easier to buy ready-made feeders for bees, but is there any certainty that they are of really high quality? Therefore, it is better to do everything with your own hands. The design of the feeders is different: they can be in the form of a box, made of plasticbottles, as well as ceiling, outdoor, etc.

Frame feeder

This is an open container. In the hive, it is placed on special ledges, on the upper slats. In size, it resembles a bee frame, but it is slightly wider (about 4-5 cm). Sugar syrup is poured through a funnel. There is a grate inside the feeder to prevent the bees from drowning in the liquid.

Frameless bee feeder

It is installed above the frames, so the nest of bees blocks completely. They will not be able to fly away while feeding. The feeder consists of several compartments, one of which is for passage, and sugar syrup is poured into others.

If you don't want to build bee feeders, you can just install ordinary glass jars.

Ceiling feeder for bees

It is a rectangular container, inside which there are vertical partitions. Thanks to such a fairly simple and very easy-to-use design, bees do not drown in syrup. Due to the fact that a swarm of bees heats the food, it does not cool down in the feeder. In addition, you can control its consumption. If such a feeder for bees is made with your own hands, then a canvas should be installed in the frame, in which a small gap should be cut through which the bees can fly inside. The box is covered with a pillow and glass. To add food, the glass simply slides back. For hives consisting of several buildings, such a bee feeder is hung in August. During this period init is put decanted zabrus. Bees in the feeder build cells from honeycombs. In December, melted honey is poured, syrup is poured every 2 weeks when checking the nests.

Outdoor feeder

Considered one of the most comfortable designs. It is a dense box, fixed to the back wall of the hive. The feeder closes on top with a hinged lid. For the free entry of bees into the hive, a hole is made in its back wall. A bowl is placed in the box, where food is poured, a raft is placed on top so that the insects do not drown. The disadvantage of such a feeder is that the food in it freezes quickly, after which the bees will not be able to eat it.

Frame-shaped

This bee feeder is very convenient. Like ordinary nesting frames, it is placed in the evidence, separated by a board and insulated. Before using the structure, it is necessary to treat it with hot drying oil. This allows you to systematically feed the bees. The main problem with these feeders is the complexity of care and installation in the nest.

Plastic bottle feeder

The use of plastic bottles is considered the most economical and easiest option for making feeders. For this, it is advisable to take dark and 2-liter bottles. A bee feeder from a bottle is made as follows:

1. The nail is heated on fire and a hole with a diameter of 1.5 millimeters is made in a plastic bottle. You can make a lot of holes, because the more holes, the faster the beeswill pick up the syrup. If extra holes come out, then they are simply sealed with tape. So, you can stretch the amount of syrup for a long time.
2. All holes are sealed with tape. This must be done before filling the feeder with syrup.
3. A hole is made on the ceiling in the hive with a chisel, where the bottle is then placed horizontally.
4. Excess tape is removed, holes open.

Homemade plastic bee feeder has the following advantages:

• cheap;
• ease of care;
• easy to make;
• suitable for hives with a low roof;
• possibility of adjusting the number of holes and the speed of syrup supply with tape.

Tin feeder

Before making a bee feeder, you need to see what materials are available. A good feeder is made from canned food cans.

1. The jar is washed and dried.
2. Pouring honey or syrup diluted with water.
3. The top is covered with gauze or cotton cloth.
4. The fabric is secured with an elastic band.
5. The finished feeder is turned upside down and located above the frames above the nest. For more convenient access to food, the feeder rises, for which the bars are laid to create small gaps.
6. You can put moss in the feeder, and cover it with wooden sticks on top, so the bees can more easily get honey.

It is better to take small and wide jars. This material has someadvantages: thin walls that conduct heat well, do not allow the feed to cool quickly. These feeders are also easy to care for, easy to wash, just boil and reuse.

Styrofoam feeder

The feeder has a very simple design, and any beginner beekeeper can make it:

1. A conical container made of food-grade plastic with a diameter of 20 cm is selected.
2. A 3 cm thick disc is cut out of the foam plastic (along the opening of the container). For cutting, you can use wire, a hacksaw blade or a heated knife. You need to take good material, you can take the foam used to pack equipment or furniture, but it is better not to touch the loose construction foam. In this case, the material should not have a smell.
3. The disc is adjusted to the container so that their surfaces are in the same plane.
4. Grooves are melted on the outer side of the disk using a heated metal rod. They must be perpendicular to each other. The width of the grooves is 5 mm, and the same distance between them.
5. Several 7mm holes are made in the center of the disc, and four slots 5mm wide and 5mm deep are made on the sides.
6. When making a large feeder or using not very strong foam, a spacer is installed between the bottom of the tank and the disk. It can be made from a plastic bottle, in which the neck and bottom are cut off. As a result, a cylinder will come out, along the edges of which a groove is made through which air and food pass.
7. A filter is being made. For this, chintz is used, from which a circle is cut out larger byseveral centimeters in diameter. Feed is placed in the feeder, and the fabric is fixed with an elastic band, all the folds are straightened, and it turns upside down. It is installed above the baking sheet on the slats. When the syrup is poured out, it means that the fabric is very thin, if the surface remains dry, it is very dense. Ideally, a small amount of syrup (about 1 tbsp) flows through the fabric first.

Of course, you can simply buy a feeder in a store, but in the absence of financial resources, making it yourself is the best solution. In addition, self-manufacturing has its own significant advantages: it does not require large expenditures of money and time. Using your imagination, you can make an original and beautiful feeder. After all, the main thing is to make sure that the bees do not need anything, and wait for spring in favorable conditions.