# My mason jar feeder I made drips - advice?



## BarbieandKen (Aug 29, 2009)

Also - I have a boardman feeder I have water in right now - can I use that for a week? I have read bad press on here about boardman feeders. Thank you!


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## kwest (May 16, 2009)

use the smallest drill bit you can find to drill the holes in the lid. i use quart canning jars, 1 gallon paint cans, and 1 gallon plastic ice cream buckets all as feeders. the key is you need a tight seal that doesnt leak air in the top. the vacume on the container is what holds in the water/ sugar water in and keeps it from dripping. a little will drip at first until it creates a vacume.


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## iwombat (Feb 3, 2009)

Use the tip of a nail or something and poke a dozen or so holes in it. Like stated above, it'll drip for awhile until a vacuum forms at the top.


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## Bitteroot (Apr 13, 2009)

I use a stapler and hit it about 6 times giving about 12 holes... if it needs more you can always add them. Just pop em in and pull em out. This is the size 50 staples for construction use.. not a desk top model.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

A frame nail works great


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## BaconStreetBees (Mar 26, 2009)

The holes shouldn't be too large. Maybe 1/16th to 1/8th inch. The most important thing is that the lid is air tight. If you hold the jar upside down and the syrup leaks out for more than a minute, then you have an air leak somewhere. Clean the rim of the jar with hot water as well as the lid. Sugar crystals can sometimes prevent a tight seal. Check the rim of the jar to see if there are any chips or cracks. If you have two part lids, make sure you didn't dent any of the edge when you were making your holes. They can be a little flimsy.
If you do hold the jar upside down with water in it. You may see bubbles going to the top, watch where the bubbles are coming from.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Mine leak if the rim around the cover leaks. Check to make sure you have a good seal. A bad seal will cause even a single hole to keep dripping.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Keep in mind you can also plug holes with a bit of propolis or wax.


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## Boglehead (Feb 16, 2009)

Brushy mountain and Dadant sell metal caps with predrilled holes in them that fit mason jars. They work great and are easy to clean.

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/5-CAPS-ONLY-for-Entrance-Feeder/productinfo/696/


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

In my own experimentation, I have found that a 7/32" dia. hole works best. Smaller gets plugged up by the bees. 1/8" is too large, they begin to drip.

Six to 8 7/32" holes in a Gatorade bottle will HOLD WATER for several months. Try it! 

I know you have hear it already, but don't use an "entrance" feeder for anything but water. You can set a Boardman INSIDE an empty hive shell, but dont use it outside (where they can cause robbing).


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

I just punched holes in the mason jar lid with an awl and a very light hammer tap. It has to do with the surface tension, liquid viscosity and the jar being airtight (holding a vaccum). Make sure the holes are not directly over the frames where a drip can come in contact with. If so, then the liquid will stream out of the jar. Maybe you should put one line of holes directly over the space in between frames?


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## Beee Farmer (Aug 11, 2008)

a good seal and tiny holes are the keys. I use a sheetrodk nail its very sharp and thin. just set on some hard wood so you dont tap in in too deep .


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## BarbieandKen (Aug 29, 2009)

I guess I need to experiment. I used very pointy nails and made a small, tiny hole - when I filled the mason jar with water - perfect! No drips. Then I filled with 2:1 syrup - dried off both rims and tightened the heck out of the jar lid and it dripped and dripped. So I will keep trying - maybe the gatorade lid.

I am confused - someone wrote that if you put the holes of the frames they will leak - I was going to put this over the inner cover hole.....

My concern is of course that is cold here and I don't want to soak the bees....

thanks again for all the advice!


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>I am confused - someone wrote that if you put the holes of the frames they will leak - I was going to put this over the inner cover hole.....

A gravity-type feeder (jar, can, bucket, etc) SHOULD be placed directly on top bars (using a spacer so bees can access holes) when feeding in cold weather so bees can have easy access. When feeding to "bulk up" stores (in warmer temps) feeders are then placed on top of IC so bees will MOVE and STORE the syrup in brood nest.

Two "types" of feeding. You are NOT confused 


Here is a bit of advice no one has asked for: 
See to it that your colonies have and store ALL their needed food supply BEFORE late fall. If so, feeding DURING winter (cold temps) will not be necessary. In my area, if I need to feed during October and later, I did something wrong during the year.


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## Alex Cantacuzene (May 29, 2003)

Well, here are my two cents on this. I think that if you use nails or ponted tools to make the holes it becomes important that you have the right support surface under the lids to prevent them from warping. Also, you don't need to tighten them very much because that might also warp the lids. I make a small lay-out with a pencil for the location of the holes and then drill with a 1/16 drill. It works for me. Another thing, don't put the jars directly on the hole, put a couple of wood strips, I use tringular, on either side of the hole so the bees have more access and it might prevent siphoning from the holes onto the lid which might be the leakage that has been described. Hope this helps, take care and have fun


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## Bonterra Bees (Aug 30, 2009)

Yeah just a few very small holes more or less centered. I've found a piece fiberglass window screen cut about the size of the lid and placed under the lid between the lid and the wood hole moderates the flow. bees cling to the screen and drink thru it. when you first turn the jar over there will be some drips untill a vacum is established they'll deal with it.


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