# Pail Feeder



## Hoover67 (Mar 27, 2008)

Has anyone used one of the pail feeders from Brushy Mountain? I was thinking of trying one but would have to order a deed hive body to cover it. I only have mediums. I hate to order a medium. I was thinking that I could come up with one that would fit the medium. 

Has anyone made their own pail feeder? Brushy Mountain only sells the one size.

Thanks!


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

I have some of the screened feeder inserts that Betterbee sells but I haven't used them yet. They can go into the lid of any size plastic container. You can also use paint cans and poke some small holes in the lid. I don't know you're going to get any amount of volume for a bucket that fits in a medium.

I made a bunch of deep bodies to cover the gallon feeders (I use all mediums on most of the hives) but you could do some rough carpentry and just nail together some boxes from scrap plywood or OSB. The bees don't care how pretty it looks for the short time the feeder is on the hive.

Wayne


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

Drill a 2" hole in the hive cover (or a separate piece of plywood). Get 2" plastic test caps from Home Depot plumbing department to close the holes when finished feeding. The bee suppliers used to sell the closure caps too but I haven't found any lately. If you use these buckets don't ever remove the lid after the first use, just fill through the feeder insert. The bucket lid is guaranteed to leak after the gasket has been disturbed once or twice.


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## Logan (May 29, 2009)

Are there re-usable pail feeders out there? I hate to buy a feed pail and have to throw it away? Where would I get one?


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

I have used the red one gallon pastic ones from Home Depot. I run all mediums and a medium with an inner cover above it just barely covers it. But there is a catch. Home Depot sells the buckets but not the lids. Lowes sells the lids that fit that bucket, but don’t sell the bucket. At least that is how it has been at the ones I have checked.


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## oldenglish (Oct 22, 2008)

I just use 1 gallon pails with a dozen or so 1/32 holes drilled in the lid, they work just fine and make feeding a lot easier. I only pay about $2.50 ea.


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## Jay T (May 3, 2010)

I used 1 pail feeder this year and 7 divisional feeders the one hive with the pail feeder went queen less, I don’t think the girls got enough feed The hives with the divisional boards would go through about a gallon of feed every 5 days and the hive with the pail feeder went through about a quart every 5 days until the hive went queen less, not enough feed. I liked the idea of the pail feeder above the brood but it didn’t work for me
Jay T


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

fish_stix said:


> Drill a 2" hole in the hive cover (or a separate piece of plywood). Get 2" plastic test caps from Home Depot plumbing department to close the holes when finished feeding. The bee suppliers used to sell the closure caps too but I haven't found any lately. If you use these buckets don't ever remove the lid after the first use, just fill through the feeder insert. The bucket lid is guaranteed to leak after the gasket has been disturbed once or twice.


What are test caps?


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## Old Buzzard (Aug 7, 2004)

I have been using the plastic containers that coffee comes in when you buy it. Wash them out poke some holes in the lid, fill with syrup, invert over the inner cover hole,inside a empty deep. I put them up on wooden blocks to give the bees more surface area to work. I just make sure and have them over the inner cover when I invert, they leak a bit until the vacuum forms, the bees clean it up. I don't know if they'll fit in a medium or not I've never used mediums.


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

What size do you drill in covers for mason jars? The local Ace has 2.5,2.75,3 etc.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

a small frame nail is perfect, punch it towards the jar and there will be no sharp edges for bees or fingers, drill bits leave an edge too! run a sensitive spot over it and you will find the edge


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## wdcrkapry205 (Feb 11, 2010)

I use the pail feeders you spoke of from Brushy Mtn.. They are my favorite to feed packages or weak colonies, inverted over an inner cover. Mine have lasted for years, you can buy replacement lids if needed. I keep a division board feeder in all my hive bodies; but only to feed strong colonies if needed.


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## brac (Sep 30, 2009)

I just drill the covers on my nuc's and a 2.75" hole saw gives a nice snug fit.


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

What do you plug yours up w/ when done feeding? Is there something I could make out of PVC to plug it up?

Kingfisher


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## concrete-bees (Jun 20, 2009)

i used the 2 3/4 hole saw and it works great for small mouth masons - to plug the hole when im done feeding i save the plug that you get from using the hole saw - i just tac on a peice of 1/4" plywood 

pail feeders work for me in the fall - when they are not so incline to build wax over it 

i had several make wax over it and when i lifted the bucket it pulled the plug and flooded the hive


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

Back to Hoover67's original question: I bought some of the Brushy Mountain 2 gallon pail feeders to use in an outyard. (The one gallon baggie feeders are ok in my backyard but are a pain to transport. Plus the 2 gallon feeders mean fewer feeding trips and they are a whole lot easier to move aside should I have to access the brood frames before the bees have finished their serving.)

Anyway, I was one deep box short so I used a medium box on top of one of the 2" shims that I used for baggie feeding or for formic acid treatments. Problem solved.

Wayne


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

I was confused Kingfisher. I drill a one inch hole and set the jar or pail over the hole. The bees have more space to reach the feeder holes, the jar does not get stuck in the hole, and I do not have a large opening to seal. I would like to see someone cut holes for gallon pails to sit in. I would definitely bring my camera for that Kodak moment.


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

As I stated up above we drill a 2" hole in the hive lid or a separate piece of plywood. When finished feeding we plug the hole with a 2" test cap from Home Depot PLUMBING dept. A test cap is a PVC cap that plumbers use to temporarily seal PVC pipe so they can fill it with water for the rough-in plumbing inspection. The ones from HD are yellow and about 3/8" deep. I'll try to post pictures later tonight.


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

How do I post pics??


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## concrete-bees (Jun 20, 2009)

i post pics on photo bucket and them post the link from there

that way you dont have to worry about the size


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

Trying one more time.







Aha! Left out the slash on the first try! These are the test caps I mentioned. The one installed in the nuc lid is from Home Depot. The other 2 are from a local plumbing supply.


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Sorry for the non-direct link. Pictured are feeders on top of one inch holes through the covers at the USF bee workshop hives.
www.americasbeekeeper.com/Gallery.htm
www.americasbeekeeper.com/2010_Gallery.htm
www.americasbeekeeper.org/Gallery.htm
www.americasbeekeeper.org/2010_Gallery.htm


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