# Which feeders



## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

In hive feeders,
Pros: quick and convenient, no carrying of cans from one location to the next just slide the lid over and feed
Cons: one less frame in the hive, unless you have a cap and ladder they often get filled with comb, bees don't take feed out of them as well in cool weather

Feed cans
Pros: Bees, even small hives, can take feed out of them in cool weather without fear of drowning, even when clustered if the cluster is under the lid. Larger pails can be used to save trips
Cons: Either a hole in the lid (with a closure) or an extra shell is needed. It's inconvenient to carry your cans from yard to yard. If placed on a lid, cans can blow off, exposing the bees. 

Either type of feeding can be messy and lead to robbing in some conditions if not done with care.


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## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

I use frame feeders in all of the hives that have deeps on top. I like them because I get to look the top of the hives when I feed. I use mann-lake feeders on the hives that have mediums on top. They are ok, but they have to be removed to look into the hive. They have not worked well in cooler weather when I switch to 2:1. I think this year I will make sugar candy w/ a version of Lauri's recipe


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

+1 on dsegrest comments. I am using their ladder set set up. I have seen a lot of drowned bees with out it. I know a lot of com guys run with screening in them. But I still have drowned bees
David


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

I modified med boxes to allow a hardware screen ladder to drop into a pan.

Pros
- No problem with drowning
- dump and go on refilling
- You can also include a "door" between the hive and feeder to permit bee access for cleaning up dried sugar in the pan.
- If you make your own equipment it's cheaper than buying feeders
- can added tapered shims on the bottom long edges to create a top entrance for the hive.

Cons
- you do have to have a means to transport a volume of liquid from hive to hive. 
- not as bee accessable during cool/cold weather (I use fondant for winter feed)
- additional equipment, not feasible for other than small operations; you need the capability to make/modify equipment


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Routinely, I use Mann Lake's in-hive C&L and have seen very few if any drowned bees. When I have a hive that's really light, I put on a top feeder as those can put a lot of syrup in the hive quickly. For those hives that are still light in winter, I'll use either dry-sugar on the bars or fondant on the bars.

Different situations call for different approaches.


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## Honey-4-All (Dec 19, 2008)

What are you looking for? 
1. Convenience?
2. Low overhead? 
3. Less robbing? 
4. Fast consumption? 
5. Slow consumption?


Each type is fraught with angels and devils with all issues related to temperature. 

Where you use them makes all the difference in the world. Use of the same feeders in Rocklin is different than using them in LT.


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## wglord (Nov 23, 2009)

I prefer in-hive feeders hands-down. They are always there - how often do you realize: uh-oh, the bees are short of feed? Just fill it up. Cans and jars and buckets are a pain to haul around and store and sooner or later they will leak when sitting up on top. Then there is the issue of having to use feeder tops with a hole for the can, having a hole in the cover, or an extra hive body. The Mann Lake C&Ls are great, very few problems.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

I cant imagine hauling all them cans around just to feed.


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## ccar2000 (Aug 9, 2009)

I have used both deep frame and hive top feeders. 
I tried the first frame feeder without ladders and had a lot of drowned bees, with the ladders there are few.
I had trouble with the syrup crystalizing in the hive top feeder.
They both work, I prefer the frame feeder now. They are less expensive and I feel that the bees use all of the syrup.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

If you are in rugged terrain(kettle moraine) where vehicle access is not always guaranteed, 2 gallon feeder pails are alot easier to schlep by hand. 

When using single deep brood chambers, that frame feeder is more of a hindrance.

If your use innercovers with a bee escape hole, no extra equipment is needed other than the pail, which is less than 4 dollars, and last 30-40 year.

Crazy Roland


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## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

I tried several types but have settled on this. In-hive, no drowning, easily refilled without disturbing the bees, cheap to build, easily adapted to any size hive. Instuctions on Youtube for Noleak Feeder. Three adjustments to the design Ive made are.. I seal the top edge with rubber door sealer to prevent ants or even bees from getting in thru an ill fitting lid. I use a round gallon ice cream bucket as those seeem to be readily avail around the hse and make it easy to pour the syrup in and the ladder chute I use 2screws to allow removal and cleaning of the bucket n chute.


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## Seven Hills (Apr 7, 2011)

Thank you all for your opinions. All my bees are on my property.i am getting ready to buy more in hive but wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. My only concern is that when you use in hive feeders you have to open the hive where with cans you don't.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Seven Hills said:


> My only concern is that when you use in hive feeders you have to open the hive where with cans you don't.


Honestly, that's not a problem, you don't have to fully open the hive. Get used to placing the feeders on the same side on every hive, then all you need to do is slide over the top brood box to access the feeder, pour, slide the top box back and you're done. ....... What is a big deal is lugging those cans around....... then storing them later


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