# what size hole for a mason jar feeder?



## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

2, 3/4


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## Clif Schlicher (Feb 6, 2014)

Use a jar lid for a template and make the circle 2 7/8 inches or thereabouts if you don't have jar lid. Used glass mayonaisse jars work well and may have a plastic top which won't rust. The plastic jars may work, but they aren't as sturdy and I don't know how they will stand up to the sun.

3 jars for 1 nuc??


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## tommysnare (Jan 30, 2013)

3 jars for a nuc ? !!!!!!!! hahaha i did that last season and ohhhhh man did that nuc become my comb building colony !


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## brettj777 (Feb 27, 2013)

Well my hives are a 30min drive from my house in the city. So I usually can only get out there once per week. I plan to place another box and a lid on top so they will be protected. I am hoping that I can feed them well and they fill out new comb rapidly with good feeding.


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## Davacoles (Jun 30, 2013)

Has anyone done this with Gatorade bottles? I'm wondering what size worked for them.


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## southeastflorida (May 23, 2010)

guy down the street uses, 2 quart glass mason jars, but I think those caps are "wide mouth" and larger than 2 7/8".


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## Live Oak (Oct 11, 2008)

brettj777 said:


> I am making a feeder for my Nuc. Just a board with 3 jars on top.
> 
> My question is what size hole bit do I need to do this? Quart Mason jars.


The industry sizing calls it 70mm for a standard mouth jar which is indeed 2 3/4 inch. Hole saws can be purchased at Lowes/Home Depot but you will also need to sand out the hole slightly so the 70mm lid will fit in the hole. I use a "flap wheel" sanding disk I got off of eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Premium-...RM-/170869042498?ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:US:3160

which is the perfect size to sand out the hole with a drill or screw gun just enough to allow the 70mm lid to fit with a little friction fit to hold it in place but allow you to easily remove it and the mason jar to refill. 

I made my own inner cover feeders using 3/8 inch scrap plywood and 1 inch square trim. It is something similar to what Walter T. Kelley sells but I made mine different using thicker plywood and spacer material and screen as well as making 6 jar feeders. 4 jar feeders are usually plenty. 

http://www.kelleybees.com/Shop/22/Queens-Bees/Feed/4703/Quad-Hive-Top-Feeders


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## southeastflorida (May 23, 2010)

meant to say: (1) 2 quart glass mason jar.


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## brettj777 (Feb 27, 2013)

Live Oak, thanks for the info. That really helps! :applause:


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

brettj777 said:


> My question is what size hole bit do I need to do this? Quart Mason jars.


Check out the jar feeders on this page: http://scientificbeekeeping.com/fat-bees-part-3/

and in this thread: www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?282703-HELP-ME-jar-feeder-with-brass-insert

I have a lot of nucs that I can feed with just a 3/16" hole drilled through the lid.

Here are three nucs set up after removing the bees from a Queen Castle.


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## brettj777 (Feb 27, 2013)

I managed to make it work with a 2 3/4" hole saw bit. Here's the results!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152219714455255&l=8bc9411e63

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152219714400255&l=2bac0c67cb


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## Blackwater Bees (May 7, 2012)

Brett, I see from the last photo that you will be covering them with a second nuc body. I have covered mine with a black cover stuffed with pine straw during the winter. Between the cover warming better from the sun and retaining the heat longer, the syrup was consumed much faster. These hives consistently out performed ones without the covers.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

For making those custom holes I use a 
http://www.rockler.com/heavy-duty-c..._campaign=PL&gclid=COTmxaDg-bwCFSqXOgod1xoAmg

The bits aren't the best, but since the bit is based on 1/4" stock you can get carbide tipped lathe bits to replace them.

This is how I drill the 2 13/16" hole in all my covers for a feeder port.
like these:
http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/astrozombee79/library/Migratory Cover


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## Groundhwg (Jan 28, 2016)

Once you make the hole for the jar how big should the holes in the lid be and do you make them from the inside or the outside of the lids?
Thanks.


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## Steve in PA (Jan 26, 2015)

I use a finishing nail or whatever I have laying around and punch them in from the outside. A dozen or so seems to work fine but I also use the large mason jar lids.


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## SWM (Nov 17, 2009)

"My question is what size hole bit do I need to do this? Quart Mason jars"

Through much trial and error I discovered that 2 13/16 was ideal. It's an odd size and I used a forstner bit which was pricey.
If you are only doing a few, 2 3/4 works if you enlarge it slightly with a wood rasp. I found that 2 7/8 was too large.

This assumes you want the standard mason lid to fit tightly in the hole, using a migratory style cover with no inner cover
and nothing to protect the feeder from the elements. Glass jars are best...plastic will deteriorate from UV rays and are more vulnerable
to strong winds.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I found the easiest solution, after some trial and much error later, was to simply drill the hole at 3", a common size from HD. I then staple a 6" × 6" piece of #8 hardwarcloth over the hole to set the jar on. The bees access the syrup through the screen. This allows me to quickly change or refill the jars without the bees coming out to say hello. The space created by running the innercover upside down allows for a pollen patty to be placed underneath directly on the frames. Been doing it this way for two years with no problems.


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## Larry 8912 (Jan 28, 2017)

JWPalmer said:


> I found the easiest solution, after some trial and much error later, was to simply drill the hole at 3", a common size from HD. I then staple a 6" × 6" piece of #8 hardwarcloth over the hole to set the jar on. The bees access the syrup through the screen. This allows me to quickly change or refill the jars without the bees coming out to say hello. The space created by running the innercover upside down allows for a pollen patty to be placed underneath directly on the frames. Been doing it this way for two years with no problems.
> 
> View attachment 46521


With the hardware cloth, I turn the inner jar lid upside down to get it closer to the wire, work s great and no leaks


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I use the one piece lids that I get on the Classico brand of spaghetti sauce in the 20 oz. jar. Makes life simpler. They can also be purchased from the bee supply places but I like spaghetti. Unless one were to do like you do, I think the recessed portion of a two piece lid would not work well with the screen.


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