# Wanted hive top feeder that wont drown bees!



## Eeltempered (Jul 3, 2012)

I fought your fight just in the last two months. Same top feeders were drowning my bees. I found them to be an absolute pain in the A--. I used a deep hive body and closed the hole on the outer edge of inner cover and put a 2 boardman feeders on the cover with the empty body around them. Bees come thru the hole in the inner cover and you could put 4 feeders in if you needed too. I found that the syrup got nasty in the top feeder before they finished it anyway so i had to throw some away anyway. This worked great for me. Its easy to move to do inspections, stays clean, quick to refill. Anyway, it worked for me. Mike


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## kincade (Feb 3, 2011)

Ive had great luck with this one:

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Plastic-10-Frame-Hive-Top-Feeder/productinfo/423/


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## JRH (Dec 30, 2010)

Have you tried Zip Lock Freezer Bags? The quart size fits a nuc; the gallon size fits a full-sized box. Put the bag on the top bars and make three or four slits the long way with a razor blade. Don't overfill or you'll have leaks when you first cut the bag.

I always put the bag in the top box (some people say put it just above wherever the brood chamber is). I remove the inner cover and use a 2" deep shim under the outer cover to make room for the bag.

No drowning whatsoever. They get about 98% of the feed. I mix three heaping tablespoons of pollen substitue with my sugar/water mix. Takes the place of patties.

Good luck.


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## throrope (Dec 18, 2008)

I use a the miller style plastic feeder. It has two chambers with a center channel covered with #8 galvanized hardware cloth and sits in a shallow section. The cloth keeps the bees from you and creates a climbing ladder for them. Only time I find any number of dead bees is when the top isn't in place and they get in from the outside. They're expensive, I haven't replaced one yet, but enough here have sent a hive tool through 'em.

I hear many commercial guys use an inverted bucket in a deep on top of the inner cover.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

kincade said:


> Ive had great luck with this one:
> 
> http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/Plastic-10-Frame-Hive-Top-Feeder/productinfo/423/


This is the one that I prefer.


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## Belewsboy (Jun 6, 2012)

I posted this a while ago in answer to a situation where this guys bees were building comb underneath his Mann top feeder.
Maybe this will help...

"I bought a couple of top feeders from a local store. He buys from Miller Supply. It is like the Mann feeder but does not have the cavity underneath and maintains proper "Bee Space". Holds 2 gallons and haven't had any problems. Much better than the other top feeders I have from Brushy Mountain which uses floats. They are a death trap for bees. Took out the floats and fabricated a screen system similar to the Miller / Mann type and haven't lost a single bee since."

My girls are going thru a gallon a day, so I need the volume of a top feeder and they consume it so fast, there isn't any time for the syrup to go bad.


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## mmmooretx (Jun 4, 2012)

I am looking to build a couple of the Fat Bee Man feeders, I purchased plans from him, but look at his YouTube site for details. He will also sell completed units, but you have to email him to start the process.

http://www.dixiebeesupply.com/Dixiebeesupply/Don_Kuchenmeister,_The_Fat_Bee_Man.html


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

+1 for FBM feeders. Mike, I would recommend building the ladders bigger though (wider) or what I've done is put one on both ends of the box (8 frame). Send me a PM if you want as I had to tweak the design dimensions a little and adjusted the ladder build to be much easier to assemble. The bees love it, can't drown, and haven't had any issues with comb being built on the bottom.


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## mmmooretx (Jun 4, 2012)

JRG13 said:


> +1 for FBM feeders. Mike, I would recommend building the ladders bigger though (wider) or what I've done is put one on both ends of the box (8 frame). Send me a PM if you want as I had to tweak the design dimensions a little and adjusted the ladder build to be much easier to assemble. The bees love it, can't drown, and haven't had any issues with comb being built on the bottom.


If you have not seen it I am looking at the feeder he shows in his queen timer box for my 10 frame hives. I will probably do his standard inset on the bottom instead of his flat bottom setup to keep the queen in the center section of the timing box. He does not yet have the plans available, but it does not look that complicated to modify and I already have purchased his "No Drown Hive-Top Feeder" plans.
Thanks for the input, and yes I would be interested in what modification you have done to FBM basic plans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RDmhMqMIW8&feature=plcp


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## Katharina (May 2, 2011)

The ones from Dadant are great.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Yeah, that looks pretty much the same, except the ladders are now on the sides. I would still do an inset and just make the dividers taller to fit it.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Mike,

Picture of my ladder assembly. I changed it up a little, where the long pieces are the ones angled down now, makes it much easier to put together this way. You can also see I used a small piece of bottom board for the bottom junction as well instead of screening that part as in the plans. I sanded one edge at an angle to help seat it, used hot glue to seal the edge (not that it needed it).


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

To each his own, but I would not use any feeder except the jar top through feeder. (see photo) You can use pint, quart, half gallon, or gallon. No drowning of bees, no robbing.








cchoganjr


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## Keth Comollo (Nov 4, 2011)

I have two of the Beemax hive top feeders and never see a dead bee in them. I got them in a pile of equipment I purchased from a guy who was relocated.

That being said they are expensive and I couldn't afford to put them on every hive so i made migratory tops from scrap wood and used a CNC router to make holes in them just like Cleos. Impossible to drown a bee using them, you can see how much they are taking at a glance, simple to refill and replace. Nuff said.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Keth...others..... Perhaps the most simple way to make the hole is using a hole saw. At places like Harbor Freight, Pier 19 and wood working box stores, they go for about $4.95 and will last forever. Better yet, just borrow one from a carpenter, wood hobbiest friend.

cchoganjr


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## mmmooretx (Jun 4, 2012)

JRG13 said:


> Mike,
> 
> Picture of my ladder assembly. I changed it up a little, where the long pieces are the ones angled down now, makes it much easier to put together this way. You can also see I used a small piece of bottom board for the bottom junction as well instead of screening that part as in the plans. I sanded one edge at an angle to help seat it, used hot glue to seal the edge (not that it needed it).


That shows me a lot. I am assuming that the top piece and back piece on the legs go all the way across. I am still head scratching on that as it does make assembly easier and stiffer. The mesh across the top did let you see the bees without opening the hive and the mesh on the backside of the down pieces did give a second climbing path for the bees. Once I get the basic boxes built I will look at all of the ideas to see what I want to do on the ladder assembly. Thanks a bunch for sharing your implementation with us all. Did you increase the width at all or is it the 4" that FBM had in his original plans? Oh yeah what is the dimension go the change in the depth of the wood? I am assuming it is 3/4" thick and I saw the 2 1/8 & 3" length. So you changed the 3/4 X 3/4" stock to what before you cut to length?
Thanks again


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## Keth Comollo (Nov 4, 2011)

Yes Cleo, a 3.5 inch hole saw works fine for wide mouth mason jars. I find I get a real snug fit with a hole that is just a tad smaller so I had a friend write a simple file for his CNC router.


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## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

Keth I use regular Mason Jars and using a 2 3/4 hole saw, the hole will be very tight. (Too tight for the cap to go in it) Use sandpaper just a little and the top will fit in the hole. Nothing gets in, you don't have to open the hive to feed, place new jar over hole as you remove the jar on the hive. Best system I have ever seen.

cchoganjr


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## Keth Comollo (Nov 4, 2011)

Yep Cleo. That is how I do it. Super easy!

In the pic below you can see one hive and one nuc with the feeder tops on them . . . .


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## Brenda Seader (Nov 7, 2009)

Don't throw away your Brushy Mountain hive top feeders-I had the same problem until I got some plastic cross stitch canvas from Michael's Crafts for a couple of bucks, and cut it to fit the floats. Cut it so that it fits inside the end bars of the floats, right up against the wood strips. Works like a charm. I like these feeders because I can put a lot of syrup in them.


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## hilreal (Aug 16, 2005)

I'm with Cleo. After trying every feeder on the market plus baggies, etc. a jar on top works better than anything else. Drill a 3 inch hole in either a nuc lid (pretty much all I feed these days) or use inner cover. You can easily see who needs food easy refill.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

for those with metal covering their top covers and can't drill....

the quail feeders/chicken waterers have been what i found to cause the least drowning. i found that putting 3/8" wooden balls in the trough prevented the bees from getting submerged.

i put them inside an empty five frame nuc box on top of the ten frame box, and used an extra five frame migratory cover over the remaining frames.


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## danno (Dec 17, 2007)

I have a doz of these that I modified with a full top screen. This keeps bee's from finding cracks between the cover and the feeder, slipping in and drowning. They hold more than enough feed
http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/miller-type-feeder/


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## Creekside (Dec 29, 2011)

I also like the jar through the top. I use an adjustable hole saw so that they fit tight. I also cover the hole on the inside with 1/8" hardware cloth so you can change without bees pouring out the hole. Another feeder that I use is called a RAPID FEEDER. I purchase them from The Bee Works here in Ontario. They work really well but cost $7.50 each. I rarely find any dead bees in the rapid feeder.


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## WesternWilson (Jul 18, 2012)

Large ziplock bags work surprisingly well. I used them by putting an empty shallow super on the top of the hive, with the top board between it and the next hive body. The bees had access through the ventilation hole.

The only problem with them is they cannot be refilled easily. 

This inexpensive hive top feeder has a good design that results in few bees drowning:
http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=14


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## RickD (Oct 24, 2010)

I use a feeder made by a man near me...kind of like the Fat Man, but he makes his ladders out of wire completely...nice job. My hives eat 3 qts a day when they want to eat, and it takes one filling. Ants like the feeders as well, but that just seems to be part of the deal. Bees almost do not drown, and a great many can eat at the same time... here is his link
http://basprings.com/Equipment/feeder.asp. Good equipment, and you can replace the tins from Walmart every year or so for a buck.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

My best luck in high feed rate so far has been a 5-quart bucket with a tight fitting lid. Rows of #60 drill holes drilled to line up with the gaps in the frames (a row every 1 1/2 inch, holes 3/4 inch apart in the row) . It sits inverted on a piece of plywood with a hole cut out one inch smaller diameter than the lid. I set an empty deep over the setup, and a top. No bees in the bucket chamber, no rogue combs, great insulation. 

I hope to find a clear setup, and use an observer hive box for the bucket chamber - look and see if they need more syrup without opening the hive.

For queen rearing, I feed patties, 5-quart buckets, Mann Lake frame feeders, Boardmans, and filled combs. Crowded, well-fed, queenless, and nothing to do but make Q.C.'s....


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## Cyberman (Aug 23, 2016)

I just bought a hive bottom that has an entrance feeder built into the back (to prevent robbing). It has a block that holds the feeder in place and its completely sealed into the back of the hive. Has anyone seen these before?


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## Clairesmom (Jun 6, 2012)

I make my own hive top feeders. Similar to the miller feeder, but mine don't have the wooden "baffles" that the miller type uses. 

I make a slot across the middle, then put a piece of 1" x 3" on either side of the slot, tight to the bottom of the feeder so that there is a gap at the top between the 1" x 3" and the inner cover when installed. So, the bees come up through the slot, over the top of the 1" x 3", and into the feed chambers. I cut a 1/8" or 1/4" thick piece of ploystyrene sheeting to a size which leaves a 1/4" gap all the way around (between the sheet and the edge of the feed chamber), and place one sheet in each chamber. The bees crawl around on top of the sheet and collect the syrup around the edges. No dead bees. Ever. 

I use mostly scrap lumber for the feeders, and scavenge the polystyrene, so my cost per feeder is whatever the nails and glue cost me (negligible), plus a couple of dollars' worth of beeswax which I use to coat the inside wooden surfaces. I don't use varnish or polyurethane on mine- yuck, lol.

I have several different applications for the hive top feeders, and really like them. I have one for every hive and every nuc which I own. However, for just feeding syrup, I often use an inverted pickle jar with holes in the lids, placed over an inner cover with a large hole drilled in it. Or, a regular inner cover with a small hole. Topped off with an empty hive body. 

Right now I am feeding some nucs with plastic inner frame feeders. I cut a wooden float, about the size of an entrance reducer but almost the length of the feeder, and put one in each of the feeders. I have been watching them very carefully as I am not a huge fan of frame feeders, but have yet to see a dead bee in any of them.


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## zonedar (May 14, 2015)

Bought a gallon poultry waterers for $7. Put a ring of .5" HW cloth in trough for the bees to climb on. Above an inner cover with mediums and a couple shims ('cause I ran out of deeps). Works slick as all get out.


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

Not as cheap as a mason jar but thoroughly impressed with these. https://glorybee.com/beekeeping/feed-nutrition/plastic-inside-hive-top-feeder
ran them on 10 hives for 3 weeks now and zero dead bees. holds about 2 gallons.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

The chimney style design eliminates drowning: http://innisfilcreekhoney.com/products/wooden-hive-top-feeder-chimney-style

2:1 syrup also helps reduce drowning. And based on RO's article in this months ABJ, heavier syrup is the way to go - unless you like hauling buckets


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## cavscout (Apr 21, 2015)

I tried a bunch of designs and now use mason jars covered with a deep. No robbing or cutting holes in my covers and not one bee has drowned.


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## lharder (Mar 21, 2015)

Made my own fatbeeman style feeders. So far really happy with them. The nucs can take almost 2 liters a day with them. What I like is the ease of refilling, and how many bees are feeding at once. Am getting my newest nucs up to weight now after giving them some extracted comb. As it cools down I'll be able to see how useful they remain.


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## mhpsau (Jan 27, 2015)

I have made my own, basically the same as Cleo's, except I put holes for more than one jar. Some with two, either on the same end or one at each end. Then I cut a square hole in the center of the plywood about 4" X 8". Cover one side of the holes with #8 wire stapled and hot glued around the edges. Cut 9/16 plywood same size of hive body. Remove top and inner cover from hive. put feeder on and then empty deep hive body and hive top. Jars are inside empty hive body and all closed in, no freezing and warmth of hive keeps sugar water warm. Square hole in center I use to put 1/2 to 1/3 of a pollen patty onto it and mash down into wire. You then can change jars or patty without any more effort than just lifting the top and then closing it back. No bees, no mess and under one minute to change.


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## PAHunter62 (Jan 26, 2011)

European Rapid Feeders work good for NUC feeding - Just place over inner cover hole. - Hold 1/2 gallon. Cost is just over $9 each if bought 6 at a time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140967560649

PAHunter62


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

PAHunter62 said:


> European Rapid Feeders work good for NUC feeding - Just place over inner cover hole. - Hold 1/2 gallon. Cost is just over $9 each if bought 6 at a time.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/140967560649
> 
> PAHunter62


What are the dimensions? Will it fit in nuc box? What was shopping for six?


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## PAHunter62 (Jan 26, 2011)

Good question Kaizen - I make my own custom 6 frame medium NUC boxes - they fit in them fine. I don't run any standard 5 frame NUCs - sorry for the confusion. The dimensions are 8.5 inches across and 3.5 inches high. Shipping to SE PA was $7.87. There is a smaller size too ...

Here is a mini that is 8 inches wide, but still too small for a standard 5 frame NUC if inside dimension is 7.5 inches. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beekeeping-...262534?hash=item2112f98286:g:k8IAAOSwxH1T2m~6


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## kaizen (Mar 20, 2015)

PAHunter62 said:


> Good question Kaizen - I make my own custom 6 frame medium NUC boxes - they fit in them fine. I don't run any standard 5 frame NUCs - sorry for the confusion. The dimensions are 8.5 inches across and 3.5 inches high. Shipping to SE PA was $7.87. There is a smaller size too ...
> 
> Here is a mini that is 8 inches wide, but still too small for a standard 5 frame NUC if inside dimension is 7.5 inches.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beekeeping-...262534?hash=item2112f98286:g:k8IAAOSwxH1T2m~6


Thanks. I love these feeders so much I am considering using two gallon ones over a migratory cover. The lid fits well so besides ants I don't see much issue. It's rugged enough to be over the side and inch or so


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Fun to see a 4-year-old thread resurrected. 

I still prefer the 5-quart plastic buckets, but since then, Don the Fat Bee Man has come up with a genuine winner. *YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!!!* Watch the YouTube video:

https:www.youtube.com/watch?v=13UgOn33TPY

nebula.wsimg.com/a0afeabf2301c06cb1740665a05e78a3?AccessKeyId=1

It looks like the second link does not connect (I tried adding "http:" and "www." and the designator - no luck), but it is o...and a pass-through fondant board bottom side.


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## lharder (Mar 21, 2015)

Still really like the fatbeeman style feeders. Took them off after getting some weight on my latest nucs. We have a fall flow now so I will let the bees do what they can before reevaluating after the flow. We have got down to 6 C or 43 F at night and the bees still were using them. Will repost later on how cold the bees will take feed from them.


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