# My best zero-drowning feeder is also my simplest and cheapest.



## BobRagsdale (Nov 23, 2014)

After trying several sophisticated feeders I have settled on simply having a jar or bucket with some nylon screen hanging down into it for the bees to climb on. I never have drownings with these and they are super simple (and cheap) to make. I thought I'd share.







I used to have screen going all the way around like the jar on the right, but sometimes the bees would get underneath it and get stuck and would drown when I filled it (it was also more work to make, and harder to clean). Now I just hang a couple of strips of nylon mesh down and the bees can access the whole jar, and they never get stuck. More recently I have begun to use small paint buckets (I got these at Home Depot for about $2 each). 







The blue one holds 2.5 quarts and the red one holds 5 quarts. I also use these feeders for my Langs in warm weather.


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## Chemguy (Nov 26, 2012)

That's wonderfully simple. Last year, I open fed the bees about 150 yards from the hives without problem. This year, the same produced crazy amounts of robbing. It's probably due to the fact that I have a mixture of colony strengths this year. I'm going to keep your idea in mind for the next time I give open feeding a try. Thanks!


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## BobRagsdale (Nov 23, 2014)

Chemguy said:


> I'm going to keep your idea in mind for the next time I give open feeding a try.


Nice. I haven't used them for open feeding however - I stick these inside the hive.


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## SteveStevenson (Feb 14, 2014)

Wow thats the epitome of KISS! Any reason you can think of that a piece of hardware cloth wouldn't work? How do you put them in a lang hive?


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## EvanS (Feb 27, 2015)

This is my first year keeping bees, and I only needed to feed for a couple days before peaches bloomed. I used mason jars with small holes poked into the lids with thumb tacks. I had two sets of follower boards, one of them had three half inch holes for the bees to get through. Then I just sat the mason jars upside down on 3/4 in pieces of wood between the followers. The bees had no problem feeding. However, they were new packages and maybe full hives need more.


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## BobRagsdale (Nov 23, 2014)

SteveStevenson said:


> Any reason you can think of that a piece of hardware cloth wouldn't work?


Hardware cloth works fine. I like the nylon screen better because it is so flexible that I can just flip the screen back and shake out any bees that might be under it if I want to fill it again quickly. 

Heck, the other day I went to my outyard to feed and I forgot my feeders so I made some up real quick using some plastics cups and water bottles. I just tore up a cotton rag and draped that down into each jar and secured it at the top with a rubber band. It worked great - they drank every last drop. The only problem with cotton cloth is that over time it will go moldy.


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## BobRagsdale (Nov 23, 2014)

SteveStevenson said:


> How do you put them in a lang hive?


I just set the jar/bucket on top of the bars then put an empty box and a cover on. Same as you would do with a baggie feeder.


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## larrypeterson (Aug 22, 2015)

Thanx for the feeder information. 

I really like top hive feeders inside the hive, I recently purchased 5 that are plastic and use a center mesh to allow bees to feed from either side. The problem with these "super feeders" is that the cut wire mesh has gaps toward the bottom that allow many bees in to drown when the syrup gets low. I have repaired 4 of them with "gorilla glue" that foams up to close the gaps. The fifth one will require a new screen refit. At $25.00 a pop, one would think they could be a bit more careful fitting the screen.

I am going to try your method. I have used chicken waterers with gravel in the outer dish. That works pretty well but is labor intensive. I have looked for 2-quart bottles with the small mouth but find them scarce. The top feeders I am trying now hold nearly four gallons. I did cut out some 2 inch shims and drilled holes in the side. I covered the holes and one side of the shim with #8 hardware cloth. This keeps out any bees that might get under the lid and makes a terrific went.

Again, thanx for sharing your bucket& screen invention. Best wishes LP


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