The Buzz Newsletter

May 2005

 

 

Page 5

Bucket Syrup Feeders

There are all kinds of ways to feed bees. We like to use two gallon buckets. It is possible to feed by just poking a few holes in the lid but I like to be able to see the feeder hole and know it isn’t plugged up. We use screens for the bees to suck the syrup out of. I have used aluminum screen from the hardware store for this but found stainless steel 40 mesh screen to be more satisfactory. We also incorporate a fill hole that we use a plastic plug in. That way we never have to take the lids off.

The stainless steel wire is available from TWP Inc., 2831 Tenth St, Berkeley, Ca. 510-548-4434 Twenty five square feet cost me about $95 with shipping included. Smaller quantities are more expensive. We got the plastic fill plugs from Mann Lake. They cost fourteen cents each. They are also available for less money from Smithco, 809 Kansas, S. Houston, Tx, 77587. Ph 713-947-8942 Smithco does not take credit cards. You have to send the money. I have gotten plugs from them in the past. They ship right away. I got them from Mann Lake this time because I was getting things from them anyway. It was one less freight bill to pay. The buckets are expensive if you buy them new. Often you can pick them us used at bakeries or delis. I do have some of the stainless steel screen left over if someone wants to try a small quantity.

Submitted by Phil Ebert

How to Make the Bucket Syrup Feeder

Construction of the bucket syrup feeder is pretty simple, a couple of holes, some screen, and a plastic stopper plug are all that is needed to modify the bucket.

The bucket syrup feeder is made by modifying the lid. This design allows the feeder to be filled without removing the lid from the bucket.

A hole saw and drill were used to make the two holes in the lid. Placement of the holes isn’t particularly important. Many of the buckets had thicker plastic at the centers of the lid which made it more difficult to cut a hole in the middle. Offset holes worked just fine.

The fill hole was cut slightly smaller than the plastic plug for a snug fit. While the plug fits securely, it is much easier to remove than the bucket lid.

The plastic plug is easily removed from the fill hole to refill the feeder bucket.

The feeding hole is 2 inches and covered with the 40 mesh screen. The mesh screen is attached on the inside surface of the lid. To attach the screen to the lid, a pipe fitting was heated and pressed against the screen melting the plastic into the mesh. This method secures the screen to the lid quite well without the use of adhesives. The pipe fitting did require a fair amount of heating, but produced good end results.

This type of feeder is placed on top of a hive that has a small feeder hole in both the lid and the inner cover. When the feeder is inverted over the feeder hole, the corn syrup is easily accessible to the bees through the screen. The buckets typically have about a ½ inch lip on the lid which gives the bees a nice clearance between the hive lid and the top of the feeder lid.

Advantages to this method of feeding are the ability to easily add, remove, or check the feed without opening up the hive. The ability to refill the feeders through the fill plug, and it does not require space in the hive body.

The completed bucket syrup feeder.

Overall the modification to the bucket lid is straight forward and the end product provides a flexible method of providing feed to colonies as they need it.

Submitted by Alex Ebert