Feeding trough for bees (photo)

A bee-trough is an integral part of beekeeping. Today it is easy to find and buy. It is a special device for feeding bees. There are many varieties of them, but the main rule is that such a feeder is accessible to bees, namely it had a special entrance hole that allowed insects to get inside.

They are made of wood, stainless steel, ceramics, glass or plastic (from non-oxidizable materials).

A bird feeder for your bees can be as good and convenient as your store. Despite the fact that its independent production requires a lot of effort, but it will significantly reduce cash costs. Of course, it's much easier to buy ready-made bee-troughs for bees, but is there any full confidence that they are really of high quality? Therefore, it's best to do it yourself. The construction of feeders is different: they can be in the form of a box, made of a plastic bottle, as well as ceiling, external, etc.

Frame Feeder

This is an open container. In the hive it is placed on special ledges, on the upper slats. In size, it resembles a bee frame, but it is slightly wider (about 4-5 cm). Sugar syrup is poured through the funnel. Inside the trough there is a grate that prevents the bees from drowning in the liquid.

Tapered feeder for bees

It is installed above the frames, so the nest of bees obstructs completely. They will not be able to fly off during feeding. The feeder consists of several compartments, one of which is for passage, and in others the sugar syrup is poured.

If you do not want to build feeders for bees, then you can just install ordinary glass jars.

Bird for ceiling bee

It is a rectangular container, inside of which there are vertical partitions. Thanks to such a simple and very convenient to use design, bees do not sink in syrup. Due to the fact that the swarm of bees heats the food, it does not cool down in the feeder. In addition, you can monitor its consumption. If such a bird feeder is made for oneself, then in the frame one should install a canvas in which to cut a small gap through which the bees will be able to fly inside. The box is covered with a pillow and glass. To add food, the glass simply moves away. For beehives consisting of several hulls, such a bird feeder is hung in August. In this period, it puts a strained zabrus. Bees in the manger build cells from honeycombs. In December, the dissolved honey is poured, the syrup is poured every 2 weeks while checking the nests.

External feeding trough

It is considered one of the most convenient structures. It is a tight box, fixed to the back wall of the hive. The feeder on top is closed with a hinged lid. For free penetration of bees into the hive, an aperture is made in its back wall. A bowl is installed in the box, where the food is poured, the top is put on top so that the insects do not sink. The minus of such a feeder is that the food in it freezes quickly, after which it can not be eaten by bees.

In the form of a frame

Such a bird feeder is very convenient. Like the usual nest frames, it is placed in evidence, separated by a board and insulated. Before using the structure it is necessary to carry out its processing with hot linseed oil. This allows you to systematically feed bees. The main problem of such feeders is the complexity of care and its installation in the nest.

Feeder from a plastic bottle

The use of plastic bottles is considered the most economical and simple option for the production of feeders. To do this, it is desirable to take dark and 2-liter bottles. The beeper from the bottle is made as follows:

1. The nail is heated on fire and a 1.5 mm diameter hole is made in a plastic bottle. Holes can be done a lot, because the more of them, the faster the bees will take the syrup. If there are any extra holes, they simply stick together with adhesive tape. So, you can stretch the amount of syrup for a long time.
2. All holes are sealed with adhesive tape. This must be done before filling the trough with syrup.
3. A hole is made on the ceiling in the hive with a chisel, where the bottle is then horizontally placed.
4. Excess tape is removed, openings are opened.

A homemade plastic bean feeder has the following advantages:

• cheapness;
• Ease of care;
• Simple manufacture;
• Suitable for hives with a low roof;
• The possibility of adjusting the number of holes and the speed of feeding the syrup with an adhesive tape.

Trough from a tin can

Before making a bean feeder, you need to see what materials are available. A good feeder is obtained from tin cans from canned food.

1. Wash and dry the bank.
2. It is poured by diluted water with honey or syrup.
3. Top covered with gauze or cotton cloth.
4. The fabric is fixed with an elastic band.
5. The finished feeder is turned upside down and is located above the frame above the nest. For more convenient access to food, the trough is raised, for which purpose bars are laid for the appearance of small gaps.
6. In the feeder you can put moss, and on top to cover with wooden sticks, so bees can more conveniently get honey.

It is better to take small and wide jars. Such material has some advantages: thin walls, good conductive heat, do not allow the food to cool down quickly. It is also easy to take care of such feeding troughs, they are easy to wash, you just need to boil and reuse.

Foam trough

The feeder has a very simple design, and any beginner beekeeper can do it:

1. A conical container of food plastic with a diameter of 20 cm is selected.
2. A 3 cm thick disk is cut from the foam plastic (along the opening of the container). For cutting, you can use a wire, a saw blade or a heated knife. You need to take a good material, you can take a foam that is used to pack equipment or furniture, but it is better not to touch loose construction foam. Thus the material should not have a smell.
3. The disk is adjusted to the container so that their surfaces are in the same plane.
4. On the outer side of the disc, grooves are melted with a heated metal rod. They must be perpendicular to each other. The width of the grooves is 5 mm, and the same distance between them.
5. In the center of the disk, a few 7 mm holes are made, and on the sides there are four grooves with a width and depth of 5 mm.
6. When making a large feeder or using a not very strong foam, a spacer is installed between the bottom of the container and the disc. It can be made from a plastic bottle, in which to cut off the neck and the bottom. As a result, a cylinder will exit, along the edges of which a groove is made, through which air and food pass.
7. A filter is made. For this, a calico is used, from which a circle is cut more by several centimeters of the diameter of the container. The feed is placed in the feeder, and the fabric is fixed with an elastic band, all folds are straightened, and it turns upside down. It is installed over the tray on the slats. When the syrup pours out, it means that the fabric is very thin, if the surface remains dry - very dense. Ideally, first a small amount of syrup (about 1 tbsp) flows through the tissue.

Naturally, the feeder can be simply purchased in the store, but in the absence of financial means, its independent production is the most optimal solution. In addition, when self-manufacturing has its own significant advantages: it does not require large expenditures of funds and time. Using your imagination, you can make an original and beautiful feeder. After all, the main thing is to make sure that the bees do not need anything, and they wait for spring in favorable conditions.