I been wracking my brain trying to come up with a decent outside feeder design for my apiaries. I really should have put something up a couple of days ago that the bees can work on the rare warm periods we get instead of them flying aimlessly around.
The problems are that anything I have tried before end up becoming a midnight snack for raccoons or fill up with water when it rains. Therefore I needed something I could hang up on a thin pole to keep the varmints out of and was totally contained yet still allowed bee access.
I couldn't come up with any design I liked. Then I got to thinking what do my bees do in the middle of the Summer when things dry up and they have no blooms to hit? Well they start hitting the hummingbird feeders so why not try putting a hummingbird feeder at each apiary filled with a slightly thicker solution than than normal? It still seems to be liquid enough to flow into the opening and I only used those feeders that were shallow enough for the bees to get into.
If this works then the girls will have some syrup nearby to work on those surprising warm days and I can also keep the dry sugar stocked inside the hives for when they cannot get out.
The only danger I can see is if the liquid freezes and cracks a feeder or something. I left enough room for expansion in each feeder so hopefully that won't be an issue. Also if the solution freezes the clear plastic should allow the sugar part to thaw relatively quickly and allow the bees to get something out of it weather permitting.
Today should be a good test. The fog and clouds are suppose to clear out by afternoon and then warm up into the mid to upper 60's which should allow the bees some nice flying temperatures. After today the temps are suppose to drop once again into a colder period and the next warm snap we get I will open the hives up and add some more dry sugar.
Getting these hives through Winter is my top concern right now. Spring is a long way off.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!
It'll take a LOT of cold to freeze sugar water.
ReplyDeleteI have a hive in a tree in southern Oklahoma. Im having trouble finding a nearby keeper that would want to take the hive. I do not want it destroyed. If not for kids in the area, I would just let them alone.
DeleteDo you know of anyone that would like some bees?
B - I have seen drinks like tea freeze only part way leaving the water frozen but the heavily saturated parts unfrozen. It should work out though I suspect.
DeleteAnon - Sorry I don't know anyone down that way but you might try looking on craigs list.
I would say to leave the bees where they are until spring whoever wants to move them. They may die by then anyway.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking on the humming bird feeder!
SF - Ya it may not be an issue if they don't make it through Winter.
DeleteI hope the feeders work for you; sounds like an ingenious solution to a stubborn problem.
ReplyDeleteRP - We will see. So far today they weren't hitting them :(
Deletebefore my FIL passed away, he had humminbird feeders all over the Carolina estate. And I remember seeing Bees attracted to the nector. So that is an awesome idea!
ReplyDeleteJuGM - They used to hit em here in the Summer when there wasn't anything else much to forage on. I am only assuming they will try it on warm days in the Winter? Assuming... hmmm.
DeleteI know you are preparing for the storm coming Friday, I sure am! No ICE for me, thank you!
ReplyDeleteSD - Not yet really. I plan on getting things covered tomorrow and I do need to buy some ice melt but otherwise most everything is already in place.
DeleteThe anecdotal types say that sugar water freezes somewhere around 25 - 26 F.
ReplyDeleteThe scientist types give the details:
http://food.oregonstate.edu/learn/fdsyst/body/f5c2.htm
The internets are amazing.
Russ - Well according to the forecast we are suppose to be getting plenty of those temps and lower starting tomorrow night. :(
DeleteYour hummingbird feeder idea seems good to me. I hope it doesn't freeze up. Sometimes when containers do that, even if you do leave extra space in them, they split. It's worth a try though.
ReplyDeletesugar water will indeed freeze solid if its cold enough.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my hummingbird feeder has a plastic base and a clear glass bottle for the resevour, and as long as I don't fill it more than halfway full it appears to handle a full freeze with no problems. I've been leaving it up in hopes that one of the rare breed straglers that are being reported will wander through.
We had a horrible insect problem with the hummer feeder this year. If it had been honey bees I'd not have minded so much, but it was the yellow jackets that mobbed the feeder and drove off the hummingbirds. Drove me nuts.....