Plastic 10 Frame Hive Top Feeder 7,5kg

01 · WHY FEED FROM ABOVE

Feed away from the entrance is feed that does not start robbing

Feeding at the entrance or on the apiary floor is the fast route to robbing: when nothing is coming in, the smell of syrup calls the neighbours and a weak colony can be sacked in an afternoon. A top feeder puts the syrup inside the hive and at the very top, where only its own bees reach it. And there is a second reason, less often mentioned: refilling does not mean opening the brood nest — lift the roof and that is that. The brood does not chill and the colony is barely disturbed, which in autumn is exactly what you want.

02 · FILLING IT

Not to the brim: a bee that slips has to be able to get back

This is what decides whether you end up with drowned bees. The side flaps are the way up and the way back; if the syrup reaches the top, a bee that slips finds no edge to grip. Always leave a margin between the syrup and the rim and check the level when you refill. Two more handling notes: never pour hot syrup — it deforms the plastic and disturbs the colony — and the box the feeder rests on must be level, with flat timber, or the liquid runs to one side and drips.

03 · PLASTIC, NOT WOOD

No waxing and no waiting for it to dry

The classic alternative is a wooden feeder, which has to be paraffin-treated so it does not soak through, and retreated every few seasons. This one is sealed plastic: fill it, empty it, wash it, store it. What it does ask for is cleaning between uses — sugar left in a corner ferments and smells, and in a feeder that smell travels to the next hive. Rinse it well and let it dry completely and it lasts years.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Measure your hive: it is 51 × 41 cm and 6 cm tall, so it must rest fully on the box and sit below the roof. And for wintering, remember that in the cold the colony will not go up for liquid: there, syrup gives way to paste or fondant.