While many of us are debating the virtues of sugar cakes vs. granulated sugar for winter feeding, others avoid the controversy by using a sugar slurry. The slurry is partway between dry sugar and liquid sugar, at a point where the sugar is wet but doesn’t actually dissolve. Technically, a slurry is a thick suspension […] Read more
In spite of all the winter alterations I’ve made to my Langstroth hives, I’ve never done anything to my top-bar hive. Previously, when the temperature dipped into the 20s for more than a day or two, I’ve moved it into the garden shed, a space I keep in the 40s so things don’t freeze. I […] Read more
Although more art than science is required to use baggie feeders, they are still my favorite bee “service” because they drown so few bees and because I can use them in any type of hive, including a top-bar. Since many beginners will be using them this spring, I assembled a list of dos and don’ts […] Read more
In my earlier post on installing a package, I said you couldn’t use a baggie feeder while you were using my method of installation because there wasn’t enough room on top of the remaining five frames to lay the bags. What I failed to mention is that you can place a baggie feeder on top […] Read more
A baggie feeder is nothing more than a 3-inch deep super—a perfect tool for the hobbyist. You can buy them, build them, or slice an existing super into several layers. Each feeder will hold two 1-gallon plastic zip bags of sugar syrup. If you prefer, you can use just one bag of syrup and use […] Read more
Many types of honey bee feeders are available. None are perfect; each has its own drawbacks, and beekeepers are quite opinionated on the subject. It seems that every hobbyist I know uses a different kind, so I’ll go through them one by one. Personally, I’ve tried just about every style out there and ended up […] Read more