Feeding Equipment

Feeding equipment is the full range of tools and supplies a beekeeper uses to give a colony syrup, fondant, pollen substitute and water: containers for preparing feed, feeders, fondant and pollen patty supplies, water stations, parts that protect against robbing, and scales for checking stores. This page gives an overall map of this family of equipment and explains what you will need in each season.

What is feeding equipment?

Feeding is not just about the feeder. Each stage of feeding done properly has its own tool:

• Preparing feed: a food-grade bucket or drum, a stirrer, scales, a funnel, a thermometer.
• Giving liquid feed: a top feeder, a frame feeder, an inverted jar or bucket, a plastic bag.
• Giving solid feed: a feeding eke, greaseproof paper or cling film, the inner cover hole.
• Giving water: an apiary water station and landing surfaces.
• Protection: an entrance reducer, feeder lids, a cloth for wiping up spilled feed.
• Decision-making: hive scales or a simple hand-held spring balance, a feeding record book.

When to give each feed is covered in detail on the Feeding: Syrup, Fondant and Pollen page, and the types of feeder on the Feeders page. Here we look at the equipment as a whole.

What equipment do you need to prepare syrup?

For a few hives, kitchen containers are enough; as the number of hives grows, mixing and carrying become the main workload. The basic tools:

• Food-grade bucket or drum: it should have a lid, be easy to clean and never have held chemicals. Pesticide, paint or oil drums must never be used.
• Scales: syrup ratios are by weight (thin syrup 1 : 1, thick syrup 2 : 1). Mixing by eye means, especially in autumn, syrup that is more watery than it should be.
• Stirrer: a clean wooden spoon or stainless steel paddle; for large quantities, a food-grade mixer attached to a drill.
• Funnel and drum with a tap: for filling feeders without spilling.

What tools are used to give liquid feed?

Syrup is given to the hive through a feeder. The main options are: a top feeder, filled without opening the hive; a frame feeder, the safest against robbing; an inverted jar, cheap and clean; and a single-use plastic bag. Whichever you choose, the feeder must have a climbing surface that stops bees from drowning.

What do you need for fondant and pollen patties?

Solid feeds don't need a separate feeder; what matters is a space where the feed can sit just above the cluster. For this you need:

• Feeding eke: a spacer frame the size of the hive and a few centimetres high. The fondant or pollen patty is placed on the top bars and the lid closes over the eke.
• Greaseproof paper or cling film: covers the top of the fondant to stop it drying out; the underside stays open to the bees.
• Inner cover with a hole: fondant can be placed over the hole and given without fully opening the hive.

Equipment for providing water in the apiary

Bees need water to feed brood, cool the hive and dissolve the sugar in fondant. If there is no clean water source nearby, setting up a water station in the apiary is recommended. A water station is not feed; it must not be confused with open feeding. A good water station:

• includes landing surfaces such as stones, gravel, moss or floating wood so the bees don't drown,
• is refreshed and cleaned regularly,
• is set up early enough to stop bees heading for the taps and ponds of neighbouring houses.

Protective equipment against robbing during feeding

The feeding period, especially when the nectar flow has stopped, is when the risk of robbing is highest. So part of feeding equipment is protection:

• Entrance reducer: narrows the entrance to a width a few bees can pass through; makes it easier for a weak colony to defend itself.
• Leak-proof feeder: a cracked feeder or one with open edges carries the smell of syrup outside.
• Cleaning cloth and water: for wiping up spilled syrup straight away.

Feeding equipment by season

A basic feeding kit for a small apiary

1. A set of scales and two food-grade buckets: one for mixing, one for carrying.
2. One feeder per hive: to be able to feed all colonies at the same time, you need as many feeders as hives.
3. A few feeding ekes: for winter fondant and spring pollen patties.
4. Entrance reducers: one for each hive.
5. A water station: near the apiary, in a sunny spot sheltered from the wind.
6. A record book: which colony was given how much feed and when is the most valuable information for planning the following year.

Hygiene and storage of feeding equipment

• Wash syrup buckets and feeders with hot water after each use and let them dry; soured syrup residue spoils new feed too.
• Don't use feeders and ekes from a colony with suspected disease, or one that has died, in another hive without cleaning them.
• Store fondant and pollen patties in a cool, dry place protected from mice and ants; keep prepared pollen patties in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Protect wooden equipment kept in storage over winter from wax moth and damp.

Common mistakes

• Using chemical drums as syrup containers: residues can poison the bees.
• Preparing syrup without weighing: watery syrup in autumn delays storing and wears the colony out.
• Having fewer feeders than hives: feeding colonies one after another triggers robbing.
• Putting open containers in the apiary: open feeding favours strong colonies and spreads disease.
• Forgetting the water station: bees look for water in the neighbours' gardens, which leads to needless complaints.