# Just over one gallon top feeders.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I seen these with floats at bee conferance. But they ran the access the long way so the floats were different.
Way I see it *ALL*feeders have a draw back of one sort or another. 

Boardman feeders are to small and are sticking out in front of the whole world inviteing robbing and animal vandels.

Frame feeders never had any kind of float for the bees to get on and many drown. They also force you take a frame out and tend to bulge. I have modified some of those with floats screens for the girls to climb on and braceing so they don't bulge. Still have to open the hive up completely to fill.

One gallon jars and two gallon pails are OK as long as you have extra boxes you can surround them with. They are also harder to clean out when finished feeding. The glass jars are harder to store and fragle.

Top feeder I have seen leave a bunch to be desired. They also allowed many bees to drown if feeding syrup. I have one with just one end open for the bees to feed, a bunch drown unless you float straw in the space. Plus it has to be on a slant to keep the syrup where the bees can get to it. Another one I have had the center chimmny thing with a bit of screen angled away from it for the bees to stand on. Crazy bees don't put on life jackets but still think they can wade out and get syrup making room for more on the screen, they DROWN.

So here is what I built from memory.










 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

My hives are 19 7/8" long, so I cut the side rails that size.









Since I wanted some extra glue up area and some thing to help keep the feeders stable I cut the end bars and centers to 15 1/4.










With all the dados on the ends and centers 3/8" deep it gives me the over all width of 16 1/4.










Of course 3/4" wide dados allow a perfect fit of the end bars in them.










You can have the center bars as far apart as you wish and as close as 3/8" but I feel that is to close. I chose a inch. Find the center of the box measure a 1/2 inch on both sides of center for that inch.










Once you have that inch measurement you can set the fence on the table saw to cut the dados. Do one side rotate ends and do the other. Then you reset the fence to do the centers the very same way, one side then the other. I measured so I don't have to do the figureing out every time any longer.










I used construction glue (locktite grab it) to glue the bottom on as well as staple it with 7/8" crown staples.











 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

When that is done you can measure the area for the float. Just make sure you leave some clearance. I left about 3/16" on the sides and ends.
I made the floats out of 1/2x3/4 inch rails and the cross ties are 1/16"x 3/4" , didn't soak these but will all the rest as it tends to stop splitting. I replaced several that did split.




















I had a horriable elder moment when I was cutting out the 1/16 float slats. Being safe I was useing a push block to push the wood thru the saw and I also made sure I had the zero clearance insert in place. Some would still shoot out the back of the saw so I had to chase them down. Tried the jig saw way to slow. the band saw has a cross cut blade on and just didn't want to rip the block. I decided to built floats with a frame center bar and vynal screen.



















It works with the screen up but they will need life jackets if down as there is a half inch of syrup above the screen.

I also figured out how to cut the 1/16 slats on the table saw with out a problem. Just push a wide board thru that is a couple of feet long *then cut the size you need.*

 *I do have those elder moments a lot more lately for some reason*.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

*The screen float was rulled out because the screen was underwater if the screen is down. With the screen up the bees couldn't reach any more syrup you have about half an inch left in the feeder.*

 Al


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## Farmerwilly2 (Oct 14, 2006)

I use a Miller top feeder. Here's a link to it. http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/miller-type-feeder/

I use 1/8 hardware cloth on the center section, bees seem to find it easy to climb on. The first 2 I sealed with polyurathane and bees wax, resealed this year with parifin. I have a third one built and I'm probably going to seal it with epoxy.
I had a problem with bees still drowning by going under the top cover, and through the slot in the inner cover. I covered the slot in on the inner cover with the same hardware cloth and so far no more bees drowning.


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## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

Not quite following the float vs the screens, but ok.

Are you going to coat the wood at all, or just try syrup right on it? 

In any case, I've yet to run a feeder that bees wouldn't find a way to drown themselves, or otherwise commit suicide. Some feeders were worse than others, some hives were worse than others. Then there was the funk and the foul of the large feeders.

After trying just about every type of feeder I could, I've ended up back with the inverted 1 gallon buckets and a spare hive body around them.


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

when I needed to clean the pails after feeding , I started doing it by hand ,, Bon asked why I didn't just use the dishwasher .. sure did work for me ..


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The wood floats float right on the very top of the syrup. The screen float turn screen side down is under a 1/2 inch of syrup, screen side up is right on top of the syrup but there will be a 1/2 inch of syrup the bees cant get to because the wood rails hold the screen a 1/2 inch off the bottom of the feeder.

Gallon jars are great. easy to clean and easy on the bees. The rub comes with the hive body surrounding the jars. Thats over 100 plus extra hive bodies I have to have laying around unused in the fall and spring.

Tom, Bonnie is a softy when it comes to you I see.

:grin: Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Feeders seem to be working well. Of course they are only useing them on rainy days now I think. so much inb bloom and most at the wrong time of year for them.
Trout lilies are not blooming yet but the quince is in full bloom as is the red bud trees.


 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

What can I say ,, she has to be a softy , she's been with me over 41 years ..
and I'm hard to live with ..
I think the next time I need new feeders ,, I'm going to try to duild a few like you build .. for now I have what I need..


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Tom You can't build them,. They are made with wood, I think steel would be to heavy too.
Or you could have them built, I would just hate tohear you were all broke out in a horriable rash trying to build from my plans.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I found the foam brush worked best to paint the insides with bees wax. warmed them up in the solar melter first too.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

This could be a sticky post if there were a moderater for the bee thread.

 Al


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## JDog1222 (Aug 19, 2010)

How do you think it would work if you just cut some slits in some foam board? Cut it to fit in the center of the feeder (like your lattice thing). I guess, if you got thick foam board you could cut the trenches at an angle, kinda like a ditch. Do you soak the wood lattice insert in bees wax? Do you need the weight of the wood lattice to push the thick heavy syrup up through the wood? I&#8217;m thinking of a thick foam board with v shaped slits cut or just a thin piece and take a hand saw (one that the blade goes round and round, not sure of the name &#8220;circular saw&#8221; ???) and cut several slits with it, so it looks like your lattice thing. Think it will work?


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## JRHILLS (Oct 27, 2010)

Beekeepers who don't have a table saw or who don't want to spend $10 or more on wood and paint and an hour building and painting each feeder might look at the so-called division board feeder. It's a hard yellow plastic that doesn't warp out of shape, holds a gallon of syrup, and comes with plastic floats that completely eliminate drowning. Takes the place of one frame. To refill just slide the inner cover (or the hive body above the feeder) slightly to the side. You can refill with very little disturbance to your bees. Here's the link to the Rossman catalog. Other suppliers have it, too.

http://www.gabees.com/store/product...d=190&osCsid=1bc5ed756f860414578f02c122da40fb


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