I am trying to do my beekeeping all-natural, this mean no chemicals and minimal interference with the natural bee way of life (other than taking all their honey at the end of the season, haha). This is something I am really passionate about, so I didn't want to feed my hive because that would be added interference. For those of you who know Colorado weather, its unpredictable at best, and the last few weeks we have been having lots of snow. This was a set back for all the plants, so not many had flowered at this point. I was worried for my bees, what would they eat? My desire to keep my colony alive triumphed over my desire for an all-natural hive, so I decided to feed them. Like most beekeepers, I settled on plain sugar water, with a mason jar feeder. Excited for this new DIY project, I got to work with whatever I could find.
Like many young people, when I hear the word build, I think Legos. After deciding a specific width and height, I crafted this hunk of junk (conveniently colored to match the hive). There are three parts to my set up, the base/walls, the supports, and the arms. The base and walls are pretty self explanatory, they are just there to hold everything together and keep the jar from tipping over. The supports are there to hold the jar just high enough that the bees can crawl under but still reach the lid to gather the syrup. You can see three supports jutting out from the wall, the fourth is a square block near the front. Finally, the arms. After a few tests, I figured the perfect height so the arms would fit snugly in the entrance. They are two thin pieces and a smooth piece all stacked on top of each other, for those who understand the Lego language.
I decided on the smaller size mason jar because I didn't want the bees to rely on the syrup. This was plenty I think, the bees drain it everyday. I think they could easily empty a large jar as well. In the next two pictures you can see the holes in the lid, this is where the syrup drips out. I made mine with a kitchen knife, but you could use a fork, hive tool, or a samurai sword, whatever is on hand. After about a week and a half, I have removed the feeder for good. There is plenty of forage available now, especially dandelions.
