Bee-Feeders, The Build!
Hey everyone, after an epic fail with our store purchased bee feeders I decided to make my own, 'EARTH SHATTERING PATENT' here, Elon Musk stand aside :P but before we get to that check out my last post here with the bees veraciously feeding on the unit, the video...https://hive.blog/homesteading/@craigcryptoking/home-made-bee-feeder
Needed: Empty Coke bottles, 15mm wood screws, string, scissors, yoghurt lids or glass jar lids, water, sugar, drill!
This is so simple it is scary, simply take two lids from the Coke bottles, drill 2 holes in the corners of the one lid to allow for water or the sugar mix to easily flow. Drill the screw through the two lids side by side with a yoghurt or glass bottle lid in beteen as per the pics above and below, the lip facing upwards to dam the liquid!
I just used wood screws, to screw the lids together, ideally a small bolt would probably have worked better, this is a really simple, effective, cheap way to feed the bees in Winter and I totally recommend it!
In season however remove these as you do not want to harvest sugar that has gone trough a bee, as soon as Winter nears an end we shall remove all these feeders and store them for next dearth season!
We are hanging both a mixture of sugar and water as well as just plain water all over our apiaries to ensure the bees stay well hydrated through the dry season!
I like put a twigs on the 'collection area' to ensure bees do not drown, simple yet effective!
These pics taken as I had just hung the units without any bees....
In just a few minutes a hive of bee feeding/foraging activity, bees have incredible senses of smell as well as a sound navigation system, they also recognize things well (shapes/colours), once just a few bees find this treasure, back to their hive they go to 'lobby the troops' in just a few minutes many hundreds of them making their way up and down to feed!
After I had made these units and filled up with sugar
water 1:1 mixture we head off to our oher apiary around 20 kms from where I reside to put them out, after testing them at home, here where these pics were taken!
We hung them in the pecan nut and blue-gum trees a total of 5 feeders and one water unit, we will return every 2 weeks odd to fill up, this should keep them well fed and hydrated until Spring, to usher in our next epic honey season!
After we were done, we head off home, en-route to behold this incredible sight, a stunning Winter sunset to an epic day, Africa truly is beautiful!
Nature the incredible, I trust you have an amazing week.
Be blessed, Love and light!
Cheer$:)