How to make a 5 gallon bucket bee feeder.

[@SylantBill]

Good job very informative video.

[@mikerevendale4810]

That's a great tutorial! Well done! I've been a beekeeper right at 40 years and I am looking for a spring feeding method that's less labor intensive than placing feeders on individual hives. That bucket feeding method looks ideal although I think I'll try 2 gallon buckets due to the weight factor. And to address the concerns in another comment: 1)Spring feeding will not taint anyone's honey crop. Your video clearly demonstrated it was early spring, which is a time when honeybees use LOTS of stores to build the brood nest in anticipation of the main nectar flow. No one will have honey supers on at this time. One sure way to hamper the spring build up of a colony is to add honey supers in early spring. 2) As far as creating an environment to spread disease that seems highly unlikely, and I've never seen research to indicate otherwise. Honeybees visit the very same flowers dozens, sometimes hundreds of times each day. And robbing, and drift of foragers between hives, happens to such a high degree that every hive in an apiary is exposed to common pathogens if present. I switched to a Hygienic Italian breed, the result of decades of breeding by the USDA and commercial beekeepers, about ten years ago and haven't experienced any instances of disease since. And, amazingly, I don't treat for mites and my winter losses are consistent, and manageable. Anyway, thanks again for the informative video.

[@clydesdalehomestead3807]

Thank you for taking the time to comment. 2 gallon feeders sound very manageable.

[@jeanhecker4533]

Cool😊

[@009eharris]

I'm trying this don't care what they think

[@briansamaniego5294]

I cannot stress enough to use the smallest drill bit to make the holes. I opened my bucket to find 100+ dead bees that climbed inside when the water level was low

[@clydesdalehomestead3807]

Good point

[@bluelab5019]

I use a chicken water station to do the same job. Yours is definitely a cheaper way to do it though.

[@clydesdalehomestead3807]

Yes, a 5 gallon chicken waterer can be $45! It’s insane.

[@Johnny_Benson]

does the feed every ferment?

[@clydesdalehomestead3807]

It can ferment, especially in hot weather. The bees will stop going to the feeder if it ferments, but wasps and yellow jackets will be attracted to it. So we keep an eye on the sugar water and dump it out if necessary.

[@leeknight9063]

How far from your hives did you put the feeder?

[@clydesdalehomestead3807]

As far as is practical for you. 100+ feet if you can. You don’t want the bees to start robbing a nearby hive when the feeder runs out.

[@leeknight9063]

@@clydesdalehomestead3807 thanks. No problem with that. I can go a couple thousand yards if I want to.

[@Ovenmitt123]

Very location situational. If you are very remote and all by yourself (which it looks like it could be here), then sure this might be an alright method. Those who want to do this need to consider that open syrup feeding spreads disease when concentrating foragers of mixed hives to one spot, adulterates honey in colonies that are set up to produce honey, is a large waste of money and time because you'll be feeding other bee colonies in your area. Also, as you mentioned this can cause robbing frenzies if fed too close to your hives. If you don't have honey supers on, then that's great- but if you have neighbor beekeepers please consider that they might. This is a great way to ruin someone else's honey crop or your own. I highly recommend inside the hive feeding as opposed to this method, which solves all of these problems.