Feeding with Top Entrance

[Pond Creek Farm]

I have seen many posts about using a bottom board as a top cover to allow a top entrance.  I am assuming that modifications to the SBB would have to be made to close up the opening, but I am curious how to feed a colony with such a set up.  I have hive top feeders for two of my hives that I have grown to like due to the amount of syrup that can be put in there at a time.  It saves me from having to refill as often.  As I think about a top entrance, I am not sure how to make that work with a top feeder unless I saw a hole in to top to grant access to the feeder.  I suppose another piece of plywood could go over that hole when not feeding, but I wonder what those of you who employ this method do to feed.  Also, other than protection from predators are there other benefits to using a top entrance?

[BeeHopper]

I have encountered the same issues when I switched to a top entrance for my hives. I did away with my hive-top feeders because, frankly they were just a pain to deal with. I now use a betterbee shim below the hive cover and utilize ziplock bags, quart size or gallon depending on the situation at hand, no spills, no mess, and the empty bags discarded. For some reason,the ziplock bag of sugar water warms up much quickly on top of the frames of the cluster and it is taken readily. It must be my locale, but I have yet to see a hive take more than a gallon of sugar water per season ( I only feed them late winter/early spring to get them excited for the coming year ).  :-D

[Ross]

I just go ahead and set a bucket on top like I always do.  My top entrance is a stick under the corner of the flat plywood top.  It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive.  Simple stuff works.