Open feeding makes sense to me.

[Finski]

.
I have here mainflow started. Spring rape is opening buds, raspberry is over half blooming and first fireweed are red.

I trust that I get again real honey and I need not feed sugar to bees to make bigger yield.

i cannot understand that jar collection outside. Are you cleaning second hand jars for consumption?
 

xxxx

I put 3 hives on 25 hectar canola field. I hope that  they get something. It is windy place. Too big field mere canola.  :-D

[Brian D. Bray]

Back at the beginning of this dialogue the question was asked what was wrong with Boardman feeders.

Nothing, I use them a lot but they must be used properly to prevent robbing.

Use of the Boardman is easily done with 2 feeders per hive with the entrance located between the feeders, arrange feeders and any needed reducer slats so that there is less than 2 inches of entrance space on an 8 or 10 frame hive.  For a 5 frame nuc no further entrance reduction is necessary other than the 2 feeders.
If only one feeder is being used be sure to use some type of entrance reducer so that the feeder is placed next to the edge of the entrance and use some type of reduce configuration so that less than 2 inches of actual entrance area is available to the bees.   

For a single Boardman feeder, where F is the feeder, x is the reducer, and E is the entrance the configuration should look like this: FXEX
For a double Boardman feed it can look like this: FXEXF or in the case of a nuc: FEF

These options places access as far as possible from any robber bees and allows the home bees to best defend their hive.

[adamant]

To divert yellow jackets, set up some traps nearby the feeding station.  I use pint sized canning jars w/ a tsp of any kind of jelly stired in some water (about half way).  It'll be full of yellowjackets in a day or two.  Remember to poke a couple small holes in tops of lids.  And, WATCH out for robbing as best you can (a wet blanket thrown over the colony being robbed helps).

thomas

Thomas, explain your yellow jacket trap more please

[T Beek]

Wow a 2 year old thread  8-)

Whenever I Open feed (at least 100 yards from beeyard) with sugar syrup I place a few traps nearby as described above.  While a thick jelly mix works pretty good I've found that a fist full of raw meat with a little water (enough to cover meat and drown those YJ) placed inside the jar (any size with pencil sized holes in lid) works even better.  Jelly traps used to get some bees too  :( and that' is no good.  Cured that by baiting the YJ w/ meat, since they are carnivores and honeybees being vegan ignore it.

Good luck!  I hate YJ!

[adamant]

Wow a 2 year old thread  8-)

Whenever I Open feed (at least 100 yards from beeyard) with sugar syrup I place a few traps nearby as described above.  While a thick jelly mix works pretty good I've found that a fist full of raw meat with a little water (enough to cover meat and drown those YJ) placed inside the jar (any size with pencil sized holes in lid) works even better.  Jelly traps used to get some bees too  :( and that' is no good.  Cured that by baiting the YJ w/ meat, since they are carnivores and honeybees being vegan ignore it.

Good luck!  I hate YJ!

thank you

[edward]

I put 3 hives on 25 hectar canola field. I hope that  they get something. It is windy place. Too big field mere canola.

A friend had scales on a few hives that are in and amongst the canola field where the canola plants shelter the hives from the winds, he also had hives at the edge of the fields were they where not sheltered from the harsh winds that can blow in the open terrain.

The hives that were sheltered by the plants brought .5kg more necktar each day back to the hive.

When the bees have to work less at keeping a constant temperature in the hive the harvest increases  ;)


mvh Edward  :-P

[pembroke]

I've read several of the replies and I agree using the hive top feeders are the best for me. I put one on each hive and haul sugar water in a 4 gal containers closed top.  Pull up to hive and take off top of container and fill up feeder and move to next hive. To keep from robbing I place a screen over the top of my feeders and put on inner cover and outer cover. I have 1 inch drilled holes for entrances to hive. I plug the very top one when feeding. Helps reduce robbing.  Pembroke