Plastic Feeders / Waterers

[romduck]

I've previously used inverted buckets, boardman feeders, etc and have just picked up some white plastic hive-top feeders. the instructions noted that suggested uses include "watering" the bees in the Summertime and to increase ventilation in heat such as we have had.

:?:  I'm curious if anyone is using / has used hive top feeders in Summer at all, let alone for watering / feeding / ventilation or a combination of purposes.

I've done a search and found no information specific to those topics. I DID find a number of different opinions on the TYPES of feeders to use during other times of the year, hence my reason for trying the different feeders myself.

Any thoughts / experiences?

[Michael Bush]

On small nucs and especially if I confine bees, I use a mason jar with holes over the inner cover (or a special inner cover with a hole the size of a mason jar and screened).

Otherwise I don't just because it's a lot of work.  I'd rather just turn on the lawn sprinkler and provide the bees with water while keeping my pasture alive.

[romduck]

Thanks. I pretty much do the same.

I actually have a number of local water sources around me (stream, swamp, rock area that collects runoff from garden watering) as well as a bird feeder that has never seen a bird, but has seen many, many bees.

I get the idea that if they already have a water source and they don't need immediate feeding then one wouldn't need to put or keep the feeders on.

By the way I SWEAR that I've joined the local beekeeping club and plan to swing more of these questions / polls their way as soon as meeting start up again!  

I appreciate everyone's help with the questions that I've posted over the past week or so.