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Author Topic: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders  (Read 2738 times)

Offline OldMech

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Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« on: September 18, 2013, 07:34:41 pm »

    I started feeding.. Goldenrod and ragweed have produced pollen, but its been SO dry that they had little nectar to give...
   So I started feeding today. I thought I would be wise and use the useless Boardman feeders in an OPEN feeding scenario.. feeders set up sixty to seventy yards from the hives.. three boardman feeders and three 1.5 gallon glass jars..
   Got home this afternoon and walked down to see how it was going...
   The boardman feeders were swamped at the entrances, and it looked to me like the bees were having a hard time getting in to them..  so I decided to modify a few I have.. I cut the bottoms off three more, and added 3/4 inch spacers to the bottoms to allow more access..
  Great! Went down to replace the ones there.. and as I pulled the large jars off them, I found that the entire feeder was packed with dead bees on all three...   I wish I had a camera I could post pics with.. soon... but trust me it was ugly!
   I have seen several vids where people were doing this.. so NEVER gave it a thought...  All three were replaced with the modified versions for better access..   So just a warning to those who do use them...  DONT!!!
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline iddee

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2013, 07:56:06 pm »
I have used them on my back porch for years and have never seen that. Are you sure there wasn't something else in the scenario? Like maybe they being stored with pesticide or something?
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline GSF

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2013, 09:39:09 pm »
Did they drown? I've pulled them before and would have a lot of sugar water in the feeding area below the jar.
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Offline OldMech

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2013, 10:21:59 pm »
No, there are no pesticides on the property..
   I believe they did drown..  there were so many so thick wedged in there that the syrup was "wicking" through them. I couldnt even knock them out by rapping the feeder on the table. I had to DIG them out with the hive tool.
   The feeders are working well now, they do not drip, however there is the possibility that as they heated up this morning that they did drip faster than the bees could clean up, Will check them tomorrow morning as the sun begins to warm the jars to see.. But, as they are all "open" feeders now I do not forsee a problem even if they do.

   On a side note.. the wife came down to watch me watch the feeding frenzy..   Wearing a BRIGHT blue shirt, and the bees immediately went to check her out.. which resulted in squealing, screaming, flailing, and running, which amused me greatly, so the day wasnt a total loss :)  I would say not to tell her.. but the hysterical laughter that followed as she ran probably gave her all the knowledge she needed...... as I sat in my chair with my feet up by the feeders with my rum and coke surrounded by harmless bees.....    Bees are so PERFECT for those times you need to get rid of the wife for a few minutes.     Wish I had that on Vid so yall could enjoy the scene as much as I did...    LOL
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline GSF

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #4 on: September 19, 2013, 02:24:08 pm »
I read this thread this morning. Later on today I ran across this article.

http://scientificbeekeeping.com/nosema-ceranae-kiss-of-death-or-much-ado-about-nothing/

Another symptom, reported by several, and described by Bob Harrison on Bee-L, is that of bees not taking syrup, and then massively drowning in division board feeders. Bob feels that the symptom of going “off feed” is a good indicator for N. ceranae infection, which can be reversed with a drench of fumagillin syrup.

The drowning behavior may have an explanation in a recent paper by Chris Mayak (2009), in which he found that “N. ceranae imposes an energetic stress on infected bees, revealed in their elevated appetite and hunger level…. infected bees attempt to compensate for the imposed energetic stress by feeding more…” Mayak suggests that such hungry, nutritionally stressed bees, exhibiting risky foraging behavior, might play a role in the depopulation of infected colonies.

Just a little tidbit for everyone to put in their cup of worry tea.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #5 on: September 19, 2013, 08:20:46 pm »
if they can get in, they will if enough of them get in, they will clog the thing up and they will all die.  i did it once with a poultry feeder.  now i screen the hole.

any time you are feeding, open or not, make it so that they can't get in.  they will also land on each other and drown each other if you use an open pan with nothing for them to land on or climb on.
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Offline OldMech

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2013, 11:52:36 pm »
Aye, I have seen them crawling all over each other and the dead getting to the syrup in open feeders. Even when there were plenty of things to climb on to get out of the syrup.. so when it came time to feed my own I wanted to use the drip type jars..   Now that I have modified the feeders everything is going well.
    Going out to set up feeders near the feral hives this week. I have high hopes for them surviving the winter and adding a few swarms to my apiary. As dry as its been here the flow wasnt anything to write home about.   As much goldenrod as I saw blooming I was exceptionally disappointed in the nectar it provided.
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

Offline Bees In Miami

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2013, 05:56:45 am »
"Bees are so PERFECT for those times you need to get rid of the wife for a few minutes.     Wish I had that on Vid so yall could enjoy the scene as much as I did...    LOL"

It works well for HUSBANDS, too!!!   :bee:   :yippiechick:   All relative to the sex of the beekeeper apparently....  :fishhit:  I truly love my quiet time with my girls...  X:X

Offline OldMech

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Re: Another reason not to use Boardman feeders
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2013, 04:34:23 pm »
"Bees are so PERFECT for those times you need to get rid of the wife for a few minutes.     Wish I had that on Vid so yall could enjoy the scene as much as I did...    LOL"

It works well for HUSBANDS, too!!!   :bee:   :yippiechick:   All relative to the sex of the beekeeper apparently....  :fishhit:  I truly love my quiet time with my girls...  X:X

   LOL  good point!
   When working the hives it drives her completely insane to see a bee crawl across my face..  while I ignore it..   :)
39 Hives and growing.  Havent found the end of the comfort zone yet.

 

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