Beekeeping catalogs overflow with options when it comes to feeding bees. Each option comes with negatives and positives. Beekeepers swoon over the opportunity to find the best option for feeding their bees. Until of course it starts getting complicated when hearing the opinions of other beekeepers.
We are firm believers in having lots of options. This will lead to making a better choice. However, too many options can have a negative impact on decision making. As beekeepers, that is where we are when it comes to how we feed our bees.
There are too many options when it comes to feeding bees, but we a great one.
We needed a way to feed bees that were very affordable and didn’t require excess storage when not used. Plus, it should be non-invasive for the bees and replicable. It should also use nothing proprietary and should be very easy to make.
We were looking for the holy grail of feeders and we found it.
Feeding bees gets complicated fast, so this method focuses on being simple, affordable, and easy to replicate without special equipment.
This feeder adapts a classic Boardman feeder by placing an inverted mason jar through the hive cover for easy access and visibility without opening the hive.
It’s cheap, non-invasive, and practical to make, offering beekeepers an efficient way to support colonies when natural food sources are limited.
Introduction to Bee Nutrition
Honey bees thrive on a balanced diet that fuels their daily activities and supports healthy brood production. Their primary sources of nutrition are carbohydrates, found in nectar and honey, and proteins, which come from pollen. Carbohydrates provide the energy bees need for foraging, maintaining hive temperature, and producing wax, while protein is essential for raising new bees and keeping the colony strong.
When natural sources of nectar and pollen are scarce—such as during early spring, late fall, or periods of drought— feeding honey bees becomes a vital part of responsible beekeeping. By supplementing their food, beekeepers help ensure their bees have the resources they need to rear brood, store honey, and stay healthy throughout the year.
What makes this the better and cheaper feeder?
The feeder is a version of a Boardman feeder, using the same method of inverting a sealed container with holes poked in the lid.
A local beekeeper turned us towards placing the feeder on top of the telescoping cover, an idea we hadn’t considered. Feeding this way required drilling a hole through the cover, large enough for the neck of a standard mason jar to fit in. The right-sized hole allows the neck of the bottle to slide down, sealing the hole.
This allows bees access to the feeder and gives the beekeeper easy access. It also allows the beekeeper to see how full the container is without opening the hive. These are all major positives in our book.
A negative is the large capacity jars with a small neck are hard to come by. They actually aren’t made anymore, so they have to be purchased used from garage or estate sales.
Interested In Making Your Own
If you’d like to make your own external top feeder like this, you will need a hole saw.
Cutting a hole the size of the lid allows the jar to rest down into the lid and is unlikely to fall over. A 2 7/8-inch hole saw is the size that works well.
Make sure you keep the puck that is cut out because it can be used as a part of the seal when not feeding.
The feeder jar can also be placed directly on the top bars inside the hive, which provides easy access for the bees.
Adam Hickman owns Foxhound Bee Company and is a certified EAS Master Beekeeper. Before ever selling a box through Foxhound Bee Company, Adam wrote beekeeping blogs for education. Adam regularly teaches beekeeping classes through Foxhound Bee Co and also through his local beekeeping club.