Apiary Tech Note – DRAFT, November 23, 2009
How to Make and Use a Screened Feeder Frame
I learned about this feeding method from Mel Disselkoen when he presented it at the
November 2009 Indiana Beekeepers’ Association Meeting at Turkey Run State Park. I loved the idea the
moment he presented it! There were several speakers leading up to Mel’s presentation, “Out-Breeding
Mites and Over-Wintering Bees”, (www.mdasplitter.com), where Indiana bee keepers talked about
candy boards. Candy boards must be popular in this region because there were several elaborate top
feeders and brood frame feeders presented and for sale. I’ve never liked candy boards because the
“candy” requires cooking and the result is as hard as a rock. I’ve often wondered if bees under
starvation stress could muster enough water to dissolve the candy and even if they could, why add more
stress by giving them what amounts to a big lollipop? It has been said that all beekeeping is regional! In
Rhode Island we use fondant which is purchased from a bakery wholesaler (www.bakersniche.net).
Fondant is a mixture of white granulated sugar and corn syrup that bakers use to make cake frosting.
We buy it in 50-lb blocks and it is stiff but moist. The downside of fondant is the 50-lb blocks. They
require muscle power to handle and cut up the blocks and the process is quite sticky! Mel’s formula to
make what I call, “fluffy fondant” is much easier. So thanks to Mel, I now have my winter feeding
method down to a screened feeder frame, bag of sugar, cold water and a plastic pail into which I mix the
fluffy fondant. The result is a no-mess, no cooking required, easy to handle solution. All you need is a
screened feeder frame (some call it a shim), or empty shallow or medium super, with a screen attached
to the bottom. To save on equipment many keepers put granulated sugar on the inner cover or directly
on the frames over newspaper, but screened frame feeders make removal quick and easy. They also
allow the fondant to absorb heat and moisture from the bees. Your inner and outer covers simply stack
over the feeder in the normal order. Drill a hole in your feeder and you now have both a moisture vent
and upper entrance! Just one word of caution… Make sure you can plug the hole with a wine cork or
cover it up with duct tape when the bees are flying. Neighboring bees quickly figure out that there is a
free source of food available to be robbed, so only open the holes in the dead of winter when the bees
aren’t flying. How deep should your screened frame feeder be? Mel recommends 2-1/2”. This depth
holds about 25-lbs. The depth only governs how much or how little the feeder holds. I like the 25-lb
capacity because it reduces trips to the apiaries. Mel also claims that he no longer uses liquid feed –
ever! He said that the bees will draw foundation just fine using the fluffy fondant. We’ll see next spring!
Materials List
Pine boards or plywood to make the frame.
- · 2 pieces, 3/4″ x 2-1/2” x 16-1/4”
- · 2 pieces, 3/4″ x 2-1/2” x 18-3/8”
- · Note: Adjust the length dimensions to fit your regional standard sizes. Most bee boxes are 16-
1/4” x 19-7/8” so the above will yield a box that size.
Hardware Cloth to make a screen for the bottom.
- · 1/4″ or bigger mesh cut to 16-1/4” x 19-7/8”
- · Note: Some call this, “chicken wire.” Although not technically correct the less stiff chicken wire
will do the job. You just need a screen material that will hold the weight of the sugar and whose
mesh is wide enough to allow the bees to freely pass through. Bee space is 1/4″ so we need a
mesh that is at least that wide.
Fasteners
- · You will need nails or screws or staples to nail the frame together. Galvanized or coated
fasteners are best to prevent rusting.
Fluffy Fondant
- · White granulated sugar (table sugar), 5-lbs
- · Cold tap water, 1-cup
- · Pail in which you mix the sugar and water
- · Stir until mixed. No cooking! No hot water.
Make a frame from 1 x 3 lumber. You want all the pieces to measure 2-1/2” wide (or close) and then cut
the pieces to length 2 @ 16-1/4” and 2 @ 18-3/8”. Nail, screw or staple these pieces together to make a
box that measures 16-1/4” x 19-7/8” overall. Note: The measurements that I give you are for standard
size brood chambers. Since regional variations come up, so please measure your brood chamber first
and adjust my measurements to match. In the end, you want a box or “mini-super” that sits on top of
the brood chamber (deep super). And… the depth (width of the individual pieces) isn’t critical either. If
it is shallower it will hold less sugar and deeper will hold more sugar. You could for example use a old
shallow or medium super to accomplish the same results.
Cut a piece of 1/4″ hardware cloth 16-7/8” x 19-7/8” to match the size of your new feeder box (adjust
measurements for regional differences). Staple the hardware cloth to the bottom of the feeder box. To
give you a mental picture, the result will be a sieve when you are done! Some people call hardware
cloth chicken wire. Although this isn’t exactly correct it helps to get the idea across. Hardware cloth is
stiffer than chicken wire and the holes are squares instead of ovals. It really doesn’t matter which one
you use so long as the wire is stiff enough to support the sugar and the holes are large enough to allow
the bees to pass freely through. Remembering bee space, you will need a mesh that is 1/4″ or bigger.
Now that you know which side is the bottom (the side with the hardware cloth) you can drill a hole into
the feeder that serves both as a moisture vent and upper entrance. I like to use a 1” diameter drill bit,
but any opening 1/4″ or bigger will suffice. I use a 1” diameter because it is easy to block up with a wine
bottle cork. Corks can be purchased at some hardware stores and most arts & crafts stores. Any
material is fine such as cork or rubber stoppers. Some keepers also use a piece of duct tape to close up
the hole. Why do you want to close the hole? It is wise to have this option in the early fall and spring.
Hungry foragers will smell the sugar in the feeder and attempt to rob it. I close up my feeders in the
spring and fall to prevent robbing, but open them up in the dead of winter to provide ventilation and
upper entrance. Choose a hole-size that works for you and locate the hole in one of the short sides
about 1/2″ from the bottom. I locate the hole towards the bottom to allow it to show when the
telescoping outer cover is placed on the hive. Center the hole left and right.
Make up the “fluffy fondant” by mixing 1-cup of cold water to every 5-lbs of white granulated sugar.
Simply stir the water into the sugar. Don’t heat it! Always use white refined sugar (common table
sugar) not brown sugar or brown natural sugar. In general “brown” is a bad color regards sugar syrup
and corn syrup. It may indicate that the harmful toxin hydroxymethylfurfural
(HMF) is present which can kill your bees (Oliver, 2007). This is the infamous toxin that has caused high
fructose corn syrup to have a bad reputation. MHF is produced from fructose by over-heating syrups
and can be spotted as a slightly brown tint in the syrup. In any event, you will not have this problem
with fluffy fondant if you stick to white granulated sugar, cold water and muscle power to mix it!
Lay sheets of white paper towels in the bottom of the feeder. Mel suggests plain white paper towels
since there is no imprint whose ink may be harmful to the bees. You could use newspaper so long as it
isn’t printed. Some art suppliers have plain newsprint stock available, but paper towels are readily
available in any grocery store. You only need one layer, but 2-3 layers may be formed as you overlap
pieces to cover the bottom. The bees will chew through the paper towels to reach the sugar. You want
just enough layers to prevent the sugar from falling through the hardware cloth as you carry the feeder
to your hive. Don’t be surprised if you find fluffy white paper in the bottom board next spring.
Oftentimes the bees spit it out and it falls to the bottom! Some keepers think the bees didn’t eat the
sugar. One taste will let you know that it is simply the chewed up white paper towel and not the sugar
itself!
Pour the fluffy fondant onto the paper towel lined feeder. You can use a spatula to level the mixture
with the top of the frame. You can “dig” a hole with your fingers to expose the entrance hole and
bottom screen to encourage the bees to use the entrance hole. This is not necessary, but it seems like a
logical thing to do!
You can feed pollen substitute patties with your feeder. Put the patties in the bottom of the feeder and
then cover them with the fluffy fondant. I start feeding pollen substitute in February in Rhode Island.
You should check your feeders monthly to determine the rate of feeding. You may need to recharge the
feeder if they eat the sugar.
Put the feeder on top of the brood chamber. Which one is the brood chamber? Better said, put the
feeder on top of the cluster of bees so they only have a short walk up to the feeder. Ideally, this will be
the top box, but it doesn’t matter where you place the feeder so long as it is over the feeder. The
shorter the walk the better chance you will have that the bees will feed. Place your covers over the
feeder in the usual order. Some keepers place a burlap grain bag or Homasote™ board over the feeder
to further control moisture. This is helpful, but not necessary, if you drilled a hole in the feeder and the
hole is open in the winter.
Reference:
Disselkoen, Mel. Presentation adopted, adapted and applied. Indiana Beekeepers’ Meeting, November
2009. See also www.mdasplitter.com. See also www.mdasplitter.com
Oliver, Randy. “Fat Bees <multiple articles>”, www.randyoliver.com
P.S. Please share this evolving Apiary Tech Note with others and provide feedback about usage of the
method, clarity of wording, spelling, grammar, style of writing, i.e., anything! Send comments to:
everett@beehavin.com, or to: Everett Zurlinden, Beehavin’ Apiary, LLC, P.O. Box 364, East Greenwich, RI 02818-0364.
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