Which type of hive feeder to buy is one of those big questions in beekeeping. Every beekeeper has multiple opinions and they are probably all correct. For me, I prefer a feeder that keeps the bees out. I like to lift the top off and not see bees flying out. So feeders like this Dadant wooden feeder where the bees crawl onto floating wooden platforms don’t work as well for me.

I have some Mann Lake feeders and a couple Dadant feeders that meet my criteria. The bees crawl up to the syrup but cannot fly out. The Mann Lake one, as shown in the below image, simply has wired mesh covering a central entrance. The bees crawl the middle and down the wire to the syrup.

One challenge I’ve had is that once the syrup is gone, the bees can sometimes crawl out of the middle portion and into the feeder area.

Another beekeeper gave me a simple solution some years ago that I finally tried this year. Place a thin line of silicone caulk along the wire and the bees can no longer get it. So far it is working great this year.

As for the Dadant feeder, so far it has been okay as well. The top is meant to lock into the base to prevent bees from crawling out. This hasn’t always worked as well as I’d wish, but I’m not sure if it is a feeder issue or me just not locking the top down well.

Either way, the bees are happily consuming syrup while we wait for the cool weather to settle in.

May you prosper and find honey.