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I see several major issues with open feeding. Firstly, you are not feeding only your bees, but all the bees within 3 miles of you, which just seems like a waste to me. Secondly, by drawing in all the bees within three miles you greatly increase the possibility of disease and parasite transmission to your hives, which is the main reason I stopped open feeding. I used to set out my sticky wax from crushing and straining, and I noticed such a big jump in mite counts when I did that, that I now give hives sticky wax in a modified top feeder instead. Thirdly, by drawing in all those other bees, you can increase the possibility of robbing, because when you remove the feeder, all those bees are now looking for food at your location and will often target your weak hives. Lastly, and the one that worries me the most, the timing of your feeding must be precise so that your honey and the honey of all the beekeeper's around you isn't laced with syrup. And honestly, unless you are very connected to the other beekeepers in your community, how would they even know that what their bees are bringing home isn't nectar? There is just too much of a possibility you could be causing trouble for others without them even knowing it for me to condone it personally. If I was going to open feed, I'd be sure to color the syrup, so that I and other beekeepers would know if it was contaminating the honey.
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