Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Dabbler on June 25, 2020, 02:59:28 pm

Title: Can they drink through this?
Post by: Dabbler on June 25, 2020, 02:59:28 pm

I am in the process of constructing a NUC sized top feeder (Fat Bee Man design).
Normally I use #8 screen to cover the "ladder" portion but just discovered I am "out of stock".

Are the holes in regular window screening too small for a bee proboscis to drink?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Title: Re: Can they drink through this?
Post by: iddee on June 25, 2020, 03:16:37 pm

They can do fine with screen. Packages of bees are fed regularly through screen boxes.

Title: Re: Can they drink through this?
Post by: Dabbler on June 25, 2020, 03:52:56 pm

Superb !
Thanks Iddee !

Title: Re: Can they drink through this?
Post by: Acebird on June 25, 2020, 03:56:03 pm

Do they drink through the screen or is it just a ladder?

Title: Re: Can they drink through this?
Post by: Dabbler on June 25, 2020, 04:18:05 pm

Through the screen.

They come up a channel at the back and then down through the screened in "ladder" to access the syrup.
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Title: Re: Can they drink through this?
Post by: .30WCF on June 25, 2020, 11:23:56 pm

The are not drinking through the screen there. Syrup is inside the ladder at the same level it is outside the ladder.

Title: Re: Can they drink through this?
Post by: Dabbler on June 26, 2020, 08:47:00 am

You are correct.    :embarassed:
This dawned on me later in the day.

This is why multi-tasking  (working on beekeeping equipment while "working" from home) is a bad idea.  . . . Well . . . one of a couple reasons.

Title: Re: Can they drink through this?
Post by: Sundog on June 27, 2020, 12:17:23 am

Works pretty well.  I need to find a bigger container, they slurp this one dry in a few days.