Hi beeks,

I believe the reason to use the "trash water" pumps, for pumping syrup, is
the loose tolerance of the impeller. Trash water pumps are designed to pump
even small rocks or pebbles that get sucked up and won't build up large
pressures if the line is shut off. 

The 67 bric mentioned by Mr. TNT is a nice viscosity to pump at colder
temps. Maple syrup is about that bric. 

Right now in Florida we even dilute more to stimulate the bees (with 55
blend). We already have enough weight on them. Our goals is brood now. Just
keep on slapping on the patties. They looked really nice and are drawing
some wax.

I found relatively few patties yesterday with Hive Beetle larvae. I just
scraped them off and tossed them, as most were only partially left after the
bees ate most of them. In the panhandle of Florida, the temps were above
average and that may be the reason we are seeing any at all. We just got a
big chill down last night and that may help. 

I did get an off forum question about fall feed with the pumping system. 

We generally only use internal feeders in Florida to facilitate feeding
large yards quickly to boost the bees. 

In Michigan we generally stick to buckets, 2 gal. for general feeding,
spring and fall, with the addition of 3 and a half gallon buckets to plug up
the lighter ones. The syrup is still thinned out with an addition of bleach.
But not as thin as spring feed. We aim for 10% cut with water, as we still
use our pump system with the trash water pump I described a couple days ago.
The ebay link is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PowerMax-Portable-Water-Trash-2-Pump-6-5-Hp-Gas-New_W0QQitemZ310112684460QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item310112684460&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

The pump is $200 delivered and we have tested it out. It's so cheap that I'm
going to get another one for the shelve and our Michigan operation. 

Back to pumping syrup. The pumping system as described with quick
disconnects is great to use in the beeyard or shop. Ours gets most used at
the honeyhouse filling buckets in apple boxes one row at a time to avoid
lifting heavy pails. We can quickly pump out of 4000 gallon tank or out of
drums(uhhg)and fill a pail in less than 9 seconds if the syrup is a bit
warmed or thinned properly. 

One more tip. 
Try using plugs in pails or lids for feeding. We use a one and a half inch
plug with a taper for the buckets and lids. The same size for all makes lots
of sense. 

They are available at:

http://www.caplugs.com/ 

I think ours is the 16x. I would have to take a peek. 

One more tip. Drill all holes for the 1 and 1/2 plug with a 1 and 7/16 inch
Fostner bit. You can find them on Amazon. That way you will get the right
snug fit. 

Kirk

Kirk

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