> They have mesh screen inserts below the top hole to prevent the bees from
> drowning.
I do not care for these feeders with the ladders. I have been given a few to
try.
Are yours the same?
No.
Ours are open across the top. Although the inside is grooved instead of
smooth we add a V made of 8 mesh wire for the bees to walk on.
>When bees reach the bottom of the feeders, they can't get any leftover
syrup beyond the screens.
The wire V is shorter than the length of the feeder so the bees go below and
clean up all the syrup.
>I'd think there could be some mold growth there.
No mold with my method A strong hive will empty a gallon feeder overnight.
No residue at all when we return for another feeding. I have ran a inside
feeder in each box before (2 per hive) but only in hives on permanent
locations and the purpose was to save trips to feed the bees in remote
locations.
>Do you rinse your feeders before refilling?
Never.
At times we need to cut some burr comb the bees might build in the feeder
but we never rinse *except* with deadouts.
We rinse with a Clorox solution before reusing to eliminate nosema ceranae
spores. Also at times I have had the help rinse out if some syrup remained
and was off color.
bob
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm