At 02:39 PM 8/1/96 +0000, you wrote:
>Thanks for your info on baggie feeder practice. I presume that the slits you
>cut are on the top side of the baggies. Please advise if so.
>
>I strated my first one last week with punctures rather than slits and was
>amazes how quickly the bees accepted it.
>
>In previous New England inters I have used 1 gallon containers In a deep
>super with lots of newspaper for interior insulation.With the baggies in a
>shallow super I should be able to get quite a wide spread of accessable bag
>surface .WIll try some measurements tomorrow. Since the bags are flexible the
>ddanger of spilling is minimized. People have warned me that the changes in
>temperature can cause bottles to leak on warm days and make a damp hive.I
>guess that this is less likelyu to happen with baggies. What do you think.?
>Gosh here it is July 31 and I'm thinking of winter already !!
>
Hi Tom
I also had problems with pails and jars leaking on top of the hive.  I also
hate to open the hive and find a feeder full of drowned bees.  I like the
baggie feeder because it eliminates these problems altogether.  The slits do
indeed go on top of the bag.  My bees have accepted this system so well that
I can put in a bag, cut the slits and within minutes, the bees are lined up
on both sides of each slit in a perfect row.  One note of caution.  The bees
can remove the syrup and store it so quickly that the brood nest can become
honey bound.  If this becomes a problem,  cut fewer and shorter slits in the
bags so that they can't move it so fast.
 
Someone else asked how it worked.  The baggie is placed on the top of the
hive inside and empty super, and then slits cut in the top of the bag.  The
first time you use this system, squeeze  some syrup out and let it dribble
on the bees so they will know it is up there.  Then just add new bags as
necessary.  No drowned bees, no damp hives and very few ants.
 
 
Frank Humphrey
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