Paul D. Law said: > My new hive has had the feeding tank... > I think it's time to remove it and clean it out > It's Tuesday night and unless I wait until the > weekend, the only time I can remove the tank is > before or after work. Assuming that the feeder is on top of the inner cover, you may not even need smoke. But light the smoker anyway. A little puff can go a long way. Wait until dusk, and bring a bucket. 1) Remove outer cover. Smoke optional. 2) Lift feeder off, pour liquid into bucket to avoid flooding any bees that may be in the feeder. Tip the feeder >>away<< from the clear plastic thingy to pour off the liquid. 3) If no bees are in/on the feeder, simply replace the outer cover, and walk away with feeder. 4) If bees are in feeder, pop out clear plastic divider, and shake bees onto inner cover. (Use brush for any bees clinging to underside of feeder). Replace outer cover, walk away. 5) Bemoan the lack of any sort of handholds on the polystyrene hive-top feeders as it slips out of your hands. Carefully carve handholds with a razor blade carpet-knife when you clean it, but don't cut too deep! Set the blade to "shallow". jim :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::