Like other domesticated animals, you need to feed your honey bees. Although bees naturally forage and feed, sometimes they experience a food shortage. Ensure they receive proper nutrition by using Mann Lake honey bee feeders.
Use a Honey Bee Feeder for Your Hives
When beekeepers are looking for the ideal beehive feeders, they can rely on our selection of professional-grade bee feeders to meet their needs. Explore our honey bee feeder options to find the ideal solution for your beehive. We have feeders to provide a small amount of food and big batches for the entire colony.
Each honey bee feeder is designed to be strong, durable, and easy to clean. We have countless feeders available, including the Max Pro Feeder, Frame Top Feeder Inserts, Bee Bar Caps, and Boardman Entrance Feeders - to name a few!
Mann Lake bee feeders are equipped with various features to help improve how you care for your bees. See how our bee feeder selection for beekeepers can enhance your apiary and simplify your beekeeping experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I need to feed my bees?
When installing a new package or hiving a swarm in new beekeeping equipment, such as a 10-frame hive with unique inner cover and outer cover features, there’s a need to understand bee-feeding mechanics in different situations:
- Position your covers carefully on the hive body based on your feeder locations. The inner cover regulates temperatures inside the hive and usually features an opening for the top feeder. In contrast, the outer cover can protect an external feeder outside hives from harsh elements and the winter.
- Upon installing your 10-frame colony or any hive with an entrance feeder, you will feed carbohydrates (sugar water or our pre-mixed Pro-Sweet syrup blend) to stimulate the beeswax glands to draw out the new foundation. Bees also benefit from being fed pollen substitutes such as Ultra Bee or Bee Pro®.
- Bees must have both carbohydrates (nectar, sugar water or Pro-Sweet) and protein (pollen or pollen substitutes) to rear brood, so supplemental feeding is very important in early spring and late fall after the honey has been removed. Feeding in early spring begins building the hive's population.
- Every beekeeper raising a honey crop wants to have the most bees possible in the hive when the nectar flow starts. Early brood rearing is the key to achieving optimal numbers, especially when it’s time for hive members to start foraging before temperatures drop in the winter.
- Ultra Bee and Bee-Pro® can be fed in patty form if it is too cold to fly. If the weather is excellent and the bees can be out flying, it can be fed dry in the bee yard. We have several types of patties available as a complete brood-rearing food for your convenience.
- Adding our Pro Health supplement to your liquid feed will encourage consumption and keep your feed fresher for longer, helping you save resources.
How do I mix sugar syrup?
The following sugar syrup proportions are mixed by volume, depending on the season.
- 1:1, sugar to water for spring feeding
- 2:1, sugar to water for fall feeding
- 1:2, to water to stimulate brood rearing (to simulate a light nectar flow, make only 2 holes in the lid of the entrance feeder so bees will only receive small amounts at a time).
When mixing to feed medication (Fumidil-B), follow the package directions on the medication container.
