Frame Feeder
Lexikon
The frame feeder is a trough-shaped container that is hung into the box in place of a frame and holds feed syrup.
The frame feeder is a trough-shaped container that is hung into the box in place of a frame and holds feed syrup. Depending on the design it holds about one to two liters, and is available in wood and in plastic for all common frame sizes.
The advantage over a feeder placed on top of the hive is that the bees reach the feed inside the warm colony and do not have to cross the inner cover. This is helpful in cool weather and with small units such as nucs.
Every frame feeder needs a drowning guard. In plastic feeders this is a ribbed climbing aid on the inner wall, in wooden feeders a floating board or a climbing ladder. Without this protection, considerable numbers of bees drown.
Besides the frame feeder, the top-mounted feeder with an inner dome as a drowning guard and the full-box feeder are also common. The same applies to all of them: remove promptly once emptied, otherwise the container gets built into comb, and feed only as much and as quickly as will not trigger robbing.