6 Best Weather Resistant Feeders For Outdoor Bee Feeding That Stop Robbing
Explore the 6 best outdoor bee feeders. These weather-resistant models are designed to stop robbing, ensuring your colony gets fed safely and efficiently.
You mix up a gallon of sugar syrup, pour it into an open container a few yards from your hives, and feel good about helping your bees. The next day, you find a chaotic scene of battling bees, wasps, and yellow jackets, with your own hives in an uproar. This is the classic pitfall of open feeding, a well-intentioned mistake that can quickly turn your apiary into a warzone. Choosing the right feeder isn’t just about convenience; it’s a critical decision for protecting your colonies from disease, pests, and the destructive behavior of robbing.
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Why Open Feeding Attracts Robber Bees and Pests
Open feeding is the practice of placing syrup in a shared, open container for all bees in the area to access. It seems efficient, but it’s one of the riskiest things you can do for your hives. It creates an unnaturally large and easy-to-find food source, which triggers a feeding frenzy that attracts not only your bees but also bees from every feral and managed colony within a two-mile radius.
This free-for-all teaches bees that robbing is a profitable activity. Once the open feeder is empty, those frantic bees, including strong foragers from neighboring hives, will start investigating your colonies for weaknesses. A strong robbing instinct, once triggered, is very difficult to stop. Your weakest hives become prime targets, and they can be completely stripped of their resources and their queen killed in a matter of hours.
Furthermore, open feeders are a welcome mat for pests. Wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets are drawn to the sweet syrup and will aggressively compete with your bees. Ants will establish trails directly to the food source and then follow those trails right back to your hives. Open feeding essentially puts up a giant, flashing sign that says "Free Food Here," inviting every pest and robber in the neighborhood to your apiary.
Ceracell Pro Feeder: Top-of-Hive Security
Top-of-hive feeders are a game-changer for preventing robbing. The Ceracell Pro Feeder, and others like it, sits directly on top of the uppermost hive body, enclosed by an empty super and the outer cover. This design creates a completely sealed system. The only access to the syrup is through a central chimney or channel that your colony’s bees can climb up into from inside the hive.
The beauty of this system is its security and ease of use. Robber bees and wasps flying around the outside of the hive have no way to access the syrup. There is no scent of syrup leaking from the entrance to attract them in the first place. You can refill the feeder by simply removing the outer cover and pouring syrup in, without ever breaking the propolis seal on the hive bodies or disturbing the colony.
This design is also inherently weather-resistant. The syrup is protected from rain, which would dilute it, and from debris like leaves and dirt. The clear plastic caps over the access channels allow you to see if bees are taking the syrup without opening anything, but more importantly, they prevent bees from getting into the main reservoir and drowning—a common problem with less sophisticated feeder designs.
Mann Lake Pro Feeder: In-Hive Robbing Stopper
The Mann Lake Pro Feeder is a type of "frame feeder" or "division board feeder." Instead of sitting on top of the hive, it takes the place of one or two frames inside the hive body itself. This is the ultimate in robbing prevention because the food source is located deep within the fortress of the hive.
Because the syrup is entirely contained within the hive walls, there is virtually zero chance of it attracting robbers from outside. The scent is contained, and access is impossible unless an intruder gets past the guard bees at the entrance. This makes it an excellent choice for feeding weaker colonies or new nucleus hives that are highly susceptible to being overpowered.
However, there is a significant tradeoff: you must open the hive to check and refill the feeder. This means breaking the propolis seal, smoking the bees, and disturbing the colony, which isn’t ideal during cold or windy weather. Additionally, bees can drown in the syrup, so it’s crucial to use feeders that have built-in ladders or to add floats like wooden sticks or plastic mesh to give the bees a safe way to climb out.
Bee Smart Ultimate Feeder: No-Drown Design
The Bee Smart Ultimate Feeder is another excellent top-of-hive model that puts a heavy emphasis on bee safety. Its standout feature is a design that makes it nearly impossible for bees to drown. The syrup is held in two large reservoirs, and bees access it by climbing up a central column and then walking down protected channels to drink.
This no-drown system is a major advantage. Losing hundreds of forager bees to a poorly designed feeder is a real setback for a growing colony. By keeping the bees separate from the main body of liquid, you ensure the colony’s population isn’t needlessly depleted while you’re trying to help it.
Like other top-of-hive feeders, it offers fantastic protection against robbing and the elements. The entire unit is self-contained under the hive’s outer cover, keeping rain out and syrup scents in. Refilling is quick and minimally disruptive. For beekeepers who prioritize bee safety and want a low-maintenance, secure feeding solution, this design is hard to beat.
VIVO Rapid Bee Feeder: Quick and Protected
A rapid feeder, sometimes called a round feeder, is a simple yet effective tool. It’s typically a plastic dish that sits over the hole in your inner cover. A central cup or cap is placed over the hole, and you fill the surrounding moat with syrup. The bees come up through the inner cover hole, crawl under the cap, and access the syrup from a protected space.
The primary benefit is speed. This design allows a large number of bees to feed at once, so they can take down a quart of syrup very quickly. This is ideal when you need to get a lot of food into a colony fast, such as during a nectar dearth or when preparing for winter.
This is a closed feeding system. Because the feeder is enclosed by an empty hive body and the outer cover, it’s completely inaccessible to robbers and pests. The syrup is also protected from the weather. It’s a simple, affordable, and highly effective way to feed without triggering robbing behavior. Just make sure the empty super you place around it sits flat to prevent any gaps where robbers could sneak in.
Bee Cozy Winter Feeder: Entrance Feeding Done Right
Entrance feeders are usually the worst offenders for causing robbing. A typical Boardman entrance feeder places a jar of syrup right at the front door, broadcasting the scent of food and practically inviting robbers to attack. It’s a design that should almost always be avoided.
However, some modern enclosed entrance feeders are designed specifically to mitigate this risk, often for winter or emergency feeding when opening the hive is not an option. Feeders like the Bee Cozy or similar front-porch styles create a small, enclosed tunnel that only the hive’s bees can easily navigate. The syrup reservoir is sealed, and the feeding area is small and defensible.
While still riskier than an internal or top-of-hive feeder, these improved designs are a viable option for specific situations. They allow you to provide emergency food without chilling the cluster in winter. If you must use an entrance feeder, choose one that is fully enclosed and minimizes syrup exposure to the outside air. Always pair it with a reduced entrance to help the colony defend itself.
Little Giant Bucket Feeder: Large Capacity Option
Bucket feeders are a simple, high-capacity solution that works on a vacuum principle. You simply drill tiny holes in the lid of a food-grade bucket, fill it with syrup, and invert it over the hole in your inner cover. The vacuum pressure prevents the syrup from pouring out, and bees drink the syrup that clings to the holes.
This method is fantastic for bulk feeding. A one or two-gallon bucket can feed a colony for a week or more, minimizing how often you need to visit the apiary. This is a huge time-saver for any hobby farmer with a busy schedule. Like other top feeders, you enclose the bucket with an empty deep super and the outer cover, making it a completely sealed system.
The key to making a bucket feeder robber-proof is ensuring a good seal. Place the bucket directly over the inner cover hole. Then, place an empty hive body around it and put the telescoping outer cover on top. This setup contains all the syrup scent and makes it impossible for robbers to get to the food source. It combines large capacity with excellent security.
Choosing the Right Syrup Mix for Your Colony
The feeder is only half the equation; what you put in it matters just as much. There are two primary syrup recipes you’ll use, and each serves a very different purpose. Getting this right is fundamental to good bee management.
For spring buildup and encouraging a queen to lay, you use a 1:1 syrup ratio (one part sugar to one part water, by weight or volume). This thin syrup mimics a natural nectar flow. It stimulates brood production and encourages comb building without the bees storing it as long-term food. It’s a signal to the colony that resources are plentiful and it’s time to grow.
For fall feeding, when the goal is to help the bees pack on winter stores, you use a 2:1 syrup ratio (two parts sugar to one part water). This thick syrup is less like nectar and more like honey. The bees don’t have to work as hard to dehydrate it, so they can process and cap it as winter food more efficiently. Never feed 1:1 syrup late in the fall, as the high water content can introduce too much moisture into the hive, leading to mold and chilling the winter cluster.
Ultimately, the best bee feeder is one that protects your colony while making your job manageable. By moving away from the chaos of open feeding and choosing a sealed, weather-resistant system, you are making a direct investment in the health and security of your hives. Your bees have enough challenges to face; protecting them from robbing is one of the most important and easily achievable tasks a beekeeper can perform.
