6 Best Frame Feeders for Beekeeping
In-hive frame feeders are a top choice for targeted feeding while preventing robbing. This guide reviews the 6 best options for a healthy, secure apiary.
There’s nothing more frustrating than putting out sugar syrup for a weak hive, only to watch it trigger a robbing frenzy from the powerhouse colony next door. Suddenly, your careful feeding has turned into a brutal, unwinnable war for your bees. This is precisely why moving your feeding operation inside the hive with a frame feeder is one of the smartest moves a beekeeper can make.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!
Why Frame Feeders Stop Robbing and Reduce Drowning
Frame feeders, also known as in-hive feeders, solve two of the biggest problems with feeding bees: robbing and drowning. By placing the syrup reservoir inside the hive body in place of one or two frames, you contain the scent and access. Robber bees from other hives can’t smell the syrup from a distance, and they can’t get to it without fighting through the colony’s guards at the entrance.
This internal placement makes the food source entirely defensible. It’s the difference between leaving a pie on your front porch for anyone to grab versus serving it in your kitchen. Your bees can easily guard their own front door, but they can’t guard an open feeder 20 feet away.
Furthermore, a well-designed frame feeder provides safe access for your bees. Unlike top-down bucket feeders that can leak and drown bees, or boardman feeders that can get messy, frame feeders use ladders, floats, or textured walls. These features give bees a secure surface to stand on while they drink, dramatically reducing the number of casualties.
Mann Lake Pro Feeder: Cap and Ladder System
The Mann Lake Pro Feeder is a popular choice for a reason: its cap and ladder system is incredibly effective at preventing drowning. The feeder is essentially a plastic tank with two internal compartments connected at the bottom. The bees enter one side and climb down a ladder to access the syrup.
What makes it unique is the "cap" that snaps over the ladders. This creates a narrow, protected channel for the bees to move through. It almost entirely prevents them from falling into the main syrup reservoir, which is a common issue with more open designs. This feature is a game-changer for new beekeepers who are especially worried about losing bees during feeding.
The design is also easy to fill without disturbing the colony too much. You can just pop the hive lid and inner cover, pour syrup directly into the feeder’s reservoir, and close it back up. The bees barely notice you were there, which is a huge benefit when you’re trying to keep a low profile and avoid inciting robbing.
Acorn Bee Feeder: Textured Walls Prevent Drowning
Get 10 durable, medium-sized black plastic frames for your beehive. Made in the USA and coated with 100% real beeswax to encourage acceptance by your bees.
The Acorn Bee Feeder takes a slightly different approach to bee safety. Instead of a complex cap system, its interior walls are heavily textured, providing a rough surface that bees can easily grip. This simple design element is surprisingly effective.
Think of it like a rock-climbing wall for bees. Even if a bee slips or gets jostled by another forager, it can almost always find a foothold on the textured plastic to climb back out. This makes it a very forgiving feeder, especially if you accidentally overfill it or if the hive isn’t perfectly level.
This feeder is often made from a single piece of molded, food-grade plastic, which means there are fewer seams to leak or break over time. It’s a durable, straightforward design that prioritizes a fundamental bee need: a secure place to stand while eating. For beekeepers who value simplicity and reliability, the Acorn is a solid contender.
Dadant Pierco Feeder: A Durable, Classic Design
Dadant is one of the oldest names in beekeeping, and their Pierco frame feeder reflects that history. It’s a workhorse built for durability. Typically constructed from a single piece of high-density polyethylene, these feeders are known for resisting cracks and leaks, even after years of use in the field.
The design is classic and functional. It features an internal ladder system that is molded directly into the feeder walls, providing bees with a textured ramp to access the syrup. While it may not have the sophisticated cap systems of newer models, its ruggedness is its main selling point. You can drop it, stack things on it, and it will likely hold up just fine.
Because it’s a simple, one-piece unit, cleaning is also very straightforward. There are no small parts to lose or complex crevices to scrub. For the beekeeper managing more than a few hives, this ease of maintenance and long-term durability can be more valuable than any single fancy feature. It’s a testament to the idea that sometimes, the simplest tool is the best one for the job.
Betterbee Feeder: Extra-Wide Ladders for Safety
The Betterbee feeder focuses on one critical detail: ladder width. Their feeders often feature extra-wide ladders with deep grooves, which accomplishes two things. First, it provides a more stable, less crowded platform for bees to feed from. Second, it allows more bees to feed simultaneously without knocking each other into the syrup.
This might seem like a small improvement, but it makes a real difference in the hive. When you’re feeding a large, hungry colony, traffic jams at the feeder can lead to unnecessary stress and drowning. A wider ladder helps distribute the bees, creating a calmer and more efficient feeding environment.
This design is particularly useful when you need to deliver a large volume of syrup quickly to a strong hive. The increased surface area for feeding means the colony can draw down the syrup faster. If your goal is rapid weight gain before winter, a feeder that maximizes bee access is a significant advantage.
Lappe’s Ultimate Feeder: High-Capacity Feeding
When you need to feed a lot of syrup and you don’t want to be refilling feeders every other day, a high-capacity option like the Lappe’s Ultimate Feeder is the answer. These feeders can hold two, three, or even four gallons of syrup, far more than the standard one-gallon models. This is ideal for feeding double-deep hives or for fall feeding when colonies need to store massive amounts of resources.
The key benefit is reduced labor. Instead of opening the hive three times a week, you might only need to do it once. This minimizes disturbance to the bees and saves you valuable time. The Lappe’s feeder often includes a robust ladder system and a float or "bee saver" raft that sits on top of the syrup, providing an additional layer of protection against drowning as the syrup level drops.
The main tradeoff is weight and space. A full four-gallon feeder can weigh over 30 pounds, adding significant heft to your hive body. It also takes the space of two or three frames, reducing the available comb area. It’s a specialized tool, but for large-scale feeding or preparing a light hive for winter, its capacity is unmatched.
Brushy Mountain Feeder: A Simple, Reliable Choice
The Brushy Mountain feeder represents the simple, no-frills end of the spectrum. It’s a basic, functional tool designed to get the job done without any complicated features. Made of durable plastic, it typically holds about a gallon of syrup and has molded ladders for the bees to climb down.
There are no special caps or extra-wide ladders here. It’s just a well-made plastic box that fits in your hive and holds liquid. Its strength lies in its affordability and reliability. For a hobbyist with just a couple of hives, this type of feeder is often more than sufficient for spring build-up or dearth feeding.
You don’t always need the most advanced piece of equipment. Sometimes, a simple, proven design is all it takes to keep your bees fed and safe. The Brushy Mountain feeder is a perfect example of this principle in action—it works, it lasts, and it doesn’t break the bank.
Using Frame Feeders to Prevent Mold and Spills
Simply owning a good frame feeder isn’t enough; using it correctly is key to success. The biggest mistake is providing more syrup than the bees can consume in three to five days. Any longer than that, and you risk fermentation and mold growth, which can make your bees sick. It’s better to give smaller amounts more frequently.
Before installing a new feeder, always test it for leaks. Fill it with water and let it sit on a dry surface for an hour. It’s far better to discover a pinhole leak in your garage than inside a hive full of bees. A slow leak can drown bees, ruin comb, and attract pests like ants.
When placing the feeder in the hive, position it as close to the brood cluster as possible. This ensures the nurse bees, who need the resources most, can access it easily without having to travel across cold, empty frames. For an extra boost, you can add a few drops of lemongrass essential oil to the syrup to help the bees find it quickly. A small wooden float or even a handful of corks tossed into the syrup can also provide extra life rafts for any bees that happen to fall in.
Ultimately, the best frame feeder is the one that fits your beekeeping style, your budget, and the specific needs of your colonies. By containing the food source and providing safe access, any of these options will help you target your feeding, protect your bees, and put an end to the chaos of robbing.
