6 Best Screened Bottom Board Feeders For Beginners For First-Year Success

You’ve set up your first hive with a screened bottom board, a great choice for ventilation and mite management. Now it’s time to feed your new colony, but you quickly realize the feeder that came with your kit seems to be attracting every wasp and ant in the county. Choosing the right feeder isn’t just about convenience; it’s a critical decision that can make or break a first-year colony, especially with an open-bottom hive.

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Why Your Feeder Choice Matters With an SBB

A screened bottom board (SBB) is fantastic for hive health, but it creates a unique challenge: scent control. Any spilled sugar syrup, even a few drops, will broadcast a powerful "free food" signal directly below the hive. This makes your new, small colony a prime target for robbing honeybees, yellow jackets, and ants.

Your feeder choice directly impacts this risk. External feeders, especially those at the entrance, are like putting up a giant neon sign for pests. Internal feeders, on the other hand, contain the scent and the resource within the hive’s defenses. The goal is to feed your bees, not the entire neighborhood.

A weak, first-year colony can be overrun and destroyed by robbers in a single afternoon. They can’t defend a wide-open entrance and a dripping feeder simultaneously. Choosing a feeder that minimizes spillage and contains the aroma is your first line of defense in ensuring that the resources you provide go toward building a strong, healthy hive.

The Boardman Feeder: A Classic Entrance Choice

The Boardman, or entrance feeder, is what most new beekeepers picture. It’s a simple tray that holds an inverted jar of syrup right at the hive entrance. They are inexpensive and incredibly easy to monitor and refill without opening the hive.

However, their convenience is also their greatest liability with an SBB. Placing the food source at the front door encourages robbing from stronger hives and pests. The bees have to defend their entrance and the feeder at the same time, which is a major stressor for a new package or nuc.

Think of it this way: you wouldn’t set a picnic basket on your front porch and expect only your family to eat from it. While a Boardman feeder can work in an isolated apiary with no other hives around, it’s a risky bet for most beginners. For a first-year colony, the risk of initiating a robbing frenzy often outweighs the convenience.

Mann Lake’s Ultimate 10-Frame Hive Top Feeder

A hive top feeder sits directly on top of the uppermost hive body, enclosed by an empty box and the outer cover. This design offers excellent security. The syrup is contained entirely within the hive, drastically reducing the scent that attracts robbers.

The Mann Lake model is a popular example. It holds a large volume of syrup—often a gallon or more—which means fewer trips to the apiary. It also includes features like textured inner walls and a central chimney to give bees safe access to the syrup and minimize drowning, a common problem with other top feeders.

The main tradeoff is that you must open the hive to refill it. This breaks the propolis seal and disturbs the colony. However, refilling is quick, and the reduced risk of robbing is a massive advantage for a developing colony on a screened bottom board. It’s a solid, secure choice for the "set it and forget it" beekeeper.

Bee Smart Designs In-Hive Frame Feeder System

An in-hive frame feeder is a plastic container shaped exactly like a frame. You simply remove one or two frames from the hive body and slide the feeder in its place. This puts the food source right beside the brood nest, where the nurse bees need it most.

This proximity is a huge benefit, especially in cooler weather when bees are reluctant to travel far for food. The Bee Smart design includes a cap and ladder system that helps prevent bees from drowning. Because it’s deep inside the hive, there is virtually zero risk of it causing robbing.

The downside? It reduces the amount of space the colony has for drawing comb and laying brood. For a first-year hive, every frame is valuable real estate. Using a frame feeder means sacrificing space that could be used for building the workforce or storing resources. It’s a great tool for emergencies or targeted feeding, but perhaps not the best primary feeder for spring buildup.

Ceracell Round Top Feeder for Easy Hive Access

The Ceracell feeder offers a clever twist on top feeding. It’s a round feeder that sits over the inner cover’s hole, allowing you to refill it without ever exposing the bees or breaking the hive’s seal. You just lift the telescoping outer cover, pour in the syrup, and close it back up.

This design combines the best of both worlds: the security of an internal feeder with the convenience of an external one. The clear cup allows you to see the syrup level at a glance, and the design is largely drown-proof for your bees. The scent is well-contained within the hive, making it an excellent match for a screened bottom board.

The primary consideration here is capacity. Most round feeders hold less syrup than a large, rectangular hive top feeder, typically around half a gallon. This means more frequent refilling. However, since refilling is so non-invasive, this may be a worthwhile tradeoff for beekeepers who can check their hives regularly.

The Ultimate Hive Feeder: An Entrance Upgrade

If you like the idea of an entrance feeder but hate the robbing risk, the Ultimate Hive Feeder is a compelling alternative. It’s an enclosed feeding station that attaches to the front of the hive, but it’s designed to be defensible. Bees enter the feeder from inside the hive, keeping them separated from outside robbers.

This design allows you to easily monitor and fill the feeder without opening the hive. The feeding tray is also protected from rain and debris. It effectively creates a small, protected "front porch" where your bees can eat in peace.

While it’s a significant improvement over a standard Boardman, it still places the food smell at the entrance. A determined group of robbers or yellow jackets may still investigate the area heavily. It’s a good compromise, but it isn’t as secure as a fully internal feeder like a top or frame feeder.

Lappe’s Bee Supply Pail Feeder for Slow Feeding

Pail feeding is a simple and effective method. It’s essentially a food-grade bucket with a mesh screen in the lid. You fill it with syrup, invert it over the inner cover’s hole, and place an empty hive body around it for protection.

The magic of a pail feeder is that it provides a slow, steady trickle of food. The bees must work to suck the syrup through the screen, which more closely mimics a natural nectar flow. This prevents them from gorging on syrup, storing it too quickly, and backfilling the brood nest, which can limit the queen’s laying space.

This slow-drip method is excellent for stimulating comb production in a new colony. The main drawback is the extra equipment; you need a spare deep or medium box to place over it. But for promoting healthy, steady growth while keeping robbers at bay, the pail feeder is one of the best and most cost-effective options available.

Feeder Tips for a Successful First Season

Regardless of the feeder you choose, your feeding strategy is just as important as the equipment. A few simple rules can prevent major problems down the road.

• Mix the Right Ratio: Use a 1:1 syrup (one part sugar to one part water by weight) in the spring to simulate nectar and encourage comb building. In the fall, switch to a 2:1 syrup (two parts sugar to one part water) to help them pack on weight for winter.
• Keep it Clean: Spilling even a small amount of syrup on or around the hive is an open invitation to robbers. If you do spill, cover it with dirt or spray it down with water to dilute the scent.
• Reduce the Entrance: When feeding a new colony, always use an entrance reducer set to the smallest opening. This gives your bees a smaller, more defensible space to protect from intruders.
• Know When to Stop: Only feed when necessary. If there is a strong natural nectar flow, stop feeding. Over-feeding can lead to a honey-bound hive where the queen has no room to lay.

Your goal is to supplement, not replace, natural forage. A thoughtful feeding strategy, combined with the right feeder for your setup, gives your bees the head start they need to thrive.

There is no single "best" feeder, only the best feeder for your specific goals, your environment, and the amount of time you can commit. By understanding the tradeoffs between security, convenience, and colony impact, you can make an informed choice that protects your bees from robbers and sets them up for a productive and successful first year.