Feeder Tree

A feeder is a vessel or contraption used by beekeepers to feed pollen or honey (or substitutes) to honey bees from a honey bee colony. Beekeepers feed bees when there is a shortage of those resources in nature, or when beekeepers want to mimic an abundance of those resources to encourage bees to behave in a certain manner. Modern beekeepers feed sugar syrup as a honey substitute in early spring to encourage comb building, during a dearth to provide energy to large colonies, in the autumn to help bees prepare for overwintering, or when creating nucleus hives. Pollen substitute is commonly fed to bees in early spring or when bees are located in a region with poor pollen resources. Feeders may exist outside the hive, be designed to fit certain hive designs, be an integral part of a hive design, or be used separately inside the hive. Feeders may attach to the side of the hive, or slot into the flight entrance, or placed above or below the nest inside the hive or as a purpose-built hive component.