Use of a National hive Ashforth feeder on a Warré hive
The author has 5 Ashforth typpe feeders sized for the National hive (18 1/8 x 18 1/8 inches). They are used on a Warré hive with a National to Warré adapter. It rests on the handles of Warré boxes. The top of the feeder is flush with the top of the hive box.
As this National Ashforth feeder does not have a sloping floor, the hive is slightly tilted so that the feed runs towards the bee access galleries. The hive must be level in the other (side to side) direction. The feeder has a batten giving a bee space fixed underneath each side. The access galleries are placed at the front of the hive (on the right in the illustration below) and the combs are oriented cold-way. The adapter can be placed in position before peeling off the top-bar cloth. When the cloth is peeled off the bees seem to take some time to realise that anything has happened, which leaves plenty of time to position the feeder without having to use smoke. Once the tank is empty the bees can enter it and lick it dry.
If the levelling side to side and slight slope down to the bee galleries is not observed, there is a real risk of drowning bees in residual syrup.
A Miller-type feeder sized for another hive would work equally well. The hive would need to be level.
Close-up of the bee galleries (below). The shadowy forms of bees can be seen below the ventilated Perspex/Plexiglass cover. The bees ascend from the hive in the gallery on the right and descend to the surface of the feed in the gallery on the left. Once the feed is well below the partition on the left they can enter the tank.
