Molded plastic bee feeder

A bee feeder comprising a molded plastic receptacle having a unitary construction and adapted to be mounted on top of a hive body, the receptacle including side walls cooperatively defining a rectangular shape that is longer in one direction than the other, each side wall including inner and outer wall portions so as to insulate the interior of the feeder from the environment, a bottom wall that extends between the inner wall portions of the side walls to provide the receptacle with an upwardly opening configuration, a hollow projection that extends upwardly from the bottom wall and between the two shorter side walls in a spaced relationship to the two longer side walls so as to define a pair of separate compartments for receiving liquid feed and such that bees can pass upwardly and downwardly through the bottom wall through the projection, the bottom wall including portions that are inclined in opposite directions toward the projection, the projection defining an upper opening through which bees pass between the feeder and the hive body, said opening having at least a portion thereof located inwardly from each of the side walls, and a grid of an inverted U shape that covers the upwardly extending projection in a spaced relationship to the opening thereof extending downwardly to the bottom wall and between the shorter side walls in a spaced relationship to the projection so as to provide the bees access from the projection opening to the feed with the hive body tipped toward one of the shorter side walls.

A bee feeder comprising a molded plastic receptacle having a unitary construction and adapted to be mounted on top of a hive body, the receptacle including side walls cooperatively defining a rectangular shape that is longer in one direction than the other, a bottom wall that extends between the side walls of the receptacle to define an upwardly opening configuration, a hollow projection that extends upwardly from the bottom wall and between the two shorter side walls in a spaced relationship to the two longer side walls so as to define a pair of separate compartments for receiving liquid feed and such that bees can pass upwardly and downwardly through the bottom wall through the projection, the bottom wall including portions that are inclined in opposite directions toward the projection, the projection including a central positioning rib and a pair of end positioning ribs as well as defining a pair of openings respectively located between the central positioning rib and the end positioning ribs, said openings each being located at the upper extremity of the projection such that bees pass therethrough between the feeder and the hive body, each opening having at least a portion thereof located inwardly from each of the side walls, and a grid of an inverted U shape that covers the upwardly extending projection and is located by the positioning ribs thereof in a spaced relationship to the openings extending downwardly to the bottom wall in a spaced relationship to the rest of the projection in order to provide the bees access to the feed with the hive body tipped toward one of the shorter side walls.

A bee feeder comprising a molded plastic receptacle having a unitary construction and adapted to be mounted on top of a hive body, the receptacle including side walls cooperatively defining a rectangular shape that is longer in one direction than the other, each side wall including inner and outer wall portions so as to insulate the interior of the feeder from the environment, the outer wall portions of the side walls including positioning flanges for locating the feeder on the hive body and stengthening ribs for reinforcing the receptacle, a bottom wall that extends between the inner wall portions of the side walls to provide the receptacle with an upwardly opening configuration, a hollow projection that extends upwardly from the bottom wall and between the two shorter side walls in a spaced relationship to the two longer side walls so as to define a pair of separate compartments for receiving liquid feed and such that bees can pass upwardly and downwardly through the bottom wall through the projection, the bottom wall including portions that are inclined in opposite directions toward the projection and having grooves located adjacent thereto, the projection including a central positioning rib and a pair of end positioning ribs as well as defining a pair of openings respectively located between the central positioning rib and each end positioning rib, the end positioning ribs each including a pair of grooves on opposite sides of the projection, said openings each being located at the upper extremity of the projection such that bees pass therethrough between the feeder and the hive body, each opening having an elongated shape so as to include an inner end located inwardly from each of the side walls, a grid of an inverted U shape that covers the upwardly extending projection and is located by the positioning ribs thereof in a spaced relationship to the openings extending downwardly to the bottom wall in a spaced relationship to the rest of the projection in order to provide the bees access to the feed with the hive body tipped toward one of the shorter side walls, and the grid having edges that are received within the grooves in the bottom wall and the end positioning ribs so as to confine the bees and locate the grid.