Bucket Feeders For Bees

Using a bucket for feeding honey bees has become very popular as it is a way to provide sugar syrup for bees without having to open the hive. Our bucket feeders are available in a round 65 mil, 1 gallon bucket, and a round 2 gallon bucket feeder with a pre-drilled hole in the lid and tint plugs.

This particular design is extremely useful for feeding bees as the included lids can be pressed onto the bucket and never removed. The 2 inch tint plug is easily removed with its pull tab, and sugar syrup can be poured through the hole. When necessary, the tint plug can be removed, and more syrup can be added. When it is time to clean, the entire lid can be removed for easy cleaning and storage.

These feeders will allow you to put a large amount of sugar syrup on your hive incase you are not able to visit the apiary frequently. These bucket feeders are useful because you can easily monitor how much syrup the bees have eaten and quickly understand which ones you need to fill back up.

The lids for the buckets come pre-drilled with the correct size hole and tint plug. These do not have the metal screen seen in other feeders. The tint plug does not come with the holes pre-drilled into it as many beekeepers will use a different size hole or combination of holes for the type of feeding. We have found beekeepers want to customize the tint plugs to their needs based on how they are feeding their hives. It is necessary to poke or drill 2-6 very small holes in the tint plug. Usually, it is more holes for spring feeding and fewer for fall feeding. You can purchase more tint plugs separately if you want to make multiple sizes available for the buckets.

These pail feeder work by filling the entire bucket up with syrup, then flipping the bucket upside down at the hive and placing the tint plug over the hole in the inner cover. When feeding like this, the pail feeder will need to be surrounded by an empty hive body followed by an outer cover. It is also possible to drill a 2 inch or 50 mm hole in the outer cover of the migratory or telescoping cover, and the bees can feed through that hole.

It is important to understand the buckets do not work by continuing to drip syrup into the hive. These buckets create a vacuum inside the bucket once it is flipped over. Some syrup will drip out of the holes at the beginning until the vacuum pressure is built up. The 1 gallon bucket will drip less than the 2 gallon bucket. Filling the feeder pail up with syrup completely is best before flipping. This will reduce the initial dripping. Before using, it is best to test with water to see how the bucket feeder works.

There are many ways to feed bees, so see our other equipment for feeding bees.

To start a return, visit our return portal here.

We have a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after receiving your item to request a return.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. The order will also need to have been placed through our retail store or through www.foxhoundbeecompany.com

Damages and issues

Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us within 7 days if the item is defective or damaged or if you received the wrong item so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right. 

Exceptions / non-returnable items

Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food, flowers, or plants), custom products (such as special orders or personalized items), and personal care goods (such as beauty products). We also do not accept returns for hazardous materials, flammable liquids, or gases. Please get in touch if you have questions or concerns about your specific item.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on sale items, clearance items, food, or gift cards.

Exchanges

For exchanges, we are happy to receive products back in new, unused condition, and we can exchange them. Products are inspected upon return prior to shipping out the exchanged item. Products received in new condition and exchanged for store credit or another item are not charged the 3% restocking fee. 

For returns, it is always helpful to leave a short note with the return for staff so they can easily follow up on where the return came from, the product you want to exchange it for, or the reason for the return.

Refunds

We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded using your original payment method. Please remember that it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund, too.

When a return is issued, it is subject to a 3% restocking fee based on the credit card fees charged to us during the initial payment. We charge this fee and do not refund it when we issue customer refunds. This 3% restocking fee covers the credit card expense. The restocking fee is charged to all returns unless the return is due to an error by us. 

You can avoid the restocking fee by getting a refund in the form of store credit. 

Unauthorized returns or products returned used or in an unsellable condition can either be sent back at the customer's expense, accepted with a restocking fee up to 90% at our discretion, or disposed of. 

European Union 14-day cooling off period

Notwithstanding the above, if the merchandise is being shipped into the European Union, you have the right to cancel or return your order within 14 days, for any reason and without a justification. As above, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.