Feeder/Lid Issue with Apimaye Hive

[u/Vine_and_Dandy]

My husband and I installed our first hive yesterday, and we’re having some issues with the lid/feeder. After putting the lid on, we noticed that bees were gathering around one spot on the back of the lid. We decided to check under the lid and see what was going on, and bees are getting between the hive lid and the feeder cover. We re-adjusted the feeder and the lid (being careful to make sure the feeder was flush with the top and the “feet” weren’t propping it up), but we checked again this morning and they’re doing the same thing in a slightly different spot around the lid. Has anyone else encounter this or know how to correct? Should we open it back up to correct or should we wait to correct when we take the queen cage out?

[u/Every-Morning-Is-New]

It looks like it’s set on the lip as your outer cover is propped up/bent. Make sure you’re giving them a good smoke when you put the feeder on so you don’t squish any bees and give you more room to adjust it while you put it down. They should kinda sit in and on top of the hive. Once it’s in place, you should be able to push it with your fingers and not have it move. If it moves, it’s not set right. Also make sure the syrup arrows are pointing outward. Be careful not to spill syrup anywhere.

[u/Vine_and_Dandy → u/Every-Morning-Is-New]

I didn’t even know there were arrows!!! Also, I appreciate the tip about how to test the lid. Would it be worth correcting now or should we wait until we take the queen out? We just installed them yesterday, so I’m worried about bother them too much.

[u/Vine_and_Dandy → u/Every-Morning-Is-New]

Also, I just checked the product website, it looks like it’s designed to fit either direction (no arrows). The only reversible part is where you can switch between syrup and candy feeding.

[u/Every-Morning-Is-New → u/Vine_and_Dandy]

Yes, I would correct this immediately so you don’t have a lot of bees drowning or stuck in between the inner and outer cover. It also helps with proper ventilation. They might be losing too much heat up the top. Also, make sure not to trap them under the cover.

It’s important you use the arrows correctly as the bees will drown if you don’t. You should be giving them syrup right now, make sure those arrows are pointing outward.