No. 12
The Little Giant Boardman Entrance Feeder is a budget-friendly, easy-to-use option for beekeepers needing occasional supplemental feeding, especially in warmer months.
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The Little Giant Boardman Entrance Feeder is a budget-friendly, easy-to-use option for beekeepers needing occasional supplemental feeding, especially in warmer months. While convenient for quick access and inspection, its exposed design makes it more prone to robbing and pest issues compared to internal feeders, so it's best suited as a secondary or backup feeding solution rather than a primary system.
Derived from this product's specification, features and owner reports.
The Little Giant Farm & Ag Boardman Entrance Feeder is a purpose-built feeding tool designed for beekeepers who want to supplement their colonies with sugar syrup during periods of nectar dearth, spring buildup, or fall preparation for winter. This feeder is designed to fit directly into the entrance of a beehive, sliding into place at the landing board so that bees can access syrup without the need to open the hive body itself. Constructed from durable plastic, the feeder holds a standard mason jar, which acts as the syrup reservoir, inverted and secured into the feeder base. The design allows the bees to feed through small perforations in the jar lid, drawing syrup down into a shallow feeding tray that sits at the hive entrance, giving them safe and controlled access to supplemental nutrition.
Beekeepers appreciate the Boardman entrance feeder for its simplicity and ease of use, particularly for smaller apiaries or hobbyist setups where quick inspection and refilling are priorities. Because the feeder sits at the entrance rather than inside the hive, checking syrup levels and refilling the jar takes only seconds, without disturbing the bees or requiring protective gear beyond what is normally worn near the hive. This external placement also makes it simple to monitor consumption rates, which can be a helpful indicator of colony health and activity levels throughout the season. The Little Giant version is manufactured with beekeeping-grade plastic components that resist warping and cracking, ensuring a reliable seal between the jar and the feeder tray to minimize syrup leakage or waste.
While the Boardman entrance feeder is prized for its accessibility, it is best used in moderate weather conditions, as extreme heat can cause syrup to ferment quickly and cold weather may slow bee activity around the entrance, reducing feeding efficiency. Little Giant’s design accounts for typical hive entrance dimensions, making it compatible with most standard Langstroth hives, and its straightforward setup makes it an excellent entry point for new beekeepers looking to support their colonies without investing in more complex internal feeding systems. Combined with its easy-to-clean, replaceable jar design, this feeder provides a dependable, low-maintenance solution for supplemental feeding, helping beekeepers maintain healthy, well-nourished colonies throughout critical points in the beekeeping calendar.