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Miller Feeder, to Suit National Beehives

This type of feeder was designed and developed by a man of that name. I presume it was the Miller that was the originator of various other beekeeping manipulations, but I am not sure of this, nor do I know the date. It is a square box and consists of a central feeding station that is arranged right across the box, which results in the feed volume being divided into two portions which can be used independently or both together.

In most cases the feeding station has a cover to keep bees out of the main feed volumes, but I have a modified type of clearer board that can be used over the top of Miller feeders, when preparing bee colonies for the heather.

The drawings below show various aspects of the device... It is essentially a tray with a central slot (12 mm) for bee access, flanked by a pair of sealed risers that the bees can climb over and two more baffles, that are fitted flush with the top, outside of these. Thus allowing feed to flow underneath. In some designs the outer baffles slide into 3 mm deep slots and rest on 3 mm spacing pegs. Generally all parts are strongly glued and screwed so that they remain water tight when in use. The risers are rebated into the front and back by 3 mm. The central slot is separated into two regions and there are two distinct reasons for this, the first is strength and the second is that with a 9 mm strip across the centre, the feeder can be placed over two 5 frame nucs sitting side by side. The bees mix quite amicably in the feeding station, but the strip stops the non-feeding bees from switching nucs.
National Miller Feeder

The rim on the underside is required for use with standard National equipment, but if top bee space is being used you will need to modify the base of the tray to be similar to that found on the (as yet incomplete) page that shows the Rational Bro. Adam feeder.

Cutting list for parts

Component	Qty	Length	Width	Thickness	Material
Side	2	460 mm	121 mm	18 mm
Front/Back	2	436 mm	121 mm	18 mm
Base	1	435 mm	435 mm	9 mm	Ply
Baffle	2	430 mm	100 mm	12 mm
Riser	2	430 mm	93 mm	12 mm
Cover	1	424 mm	78 mm	6 mm	Ply

					Originated... 17 May 2002, Revised... 23 June 2002, Upgraded... 23 August 2004,

Miller Feeder, to Suit National Beehives

Originated... 17 May 2002, Revised... 23 June 2002, Upgraded... 23 August 2004,