Many beekeepers use this feeder for feeding sugar syrup.  However, BeeCARE recommends a Boardman feeder only for watering, and it is actually ideal for this purpose.  However, we do not recommend it for feeding sugar syrup, for several reasons:

• Encourages hive robbing by other bees, increasing the aggressiveness of the colony
• Requires front manipulation of the hive for refilling, increasing the chance of stings
• Attracts small hive beetles since it is outside the hive
• Medication in the syrup loses efficacy quickly when exposed to light
• Small capacity requires frequent trips to the apiary for refilling, as bees consume sugar syrup much more quickly than water

For general syrup feeding and medication, BeeCARE recommends using a hive-top feeder instead.  However, a Boardman feeder is an effective, simple and inexpensive method of watering the hive, as the bees will not be aggressive as they will when defending syrup and do not consume the water quickly.  You may easily administer water at the entrance with a Boardman feeder and give syrup in the hive-top feeder.