Patent ID: 8475227

Claim:
A bee feeder assembly comprising: (a) a receptacle defining an interior and having: a bottom; a sidewall having a lower end in engagement with the bottom; and, an open top; (b) a cover member positioned over the open top, to close the receptacle; (i) the cover member including at least one circular bee transport aperture therethrough; (c) a bee inner ladder arrangement positioned within the receptacle interior and depending downwardly from the cover member; (i) the bee inner ladder arrangement comprising at least one bee ladder comprising a plastic mesh having a porous sidewall surrounding a hollow interior; the sidewall of the at least one bee ladder having pores therethrough in a portion surrounding the hollow interior; (A) a first lower end of the at least one bee ladder comprising a portion of the mesh deformed inwardly to define a lower end section of the porous sidewall which is porous in a portion tapering to a lower closed bottom edge; and, (B) a second upper end of the at least one bee ladder having a generally circular cross-sectional shape and comprising an open end; (C) pores in the sidewall and the first end of the at least one bee ladder being sufficiently small to inhibit bees from passing therethrough into the interior of the receptacle and exterior of the inner ladder arrangement; and, (D) the at least one bee ladder being sufficiently long to abut a bottommost portion of the receptacle and extend to a location adjacent to, and spaced from, the lower end of the sidewall such that a bee in the hollow interior of the least one bee ladder can access liquid having a liquid level near the bottom of the receptacle; (ii) the at least one bee ladder being positioned to depend downwardly from the at least one bee transport aperture such that: (A) a bee entering the bee transport aperture can pass through the open end of the at least one bee ladder to a location surrounded by the sidewall of the bee ladder, and be prevented from exiting the interior of the bee ladder, by the size of pores in the sidewall, except through the open end; and, (B) the sidewall of the at least one bee ladder does not contact the sidewall of the receptacle, so the bees cannot reach the sidewall of the receptacle, from the bee transport aperture.