How buel works & FAQ
Psssst!
Explore this cutaway image of a buel bowl to discover the secret...
The outer buel protects the hidden water moat from errant food scraps. These come in a variety of colours. Check out the shop to see our range.
Ants can climb the side of the water tank, but are unable to make their way to the outer shell and therefore the food bowl.
Where dinner is served. This lifts out for easy cleaning and feeding. These are made from human food-grade stainless steel, with a beautiful brushed finish.
The secret to keeping ants at bay. This hidden water moat makes it all but impossible for ants to get to the food.
How it works
First, just a bit of preparation. You've put the food in the steel bowl, and have added a touch of water to the tank.
You then pop the steel bowl into the buel bowl shell, and place the both on the floor where your pet usually eats. Enter ant-proof mode.
The key principle is that ants don't swim.
So, when an ant walks along the ground towards the bowl, they go under the shell, and reach the bottom of the water tank.
They then climb up the water tank until they reach the lip, and... that's it! That's as far as they can get without swimming.
We've had some people ask if the ants drown; they don't; they just don't enter the water.
Have a look on the picture, you will see that you cannot trace a path from the ground to the food, without crossing water first.
Sorry ants, but.. geometry!
FAQ
All your buel questions answered!Yes!
Buel has been extensively tested with common Australian black ants ( < 3mm in length) and will work perfectly for ants this size or smaller. Just ensure you top up the water tank every now and again.
buel bowls have been designed for and extensively tested with common Australian black house ants. These are ~3mm in size. These are the most common ants you will find in your house (in Australia that is 😊).
Correspondingly buel will work for all ants under this size.
This is because buel bowls have about 15mm of air or water which separates all surfaces.
Big ants (e.g. bull ants or other ants which you might find outside), can cross this gap.
Check out the link for a handy guide to some common Australian ants.
All buels are made in Melbourne, Australia.
buel for cats and small dogs holds 250ml of food. In our experience, this is more than adequate for animals weighing up to 8 or 9 Kg. We recommend you compare the dimensions (shown on each product page) with your existing bowls if you are unsure.
This depends on the weather and temperature, but since the tank is covered by the inner steel bowl, it generally lasts for a surprisingly long time i.e. many weeks. Just use the supplied water cup to add a little more from time to time. The internal water gauge makes this a breeze.
We try to ship all buels within 3 to 5 days and often much quicker (sometimes the same day!) Express post options are available too! After this, it's the standard carrier times so usually you'll have your buel in short order.
The steel feeding bowl is dishwasher friendly.
If you need to wash your buel (the colourful outer part), ensure you use a hand-wash with warm (not hot) soapy water.
We are here for you! Just reach out on hello@buelbowl.com.au and we will happily accommodate as we can! We aim to respond to all queries within a day or so.
Good question! But the story is quite simple, it's the nickname of one of my cats. His full name is Edward. Long story :)
