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  1. V

    top bar bee hive

    I started with top bars for the nature loving side, and although all say you get less honey. which is true. you get really good strong colonies and more of a bee designed colony, which have not shown any signs of issues mine are untreated for 4 or 5 years now i also have 6 nationals which are in...
  2. V

    Your thoughts on inspecting hives close to but away from the apiary

    My Friend had to move a hive, 2 of them were trying to put in the van and they dropped it and they had to run and abandon the site for some time. This is a typical event with a heavy dangerous object like a hive. It seems like you need to keep looking for a new site as that is not suitable...
  3. V

    Extracting honey without an extractor

    Oh yes we gave them back the empty comb too, it's only fair.
  4. V

    Extracting honey without an extractor

    We did the same - just one comb on Saturday, from our top bar. We cut the comb about an inch from the top and then put it back, and drained the comb (cut into pieces) through the foot bit of a pair of tights over a big glass jar, propped up by a fork and left it in a warm cupboard overnight...
  5. V

    Top bar problems

    Be brave and carry on, don't be too quick to give up. lots of people try top bars, and do very well. There is a ton of info about top bars, m bush site is always interesting, it seems easy enough to reattach that comb with a hair grip. lots of vids on you tube showing the easy way to do fix it...
  6. V

    tbh Half hive

    A simple inspection rack was made to help me take pics. i used the 2 follower boards, as no room in the hive for these now. And a off-cut or old follower that was a template, to make a swivel platform. Easy to dismantle at some future point when i need the followers again in the hive, but for...
  7. V

    tbh Half hive

    Bees enjoying the smell and taste of linseed oil.
  8. V

    tbh Half hive

    you can see how well the combs are full of brood and also the new comb its clear in the pics there are lots of eggs and grubs but i could not see the eggs with the veil on in full sunshine. So camera is useful as i learn
  9. V

    tbh Half hive

    tbh design pics
  10. V

    tbh Half hive

    i noticed that there is plenty of eggs on the photos but as a new beek i found it very difficult looking through the veil on a very hot day. So i would suggest new bee keepers take lots pictures if you cant see eggs and the queen. its very cool being able to do a fairly quick photo shoot and...
  11. V

    tbh Half hive

    i decide to photo all the combs as i am new to this. As i could not see the queen or eggs, when i inspected.
  12. V

    tbh Half hive

    now after 2 weeks its doing so well this week inspection it has 11 full drawn out combs, 2 small combs tennis ball size comb being developed and 2 empty bars. This is one tbh split that has gone very well. With lots nectar coming in lots, honey being capped. getting filled up.
  13. V

    tbh Half hive

    4-6 weeks after the split 2 new queens were laying in the tbh, which had 2 a/s separated by 1 each side gap in the middle. now was time to move this half hive to a new site.
  14. V

    tbh Half hive

    I now got an artificial swarm or a split in it. We did a split from a full tbh in its 2nd year, it was creating a lot of queen cups and cells. it was very healthy and the split went well. we split to 3, 1 in a new half tbh, 2 stayed in the full tbh and the queen was moved into this half hive.
  15. V

    tbh Half hive

    I then finished the hive with cheap boiled linseed. Its very easy to do and the bees really liked smell and taste they were licking the hive roof, for ages. pics coming soon as i get to 10 posts
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