A KTBH to Long Hive conversion ...

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Little John

Drone Bee
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
1,655
Reaction score
4
Location
Boston, UK
Hive Type
Other
Number of Hives
50+
If anyone should discover after making a Kenyan Top Bar Hive that it really isn't suitable for their style of beekeeping, here is one possible alternative to either selling it or resorting to the use of a box of matches: a simple conversion of a KTBH into a Deep Long Hive, dimensioned for 14"x12" frames.

This example holds a total of 32 14" x 12" frames at 34mm spacing, giving a total comb area well in excess of four standard National brood boxes. Thus, a garden hive with limited potential can very easily be converted into a hive capable of housing two very substantial colonies, and within the same footprint.

All that is required is the addition of a floor and a few trimming battens at the top, with the method of construction being almost identical to that of the Mk.II All-Weather Long Hive.

This is the KTBH I made a few years ago, which seemed like a good idea at the time. However, only one swarm of bees was ever kept in it before I realised it's limitations and changed to using it as a workbench instead. This is the original hive:

n9myq.jpg



My initial intention was to give the KTBH another try and, as I'd been using a sheet of corrugated iron as a roof, I decided it was about time a proper roof was made. So here we are attaching some aluminium cladding to a pitched roof made from pallet wood:

2utn9kl.jpg



This is how I made the ends - using some scrap plywood as a template:

24w9ez7.jpg



And this is the aluminium cladding - almost ready to be nailed in place - using the same basic method as that used when making the Long Hive roof:

x0p6gw.jpg



Having made a decent roof - I then decided it would be worthwhile re-building the KTBH as a Deep Long Hive, as wedges could always be installed onto the sides of such a hive to create the KTBH wedge-shaped combs if I should ever need to make such nucs for anybody. So - the KTBH was duly taken apart:

5tx8a1.jpg



... and a new floor made, again using the same technique as for the Long Hives:

wbcets.jpg



And here is the result:

34rxez4.jpg




This shot shows the back of the hive after a lick of paint, and with the legs bolted on. Aluminium cladding has been attached to the sides, to give added protection from the elements. The bottom of the cladding has been flared outwards to provide a drip edge, and it's sides sealed with silicone rubber.

eq8glx.jpg



This shows a less than perfect arrangement of entrance holes, which resulted from adjusting the position of the end plates which was necessary to ensure that the existing hinge points remained functional.

s5l8it.jpg



A shot of the inside, showing the OMF strips. The floor and divider were painted as they are made from reclaimed pallet wood which is often prone to swelling otherwise. The walls still have some beeswax and propolis attached, so were left 'as is'.

ou1jwn.jpg



Detachable webbing straps.

xelpxl.jpg



Finished hive - with a darker contrasting stripe added to break-up an otherwise oppressive wall of gray.

2welabo.jpg


The two small Russian 'Alpine' Hives behind this Deep Long Hive will be moved forward to be located near the Long Hive's entrances during the winter, and their occupants then transferred into this Long Hive in early spring.

LJ
 
Been there ... Done that !!! All the same reasons .... I love my long deep hive and so do the bees ! Only downside ...once it's full of bees and comb you need four strong blokes or a fork lift truck to move it. !!
 
With similar thoughts to pargyle and given my experience with TBH's if I was to make another I would construct the legs so they form a sort of stand instead of the simple bolted on legs that make moving the hive way more difficult. More complicated construction but if the hive needs moving way easier.
 
Fully agree with you Tom - this was just a way of salvaging what I already had, and wasn't using ...

I don't plan on moving this particular hive - and to be honest I don't really like hives this long. My other Long Hives (other thread) are around 30" long, which I find perfect for moving on my own - when empty, of course ! These have become my 'standard' hive, and I'll just keep knocking them out, as and when I source suitable wood. Current target is for around 2 dozen.
I now need to figure out a way of moving these on and off trailers when loaded - so I'll probably make some kind of mini-forklift arrangement. That'll be fun ... :)
LJ
 
Incidentally, this is the type of (wire) frame I intend using with this box:

hu0pbm.jpg


The reference to making a KTBH cut is in case someone should ever want me to supply them with a nuc for same. Snip away the outer wire, cut around a follower board, and the comb remains supported by the inner wire for the journey home. Simples.

LJ
 
I arranged the leg attachment on my Dartingtons such that when reduced to a single bolt the legs fold out to bear on the end panel, making it like a stretcher. So movable, with care, when occupied. Needs two people of course. The attachment points were uprated from the original Dartington plans by a considerable margin. Not really a 'hatchback moving job' unless the legs are removed during loading, mind.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top