Bearding weirdness brought me here.

[Beardy Weirdy]

Hello, my name is Steve, I'm a Vocational Trainer working for HMP, I live in Coventry and I'm here because at 23:00hrs last night in the pouring rain I witnessed my bees bearding around the entrances of my Top Bar Hive, so after a quick Google search for answers, I find myself here and thankfully my question answered....So thank you all, a very nice forum you have here.

This is my first year of Beekeeping, I did have a swarm of bad-tempered Black Bees last year, but as soon as I put them in the hive, they swarmed and now reside in my neighbor's attic. This year I managed to attract a swarm to the hive and I couldn't wish for better Bees, mild in nature and very industrious indeed.

I have lots of questions as I'm at that stage where everything about my Bees is fascinating and I'm absolutely terrified that I might do something wrong.

So I thank you all in advance for your patience and your good counsel.

 

[enrico]

welcome to the forum. Hang around and sort the wheat from the chaff and you will find it a mine of information. We are always happy to give our opinions. Good luck with your second year!
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Was it hot and sticky?
They might have been out for that reason.
What’s going on inside? Have you looked in recently?

Welcome to the madhouse too

 

[MartinL]

at 23:00hrs last night in the pouring rain I witnessed my bees bearding around the entrances of my Top Bar Hive,

I'm absolutely terrified that I might do something wrong.

It may feel cold after >35deg but it's been very warm at night all week!
The humidity after/during rain will encourage them to congregate on the outside.

There are far fewer opportunities to do something wrong with a topbar hive & the experts will all confess to having the occasional cock-up, after all, experience is what experienced people call their mistakes.

You'll find some experts on here along with others happy to burry their heads in the sand.

 

[madasafish]

My topbar hive has bees which beard when they are evaporating water from nectar..to make honey.. Usually after a warm day when there is a nectar flow on..
Happens every year.

 

[Swarm]

Welcome to the forum, I've no practical experience with a TBH but I sold a nuc to a lady who put them into one. I've been to see how they are doing as she had to adjust (cut) the frames to fit. The bees seemed happy and were busy drawing new combs for her, it was nice to have a little play with something different.
I do have to ask .... What does your neighbour think about the bees in their attic?

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Thank you Enrico, very much appreciated.

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Hi Erichalfbee, yeah it has been very hot and sticky and they started bearding just around the entrances then. However, I thought with the rain they would move inside, I was wrong. Even during the night and in the strongest of rain storms the bees clung to the entrance holes. This morning however, there are only a few sentinels standing guard.

From what I have read on this forum, it is as you say the heat that has caused this behaviour and possibly the need to keep the bee larvae at a constant temperature?

As for looking into the hive, well all 24 bars are chock full of comb and the bees are very busy filling them. I made a school boy error when I started the hive by not restricting the swarm, so some of the comb was built between the bars or across two, so I am unable to inspect the hive correctly without causing damage. Next year I will switch to Nationals and house any swarms coming off the TBH in those. I'll then be looking to remedy my cross combed TBH.

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Thank you MartinL always glad to hear from a neighbour As I have said in another post on this thread, I'll be using Nationals next season. However, I do like the TBH and hope that once I have this year's cross combing problem sorted I can work between Nationals and TBH's. Thank you for your help.

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Thank you Madasafish, I'm starting to realise just how complex Honey Bees really are. I'm looking forward to learning a great deal on this site.

Another question if I may? When do you first extract honey from a new TBH? I have been told not to take any in the first year...I have no problem with that, but when in the second year and how much? Thanks in advance.

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Thanks Swarm..Lol! I haven't told her, she had a swarm removed a couple of years ago and the holes blocked up, but they are back. I live in the suburbs, but we always seem to have plenty of swarms of bees. Even my Black Bees from last year have found a new home in the area. I don't know of any other amateur beekeepers, theirs a professional Beekeeper up the road some five or so miles away with Buckfast Bees, but so many swarms each year. I'm hoping that next year I can tempt some more into my hives.

 

[madasafish]

Thank you Madasafish, I'm starting to realise just how complex Honey Bees really are. I'm looking forward to learning a great deal on this site.

Another question if I may? When do you first extract honey from a new TBH? I have been told not to take any in the first year...I have no problem with that, but when in the second year and how much? Thanks in advance.

The two key questions are:
1. How long is the TBH? 1 metre means it fills v quickly with honey so will swarm unless you remove 2-3 honey combs regularly in a good summer. 1.2 meters and you have more flexibility.
2. What is the summer like?

1 comb = approx 2-3lbs honey.


Best I had was approx 20lbs..

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Ah thanks for getting back to me Madasafish. Yes just a metre long and pretty rammed already and the Bees only moved in mid May. I was actually thinking of removing at least one of the combs, at one end of the hive as it appears to be all honey and I have already damaged it by poking my nose, saying that the bees have repaired it pretty well. I have two empty bars at the other end of the hive behind a follower board, but this space is reserved for feeding the bees during the winter or during low pollen times. I'm paranoid about running out of food for the bees during the winter, I have heard TBH beekeepers say that you do not need to feed the bees they have their own supply, but then again my bees were turfing out drone larvae earlier on in the season along with full grown drones which I took to mean 'Not enough food to feed non productive mouths' so I fed the bees with Invertabee syrup until the end of June. So do you reckon that the bees will have enough time to draw out and fill new comb if I was to take a couple for myself?

 

[Swarm]

Point to consider, did they store any invert?

 

[madasafish]

Ah thanks for getting back to me Madasafish. Yes just a metre long and pretty rammed already and the Bees only moved in mid May. I was actually thinking of removing at least one of the combs, at one end of the hive as it appears to be all honey and I have already damaged it by poking my nose, saying that the bees have repaired it pretty well. I have two empty bars at the other end of the hive behind a follower board, but this space is reserved for feeding the bees during the winter or during low pollen times. I'm paranoid about running out of food for the bees during the winter, I have heard TBH beekeepers say that you do not need to feed the bees they have their own supply, but then again my bees were turfing out drone larvae earlier on in the season along with full grown drones which I took to mean 'Not enough food to feed non productive mouths' so I fed the bees with Invertabee syrup until the end of June. So do you reckon that the bees will have enough time to draw out and fill new comb if I was to take a couple for myself?

Yes:

and I find my bees in the TBH always have at least 1 comb of honey left in Spring.. But you can always feed if August weather means they don't fill the last 2-3 frames..

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Thank you Swarm and Madasafish,

In answer to your question Swarm, I imagine that they did, they certainly went through the Invert very fast.

Madasafish, I think I'll remove a comb this evening and have an inspection whilst I'm at it.

 

[MartinL]

I have two empty bars at the other end of the hive behind a follower board, but this space is reserved for feeding the bees during the winter

I'm paranoid about running out of food for the bees during the winter,

So why not let them have the opportunity to fill the "feeding space" now, and purloin any honey they store there?

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Ahhh...MartinL, just what I have come in from doing. Well I actually removed the follower board and replaced it with a bar. So now I have three empty bars ready for honey comb. Bees looked great, however, a couple of Wasps tried to get in the hive, taking advantage of the hive being open and I also found a Wax Moth on the outside of the hive....So got rid of those pests straight away. So no spare honey comb for me this evening, but quite a bit of propolis to add to my collection.

 

[MartinL]

removed the follower board and replaced it with a bar. So now I have three empty bars ready for honey comb.

Sometimes the obvious lies hidden by the clouds of established routine.

 

[Beardy Weirdy]

Lol...it certainly does! I was told by a TBH pro not to remove the follower boards from the hive, but my first concern is the Bees welfare and keeping them going through the winter. The hive is somewhat crossed combed, but I will deal with that next season. I'm hoping to get at least one new swarm out of this hive along with swarms in the area in order to build up my apiary for free. The Mark I TBH also needs some structural changes so Nationals and new purpose built TBH's are the order of the day for next season.