Got a TBH yipee

[beebopalula]

Hi Tom

I sent you a PM. May not have worked - have not done it before.

Beebopalula

 

[Tom Bick]

Sorry nothing has arrived

 

[oxnatbees]

Nice looking solid weatherproof looking chuck of hardware, dude. I particularly like the overlappig wood shingles (no leaks) and the thick looking wood.

I have two of lighter construction, with end entrances.The light construction I now regret. The end entrances, though, are I'm sure, more flexible than side entrances.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Tom how did you find the TBH, i saw it in finchley before you took it, and was impressed

 

[Tom Bick]

Its working well Geoff its easy to inspect apart from taking more time and I have noticed that the bees are surprisingly calm during inspections more so than my other hives and this may be the design or the fact that you have to inspect at a pace that settles the bees as it can take a bit of time to inspect.

I think I will only keep this one and not looking to expand although I am over wintering a colony in the tbh nuc and will need to decide what to do if both come through the winter strong but not a bad problem to have. It does look lovely and was hopping to house it in a nature reserve but that has gone quiet at the moment.

Personally I like my framed hives run foundationless and gives me most of what I see in the tbh with the advantage as I see it with frames and all the options available to me.

I am looking forward to next year with the tbh as I think it could get very big if it comes through the winter ok and if I get to it identifying and performing an AS will be my priority as I don’t intend to just let it swarm as that’s not good in a built up area.

 

[Ely]

Nice hive. I'll be building one this winter from the biobees plans. They seem interesting and also easy to expect. It will be nice to have the odd piece of cut comb honey too. Do you practise swarm control? I don't have neighbours and live in the countryside so I don't think it is too important to be concerned about swarms. It's only natural and the hive wouldn't be all about honey production.

 

[Tom Bick]

Hi Ely I made the hive from the biobees plans apart from the roof and a few construction joints. For me I will be doing all I can to prevent swarms its just not right for me to let them swarm as the hive will be in close proximity to people and that can be bad news for the bees.

 

[Ely]

Hi Ely I made the hive from the biobees plans apart from the roof and a few construction joints. For me I will be doing all I can to prevent swarms its just not right for me to let them swarm as the hive will be in close proximity to people and that can be bad news for the bees.

'The barefoot beekeeper' book arrived this afternoon. After doing a little reading in the swarming section it occured to me how easy doing an artificial swarm is in a TBH if you use the rotation methof so thought I might as well control swarming.

I think he was taking the mickey where he wrote the plans are for those with next to no wood working skills though

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes it sounds very simple as with all written swarm control methods regardless of hive ???

The problem you may encounter is recognising QC’s I have noticed from this year on the TBH and also on my foundation-less framed hives that the bees will put QC’s on the edges of the combs and then mould the cell into the wax so all you may see are a few bumps and not long extended QC’s that are typical in hives with foundation.

The bees will also give you a few QC’s on the face of the comb as a curve ball but for the others you will have to retune your eyes. I don’t think in your case swarms are a problem but for me it can be especially as I will be moving my TBH soon to a vicarage garden right next to the church and I can now imaging the bride just leaving the church

Good luck with the hive it is great to observe the bees building natural comb and how they arrange the hive

 

[Ely]

Yes it sounds very simple as with all written swarm control methods regardless of hive ???

The problem you may encounter is recognising QC’s I have noticed from this year on the TBH and also on my foundation-less framed hives that the bees will put QC’s on the edges of the combs and then mould the cell into the wax so all you may see are a few bumps and not long extended QC’s that are typical in hives with foundation.

The bees will also give you a few QC’s on the face of the comb as a curve ball but for the others you will have to retune your eyes. I don’t think in your case swarms are a problem but for me it can be especially as I will be moving my TBH soon to a vicarage garden right next to the church and I can now imaging the bride just leaving the church

Good luck with the hive it is great to observe the bees building natural comb and how they arrange the hive

A swarm of bees instead of confetti. That would make for good photos!! Thanks for the tips. Now to get my head around the plans.

 

[Brosville]

If you've got the downloaded plans and destructions they really are a doddle if you follow his way of doing it (making the follower boards first, and use them as a "former" for the rest) -I'm a total klutz at woodworking, and I've managed it with no great problems. A great asset for top bar (and Warre) hive building is an "amateur" sawbench - I picked one up at a boot fair for a tenner, and it makes life really easy for "long cuts" - I attach mine to a "bodgemate" in the garden, and it's then a doddle to "halve lengthways" a gravel board (really good source of "legs"), treated timber, designed for path edgings etc, and really cheap - I paid around £6 for one, and it made legs for 2 hives.
If you're stuck finding suitable timber, I made my first one using Wickes tongue and groove floorboards (untreated timber for the body)

 

[Teebeeaitch]

I can only second everything Brosville has said. Phils plans are very, very simple and my first build took a total of 12 hours. After getting into the swing of it, my 2nd build took 7 hours and again, I am no handy man. I have used 20mm wood and also Wickes 18mm T&G. I think 18mm is about as thin as I would want to go, but in the dry, mild south east, it has worked fine for the past 3 winters. If you have any left over, its also good for making a Warre!

 

[ratcatcher]

A swarm of bees instead of confetti. That would make for good photos!! Thanks for the tips. Now to get my head around the plans.

following plans from the book is probably the best way, but don't be affraid to add any extras you may think beneficial

my square top bar hives were made roughly 2 days each one, some ply off cuts and floorboards sourced from a skip, total cost, just under £20

http://youtu.be/iz2UDxwydQg

 

[Ely]

following plans from the book is probably the best way, but don't be affraid to add any extras you may think beneficial

my square top bar hives were made roughly 2 days each one, some ply off cuts and floorboards sourced from a skip, total cost, just under £20

http://youtu.be/iz2UDxwydQg

Great stuff, thanks. What sort of improvements have you made or would have made in hindsight?

 

[Ely]

If you've got the downloaded plans and destructions they really are a doddle if you follow his way of doing it (making the follower boards first, and use them as a "former" for the rest) -I'm a total klutz at woodworking, and I've managed it with no great problems. A great asset for top bar (and Warre) hive building is an "amateur" sawbench - I picked one up at a boot fair for a tenner, and it makes life really easy for "long cuts" - I attach mine to a "bodgemate" in the garden, and it's then a doddle to "halve lengthways" a gravel board (really good source of "legs"), treated timber, designed for path edgings etc, and really cheap - I paid around £6 for one, and it made legs for 2 hives.
If you're stuck finding suitable timber, I made my first one using Wickes tongue and groove floorboards (untreated timber for the body)

Cheers for advice. The plans do seem to look simpler the more I read them

 

[ratcatcher]

Great stuff, thanks. What sort of improvements have you made or would have made in hindsight?

my improvement is the ability to take 2 14x9 national frames, good if you need eggs/larvae in a queenless cast, yet all your friends keep nationals not top bars, plus a queen excluder follower board and a periscope entrance, alot easier for bees to defend, hinged deep lid, and adding side bars to the top bars and wax starter strips

http://youtu.be/RdhUNuZ_NLA

 

[Ely]

I am struggling to get my head around how the dimensions will change using different thicknesses of wood. In the plans he is usin 1" thick wood. If I get 18 mm ply I'm not sure if I can follow the plans anymore. I'm not sure how to alter it to suit either

 

[Brosville]

Don't use ply! (for the main part anyway), you'll probably suffer condensation problems - absolutely fine for the follower board, but you're far better off with softwood for the rest of it.

In practice, it makes clutter all difference if it's 18mm instead of an inch - just make the follower boards, then the long "sides" and the "ends". When you attach the end boards and screw it together, it'll make up for any thickness differences.....

It really is pretty foolproof!

 

[Ely]

Don't use ply! (for the main part anyway), you'll probably suffer condensation problems - absolutely fine for the follower board, but you're far better off with softwood for the rest of it.

In practice, it makes clutter all difference if it's 18mm instead of an inch - just make the follower boards, then the long "sides" and the "ends". When you attach the end boards and screw it together, it'll make up for any thickness differences.....

It really is pretty foolproof!

Ah thankyou. I think I meant pine not ply. I reckon I'll go for those tongue and groove boards. Were they easy to glue, do they hold tight? It can get really cold and thick with snow here, last couple of winters reached -12ish. Will 18mm be thick enough?

 

[Brosville]

They're relatively easy to use - I'd suggest that you glue them up first, and leave to set overnight, then cut them to size, and do the construction the next day. I've not had any problems with mine made from Wickes 18mm floorboards, and we've had some bally cold winters since I built them.

I can't remember the dimensions, but it is pragmatic to "cut your coat according to the cloth", and make the "long side" just under 4' as if you go by the wood dimensions, rather than insisting on the full 4', you can save a lot of wood

Here's the first one I built -

I used old printing plates to waterproof the roof (chat up your friendly local printer)