Is this normal please?

[Chloe]

Good evening - this is my first post and I’m not entirely sure I’m issuing this forum correctly?!

My name is Chloe, I live in East Sussex near Rye and I’m very new to beekeeping. I have a top bar hive and caught a swarm early May 2023. They have been doing brilliantly, seem to be very strong but I have noticed this at the entrance and was wondering if anyone who has a top bar hive knows if this is normal please?

I will probably have many more questions but i noticed this today.

Many thanks
Kind regards
Chloe

 

[Swarm]

Stunning example of bees using propolis to reduce the entrance. Thanks Chloe.

 

[ericbeaumont]

anyone who has a top bar hive knows if this is normal

Normal for all types of beekeeping and wild honey bee nests. Used for sealing gaps for security, temp+humidity modulation, to reduce entrances to enable easier defence, to minimise vibration and to maintain colony health.

Propolis is anti-septic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-oxidant and bees use it to coat everything in a nest or hive.

Humans cottoned on millions of years ago and use it for better health.

Do you have a Haynes Bee Manual? Check pages 17, 27, 74 & 125.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

They are just using propolis to reduce the entrance size for the winter to reduce draughts

 

[enrico]

Glad you got the same answers Chloe. Hoped you would

 

[pargyle]

Good evening - this is my first post and I’m not entirely sure I’m issuing this forum correctly?!

My name is Chloe, I live in East Sussex near Rye and I’m very new to beekeeping. I have a top bar hive and caught a swarm early May 2023. They have been doing brilliantly, seem to be very strong but I have noticed this at the entrance and was wondering if anyone who has a top bar hive knows if this is normal please?

I will probably have many more questions but i noticed this today.

Many thanks
Kind regards
Chloe

Close one entrance altogether and close the other down to about half what it is now - the bees are trying to tell you something. Do you have some insulation on your TBH. They are notorious for losing bees over winter ... it would be wise to put some insulation above the top bars, under the roof and also strap some to the sides of the hive.

 

[rolande]

@Chloe , Marla Spivak and her students have done a massive amount of work on propolis. Well worth watching a few of their presentations.

 

[Chloe]

Thank you so much to everyone for your advice, I haven’t insulated the hive yet the temperatures here is Beckley East Sussex are still in the low 20’s. But should I insulate now? And what would you recommend I used to insulate the roof and sides please of the top bar hive? Thank you again!

 

[pargyle]

Thank you so much to everyone for your advice, I haven’t insulated the hive yet the temperatures here is Beckley East Sussex are still in the low 20’s. But should I insulate now? And what would you recommend I used to insulate the roof and sides please of the top bar hive? Thank you again!

Celotex or Kingspan PIR Board is best. You can buy it in slabs that are 25mm or 50mm thick in the likes of Wickes - but you can usually pick up leftovers by skip diving or on web sites like Gumtree.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Kingspan-TW50-Thermal-Insulation-Board---1200-x-450-x-100mm/p/180441

 

[Darryl]

Celotex or Kingspan PIR Board is best. You can buy it in slabs that are 25mm or 50mm thick in the likes of Wickes - but you can usually pick up leftovers by skip diving or on web sites like Gumtree.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Kingspan-TW50-Thermal-Insulation-Board---1200-x-450-x-100mm/p/180441

Pick up a roll of aluminuim tape from Screwfix
https://www.screwfix.com/p/diall-aluminium-foil-tape-silver-45m-x-75mm/4415vand tape over all the "raw" edges of the Kingspan and they will last for years.

 

[pargyle]

Pick up a roll of aluminuim tape from Screwfix
https://www.screwfix.com/p/diall-aluminium-foil-tape-silver-45m-x-75mm/4415vand tape over all the "raw" edges of the Kingspan and they will last for years.

Even cheaper in Toolstation:

https://www.toolstation.com/aluminium-foil-tape/p97723

 

[pargyle]

Thank you so much to everyone for your advice, I haven’t insulated the hive yet the temperatures here is Beckley East Sussex are still in the low 20’s. But should I insulate now? And what would you recommend I used to insulate the roof and sides please of the top bar hive? Thank you again!

You might also find that a sheet of heavy duty polythene on top of the top bars is a help if you don't already have some in place, The Kingspan or Celotex can sit on top of that. Just makes a nice airtight seal at the top of the hive and will keep them nice and warm, saves them the energy they would expend keeping the hive at their preferred temperature and in a long hive such as a TBH reduces the risk of isolation starvation. I suspect the propolis at the entrance is as much to reduce the airflow through the hive as much as anything else.

A famous Yorkshire Beekeeper - Bill Bielby, said in his 1977 Book - Home Honey Production "You can never have too much insulation in a beehive' and 'the most effective way to overwinter bees is to make the hive as draught free as possible'. (I paraphrase but it's on Pages 41 to 44 and you can pick up a copy for as little as £1.49 on Ebay or Amazon.)

 

[Chloe]

Amazing thank you all! I will get onto it straight away!