Top Bar foundation

[colinevans22]

I am a new top bar hive bee keeper. There seem to be so many differing ideas on how to create top bar foundation strips. I have seen grooves cut in the bars to take wax foundation, Triangular pieces and even half dowel strips of wood stapled to the top bars. Is there a method which is proven to work best?

 

[Boston Bees]

I am a new top bar hive bee keeper. There seem to be so many differing ideas on how to create top bar foundation strips. I have seen grooves cut in the bars to take wax foundation, Triangular pieces and even half dowel strips of wood stapled to the top bars. Is there a method which is proven to work best?

May be useful if you haven't already found it:

Phil Chandler: Barefoot Beekeeper - YouTube

 

[pargyle]

I am a new top bar hive bee keeper. There seem to be so many differing ideas on how to create top bar foundation strips. I have seen grooves cut in the bars to take wax foundation, Triangular pieces and even half dowel strips of wood stapled to the top bars. Is there a method which is proven to work best?

Most starter strips of one sort of another work ... there's plenty of different ideas around, I'm foundationless and I use a triangular piece of timber fastened to the underside of the top bar and painted with beeswax. Usually starts them off in the right direction which is what you want - cross comb in any hive is a nuisance when it happens.. Whatever starter strip you use keep an eye on what they are building and if they stray off course don't be afraid to bend the new comb back into a straight comb where you want it. New comb is fairly flexible and you can manipulate it - once they have some straight combs to follow as a pattern they will usually keep going the way you want it.

 

[madasafish]

I made wooden triangles with point downwards and rubbed beeswax onto them.

Worked a treat,

 

[blackcloud]

I do foundationless national frames with wooden starter strips
I run offcuts through the table saw set at 2mm so producing a full length strip- no messing with lollly sticks
I find they are less likely to get damaged when handling and they don't go stale or get munched by moths so they live in the baithives until they are needed.
My bees don't mind drawing from them at all.

 

[emmac79]

half dowel strips of wood stapled to the top bars.

I saw that on a facebook group the other day and bought bamboo sticks for that purpose. Looked easy enough.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I saw that on a facebook group the other day and bought bamboo sticks for that purpose. Looked easy enough.

How about placing them at the sides and maybe one at the bottom?

 

[Boston Bees]

With normal frames, I just take the wedge off the top bar, turn it 90 degrees so it's vertical, and nail it back on. Works fine.

I have also used dowels, which are fine, and foundation starter strips (also fine, but the issue with those is that they can get "wavy", which doesn't make a great starting point).

If there is a solid, regular, lowest point on the top bar, the bees will draw wax evenly from that, assuming the frames are correctly spaced. The bees don't care what the material is.