Top Bar Hive in Norfolk

[tonybloke]

helped a friend with this yesterday!
should be populating it with bees on fri/sat (weather dependant of course)
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=1657&stc=1&d=1273564200

 

[victor meldrew]

I can picture it being positioned over the two gate pillars, it would be make a super LYNCH-GATE .
As you can tell ,I'm not a fan of tbhs.
On the face of it ,it looks a good solid job but I can't comment on the technicalities ! entrance positioning etc. so constructive criticism is out

John Wilkinson

 

[Brosville]

That's a classically excellent top-bar hive- never seen one positioned as a lych-gate, but could be an idea!
I see you've opted for the same entrances and positioning that I did a year ago - works well for me!

 

[tonybloke]

the hive is alonside his other 2 hives.

 

[tonybloke]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=1658&stc=1&d=1273570951

 

[Norm]

It seems very deep, does it incorporate a varroa drawer? Otherwise seems very like a Chandler Hive. Central entrances ( Can't imagine a mouse being able to get in there) thereby utilizing two follower boards with the colony between with an appropriate number of top bars for the size of colony. Easy inspection from either side of the colony with minimum disturbance to the brood nest. Good choice of hive!

 

[tonybloke]

yep, built to plans from biobees
with added varroa mesh floors and inserts.

 

[Teebeeaitch]

An excellent choice. Just make sure they start off right by building straight comb on the bars. Crossed comb at the start is the only thing to worry about. Get it right and you wont look back or regret your choice.

 

[tonybloke]

he'll be cutting the combs from the commercial hive to fit! (I'm helping, perhaps SWMBO will video the operation!)

 

[tonybloke]

installed bees todayhttp://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=1680&stc=1&d=1273862784!

 

[Lois]

nice one. It looks good

 

[Norm]

How have you spaced the bars and how have you sealed the gaps? Cloth? When Phil did it I told him he should have used plastic narrow ends on the top bars, positioned correctly they would have sealed the sides sides and a simple cloth over tops.

 

[tonybloke]

Hi Norm. The bars were spaced by eye. there is a cloth cover over the top of the bars.

 

[tonybloke]

bees have settled in !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOG3aUKGck

 

[susbees]

Fingers crossed we're about to populate our second hTBH with a shook swarm (in about half an hour if we can find the flipping queen this time!). Then going to whip out the capped QC and stick it in a mininuc and do a Miller on one of the commercial frames and hope for the best. Sounds like I know what I'm doing...yeah, right...

...anyhow, we learnt with hTBH 1 that sealing the top edges with the plastic spacers perfectly in line is essential for the chop and crop (this was a six frame National) as they persisted with coming out the top even with the cloth (which they have chewed muchly now. So now they just go in and out the floor mesh instead (FIL didn't get varroa mesh so he put windbreak mesh on top of too big wire...we took off the rubbery stuff). If robbing seems a problem we'll replace it in time.

Good luck with it

 

[Heather]

Have been given such a top bar hive to show new bee keepers at our out apiary. Variety is the spice of life.
I have just hived a lovely prime swarm into it... As there are no foundation sheets for them to build from they will need a little feed to help them. Does a frame feeder work with a TBH. - if not - what do you use.

 

[Mike a]

Does a frame feeder work with a TBH. - if not - what do you use.

Those who have them say they work just as well, I used a small paultry water feeder which holds 1.3 litres as it only has a small ring of sugar water exposed and it worked perfectly - no dead bees.

 

[Brosville]

The classic advice with a tbh at this time of year is not to feed, but if you want to, this is how I did it... http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,7561.0.html

Since then I haven't fed any swarms, and they bowl you over with how fast they create comb from scratch!

At around 10 days from being hived -

 

[Heather]

Ok Brosville - will watch and wait...

 

[Norm]

I would agree with Brosville, unless the swarm has been hanging around for several days, swarms do not need feeding. They have prepared themselves beforehand for making this comb and getting themselves established. This swarm built 12 beautiful combs in just a few days.