Top Bar questions

[Bettenham]

Hi All. First tentative post here from a ex beek of 30 years. I have been following this forum avidly and have appreciated the many discussions going on!
Go easy on me, especially as I have gone down the top bar route, - (cue wry smiles and knowing looks)
So, I built the hives last winter and end of April picked up a very small swarm. I didn't hold out much hope for them really as it so small and they were starting out with just the bars, but, survive they did and on about the 3rd inspection I found the Queen and marked her.
To date they are on 16 bars, 2 each end of 1/2 sized combs with stores some capped honey etc the remaining bars a mixture of brood with an arch of stores on the top. I didn't initially treat the swarm for varroa which was probably a mistake according to what I have been researching here. I've also got a bit of comb curving on the end bars which I am going to have to sort out next year assuming they survive.
So my questions are:
How does the cluster move during the winter - it would have to be horizontally I suppose and that would mean all the stores would need to be at one end so that they can move through them?
Stores for winter - how do I know if they have enough? Do I include the arch of stores over the brood on nearly all of the bars? Should I be feeding now? I won't be taking any honey.
Emergency feeding next spring if necessary - how the heck to do this with a TBH. Fondant in a frame shaped like a follower board which can go next to the cluster???
Should I treat for varroa whilst brood less and how, when and with what? I'm thinking OA but have no idea how this could be done with a TBH.
If they make it through the winter I'm assuming I will have to manage the swarming somehow. What's the best way to do this with a TBH?

I'm probably over thinking things but would like to hear from any TBH expert on this forum for some advice and encouragement!

It's been absolutely fascinating so far watching the progress of the colony and I'm really hoping I can see them through the winter.
Thanks for any comments

 

[drex]

Cluster movement - yes they can only move horizontally, so store frames at one end. I think top insulation is most important in a TBH.
Feeding - a matter of judgement. I believe the best time to feed for winter is in the autumn. As long as queen has space to lay, over feeding is probably better, but it is a balancing act. The worst time for starvation is when brooding really starts up again around Feb time. Keep a check on them throughout. I find hefting is useless in a TBH, mine are home made and heavy, so I have an occasional quick peak in. It is only sliding or removing one or two bars so no real heat lost. I made up a feeder as you suggest in the shape of the inside of the box, but posted on here I saw a neat idea of a Tupperware cereal container attached to a top bar.
Varroa - I use Apiguard in Autumn, and a Varrox style vape in Nov/Dec - I built the hive to allow access, but you could always trickle, separating the bars just a cm. Many options available.
Swarming - I have entrances both ends - one usually kept closed. If they make queen cells I will split them with a division board and open up the other entrance .
I am no expert, but keep a couple of top bars out of interest. Mercifully I had some experience of framed beekeeping before I got into it. It did help.
You have jumped back in at the deep end, but I learn a lot from my top bar bees that I would not get from conventional hives. Enjoy

 

[Boston Bees]

That all sounds like top quality advice to me Drex, though I don't have a TBH.

I learn a lot from my top bar bees that I would not get from conventional hives.

I have heard this said before. Do you mind me asking for some examples as I would be genuinely interested to know what I have missed out on?

 

[drex]

Nothing too specific. I run top bars with much less intervention than my nationals, but I still treat for varroa and do specific disease inspections. It enables me to better observe what they do " naturally". For example when, how and where they will draw comb, where they put their drones and how many, what they do with stores and pollen, swarm preps ( rarely will I do swarm control on them). It has taught me to handle bees and combs with much more respect. I am not concerned about getting honey out of them, but I do believe I am a better beekeeper for having them.

 

[Brewer24]

Hi All. First tentative post here from a ex beek of 30 years. I have been following this forum avidly and have appreciated the many discussions going on!
Go easy on me, especially as I have gone down the top bar route, - (cue wry smiles and knowing looks)
So, I built the hives last winter and end of April picked up a very small swarm. I didn't hold out much hope for them really as it so small and they were starting out with just the bars, but, survive they did and on about the 3rd inspection I found the Queen and marked her.
To date they are on 16 bars, 2 each end of 1/2 sized combs with stores some capped honey etc the remaining bars a mixture of brood with an arch of stores on the top. I didn't initially treat the swarm for varroa which was probably a mistake according to what I have been researching here. I've also got a bit of comb curving on the end bars which I am going to have to sort out next year assuming they survive.
So my questions are:
How does the cluster move during the winter - it would have to be horizontally I suppose and that would mean all the stores would need to be at one end so that they can move through them?
Stores for winter - how do I know if they have enough? Do I include the arch of stores over the brood on nearly all of the bars? Should I be feeding now? I won't be taking any honey.
Emergency feeding next spring if necessary - how the heck to do this with a TBH. Fondant in a frame shaped like a follower board which can go next to the cluster???
Should I treat for varroa whilst brood less and how, when and with what? I'm thinking OA but have no idea how this could be done with a TBH.
If they make it through the winter I'm assuming I will have to manage the swarming somehow. What's the best way to do this with a TBH?

I'm probably over thinking things but would like to hear from any TBH expert on this forum for some advice and encouragement!

It's been absolutely fascinating so far watching the progress of the colony and I'm really hoping I can see them through the winter.
Thanks for any comments

.

My TB’s have been the best performing colonies this year. Mind you I just cut comb from the bar and put it in my porridge. For extraction I made a wooden frame support and uncap with fork and leave the honey to drain down through s/steel sieve into a largess bowl in my conservatory which gets quite warm and can be closed up to keep robber bees out.
Just heft one end of the TB using fingers now - do you need one, two fingers or a whole hand to lift. Make note and compare to lifting during winter. Following inspections this time of year I tend to reduce TB’s to what they need and move them to one end. Good for hefting and feeding.
I have cut out half a hole in two TB’s, put them together making one reasonable hole which allows a feeder above. I use a standard syrup feeder and a chinese take away container for fondant. A kitchen type tile can be used to close the hole in Summer. Checking for feed and replenishing is uber easy.
I tried some methods advocated on youtube and found bee’s drowning in cut milk cartons etc so external feeders on top have been very successful.
For mite control I drop in apiguard now. Then vape with OA around Christmas. My TB hive has 1” holes miiddle & each end. I have made a vape from 1” copper pipe with an elbow and a brass gate valve on the elbow. Spoon in your OA acid close the valve stick it in the hole which closest to the colony and heat with a blow torch. A bit off the wall but found this idea on the internet and it works well but takes longer than a battery heated vape weapon.
I think this may help and feel free to ask anything else.
Cheers.

 

[madasafish]

AT one time I had 8 TBHs.
I treated varroa with Apiguard: spooned contents of a pack onto wall sides at top spread over several bars in the brood nest.
Feeding : Made a feeder from two bars- entrance for placing feed at op on a swivel, entrance for bees underneath both sides, triangular shape to fit walls.

I used to weigh TBHs in summer and added 10kg as a winter target weight for feeding: End entrance so all stores saved at rear away form entrance approx 10-12 full frames honey.

 

[Bettenham]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll go with Apiguard now and then a trickle OA end of November or after the first cold snap.

 

[oxnatbees]

I have 3 TBHs. I found bees from commercial sources were quickly overrun by varroa if I did not treat. I switched to local swarms and never needed to treat again.

TBHs are more insulated than Nationals but do get cold at the base in winter if you leave the mesh open. In winter the bees tend to prefer to cluster near the top of the bars and move horizontally, but I find they don't need 20kg stores more like 8kg, mind you I am using swarms and not using stimulative feeding so the clusters are small. Sometimes just 2 fistfuls at the end of winter, allegedly unviable according to conventional wisdom, but they bounce back every year.

But you're in Kent so I guess your bee year starts very early, so you may want to have more stores to help ensure lots of early bees for orchard foraging.