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wightbees

Queen Bee
Beekeeping Sponsor
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
2,738
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Location
Isle Of Wight
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
How long is a piece of string
What is better then ?
As i will be making my hives what would you rather have and why.
From what i have read top BS seems the logic way to go= less squashed Bees ,as you can see if they are on the frame.( is that right, soon see :ack2:)
But what do all you think.

Also spoken to my IWBKA and theres no bees anywhere for sale here.Although i have 1 nuc now , which i am very please to have got does anyone know of another one.
 
Most crusties prefer top bee space, but there are thousands of nationals in the UK with bottom.

I've run nationals for a year and am changing to L/s, one of the reasons being tbs.

Let's see what the experienced beeks advise.

good luck with yoour search for bees.
 
Thanks peters
That type was my first thought, but only because i seen them first.
Then i started thinking Nationals but i like the idea of tbs.
could i make tbs on national spec frames ?
 
sorry tonybloke i was typing in at the same time as you lol
looks like tbs is winning
 
Lets play the numbers game.

How many BBS space hives are there? National and? WBC yes and?

So world wide how many TBS are there? How many million Langstroths?

So you have to ask yourself if TBS is so rubbish why is Langstroth still made that way? Even in a new material it is still TBS.

Why? It's faster to work is why. Is why the pros prefer it.

Some one I know sold off an apiary of Nats to use Smith instead. Two reasons, one is he gets more Smith kit on the lorry, and 2nd its TBS so faster to work.

The counter argument is here:http://www.cheshire-bka.co.uk/Articles/TBSversusBBS.php

Though it rather wrecks it's logic below:

"Any bees hanging under the frames in a bottom bee-space hive, if one moves slowly enough, will be able to move up into the bottom bee-space out of harm's way."

PH
 
And to put things even more in perspective,there is absolutely no difference in the size of the countrys and there hive numbers at all.
 
Thanks peters
That type was my first thought, but only because i seen them first.
Then i started thinking Nationals but i like the idea of tbs.
could i make tbs on national spec frames ?

You should be able to make your national Boxes with tbs.
I believe I have
 
steve thanks for that , did you make your own boxes or did you mod some?
 
I modified the flat packs I had purchased.
I did mess one of the supers up though, so have nailed an extra piece of beading around the top to give me the space I want.
Shall have to see what happens this springtime,
 
I modified my Nationals & 14x12 brood boxes by taking a router to the rebate and lopping off 8-9mm

No mods to the supers.

and NO I don't get brace comb between the bb and the super before anyone asks :boxing_smiley:
 
From memory here.

Making up a nat brood box you haver two sides that slip into rebates? You have a top end (machined for top bars to sit on) which is clear and a bottom end.

To make bottom bee space you slide the sides to the bottom.

To make TBS you err slide the sides up? I seem to remember that working for me.

Probably wrong though..LOL

PH
 
OK, now I am going to ask what is probably a VERY stupid question.

Why not make hives that have both top AND bottom beespace?

So the boxes would have to be made a bit taller to start with, I am not talking about converting existing here (unless you could make a "beespace eke").

:confused:
 
i might as well stick to nationals then :)
 
to have both wouldn't that give to much space?
 
Because you would end up with a double beespace. And if you have an issue with understanding why that is not a good thing then you need to brush up your beespace theory. :)

To save you time. Bees respect the beespace. Much bigger they will build bridge comb and much smaller then they propolise it. I am not defining beespace as there are various theories but for my practical joinery I find that 8mm works for ME.

Everyone else can suit them selves but I find 7 to be dodgy as is 9+ so I suppose that is a hint.

PH
 
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