New Topbar Hives!

[histopicker]

My Aunt and Uncle are interested in my Beekeeping hobby and built these for me. We also built some Langstroth hives that turned out great.







With the moveable dividers in these I can start two nucleus hives in each box. When the small colonies get strong; one side can be moved to it's own hive.
I am stoked over these hives.

[rendezvous]

Wow! They did an awesome job on them, definitely a gift right from the heart... Congratulations! 

[bk]

Great looking hives, histopicker.  Three will keep you going a short while, the way you are getting swarms.

As a lang user, can you enlighten my ignorance of the topbars?  I can see how the dividers work in the topbars, and that makes sense to me.  How you deal with entrances for the nucs when dividing up the topbar?  Am I correct that the small round holes in the end are the traditional bee entrance?  With a divider, would each end be used for a different nuc?

Thanks.

[histopicker]

May 4, 2015 15:23:54 GMT -5 bk said:

Great looking hives, histopicker.  Three will keep you going a short while, the way you are getting swarms.

As a lang user, can you enlighten my ignorance of the topbats?  I can the dividers work in the topbars, and that makes sense to me.  How you deal with entrances for the nucs when dividing up the topbar?  Am I correct that the small round holes in the end are the traditional bee entrance?  With a divider, would each end be used for a different nuc?

Thanks.

You are correct. The other end has the same type of entrances cut into it. The holes can be plugged with cork or wood dowels if the need arises. The topbars have a cleat running down the center of each. You rub bees wax onto these cleats and the bees will build their comb along the centers (most of the time).

[rendezvous]

What kind of top bar comb guide do you use?

[farmertrappe]

Looking good Micheal. Fill em up.

[histopicker]

May 4, 2015 19:04:38 GMT -5 rendezvous said:

What kind of top bar comb guide do you use?

I use a simple wood cleat that is cut to a sharp angle. If it is not pointed the bees will build comb on both sides of it causing a huge mess in the hive.

[topper]

May 4, 2015 19:51:38 GMT -5 histopicker said:

May 4, 2015 19:04:38 GMT -5 rendezvous said:

What kind of top bar comb guide do you use?

I use a simple wood cleat that is cut to a sharp angle. If it is not pointed the bees will build comb on both sides of it causing a huge mess in the hive.

Like BK, all I know are langs too. My question was going to be -- do you make the top bar from one piece of wood or two. Got the answer. Thanks. The one piece topbar looked a little tricky to make. Maybe needing a special router-shaper bit like what is used for the handholds on the commercial lang hives???

[bk]

Thanks for helping me to understand how the top bar functions and how you can use one for 2 nucs.  Appreciate your taking the time and sharing the pictures, histopicker.  Karma to you, my friend.

[histopicker]

May 4, 2015 21:20:01 GMT -5 bk said:

Thanks for helping me to understand how the top bar functions and how you can use one for 2 nucs.  Appreciate your taking the time and sharing the pictures, histopicker.  Karma to you, my friend.

BK; Thank you for asking the questions!

[bk]

Up here in NW Wisconsin, about the only thing that is used is Langs and that is a struggle to overwinter.  I know topbars work really great where winters are a bit warmer than what I get to deal with. Yours are the first I've been able to see up close and the insides. 

Appreciate your sharing and broadening my beek education.  (And that is something I do everytime I deal with bees, sometimes by hard knocks, sometimes by successes, and sometimes by reading and education.  The best seems to come from picking others brains.)

[topper]

Histo, is that a plywood roof covered with sheet metal & lined with foil insulation or a roof frame covered with sheet metal alone?

How do you think a top bar would winter in Northern Maine? Maybe with a top (tank) feeder??? Other feeder?

Does anyone still use zip-loc bags filled with sugar syrup -- with a couple slits cut in each bag??? A couple of these bags should fit nicely under the roof.

Have to say THE most intriguing thing about topbar hives, is that they are made-sized to the Golden Mean.

[histopicker]

May 5, 2015 19:24:57 GMT -5 topper said:

Histo, is that a plywood roof covered with sheet metal & lined with foil insulation or a roof frame covered with sheet metal alone?

How do you think a top bar would winter in Northern Maine? Maybe with a top (tank) feeder??? Other feeder?

Does anyone still use zip-loc bags filled with sugar syrup -- with a couple slits cut in each bag??? A couple of these bags should fit nicely under the roof.

Have to say THE most intriguing thing about topbar hives, is that they are made-sized to the Golden Mean.

Thanks for the questions Topper;
The roof is made from 3/8 plywood. It has 1" foil lined Styrofoam insulation and it is topped with Aluminum sheeting.
Topbars survive in Canada so should in Maine also. If roof is covered with heavy quilting and black plastic the Bees should bee able to survive. It would be better to leave them enough honey stores as opposed to feeding them. The zip-loc bags full of sugar syrup with a razor slit is still a good way to feed them inside the hive but the bees do not have access to get under the roof without leaving the hive. The top of the hive needs to remain sealed during the winter so you don't want to remove bars over the brood chamber to place the bags inside. I made an in - hive feeder that fits under the follower board (divider) to supplement feed if the need arises.

Here are some photos of my in-hive feeder, it is very similar to the Boardman feeder for Langstroth hives.






In the beginning of this video you will see me remove the follower or divider board. Notice the notch on the bottom edge of it. This is where the feeder fits under it allowing access for the bees to the feed keeping the hive sealed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiH62ktoMXc
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

[topper]

Thanks, the photos & video sure explained a lot. I see now that a top feeder wouldn't work.

Also that you do move the bars around to help promote comb building.

Have you ever used cut comb foundation to give them a head start in drawing out comb? Guess it would require a topbar with a slit to insert the foundation?

[histopicker]

May 5, 2015 21:04:02 GMT -5 topper said:

Thanks, the photos & video sure explained a lot. I see now that a top feeder wouldn't work.

Also that you do move the bars around to help promote comb building.

Have you ever used cut comb foundation to give them a head start in drawing out comb? Guess it would require a topbar with a slit to insert the foundation?

I have not used cut comb foundation. I just rub the cleats with old comb. I know some folks have used strips of foundation that were glued to the bar using bees wax, I don't think that method worked any better or worse.