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Author Topic: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation  (Read 11049 times)

Offline BBees

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Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« on: December 04, 2008, 09:28:13 am »
Just out of curiosity, anyone ever build a TTBH with a front entrance and top bars that are oriented parallel to the side boards rather than the front board. I'm just starting this hobby because I'm try to save a colony I've discovered between the floor joists in an old house I'm demolishing. (So anything I know I've gleaned from this forum and have absolutely no experience yet!) In their present location, all the comb runs parallel to the floor joists. Hate to disrupt their mindset. There seems to be a lot of people a lot more clever than I am on this forum so I'm thinking if this was such a good idea, someone else would have done it already. Any thoughts?

Thanks, Steve
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Offline deantn

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2008, 12:26:51 pm »
Have built one but not like that.
It's fairly easy to cut the comb and tie it to the top bars, just need to be careful to put the brood comb in carefully especially if you get them in early spring before too many eggs are laid.

Offline justgojumpit

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2008, 07:28:33 pm »
Basically, you can have the comb run in any direction that you want, relative to the location of the entrance.  Some people put their entrances on the ends, some on the sides.  The main reason that I can think of for running the top bars across the short side of the hive rather then lengthwise, is that the frames would just be enormously large, fragile, and heavy if you ran them the long way.

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Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2008, 09:58:24 pm »
Just trying to think like a bee! (LOL) It's like my first attempt at logging with draft horses. I had an older mare that had some logging experience. I had none. Any horses I had driven for haying, etc.,  would just step straight out. No matter how hard I tried to drive this old mare straight once we hooked onto a log, she'd always take a a few steps sideways then go straight......figure it out yet. She was trying to teach me something. If she broke it loose first by pulling sideways, she could get it started easier and off we'd go! She could out pull most teams!

Anyway, since I'm just building the TTBH, wouldn't be any problem to put top bar supports from side to side so I can rest three sets of top bars parallel to the long sides. A potential problem I thought of was they would ignore the space created by the supports and just build 4 foot long comb. If I could just figure out a way to interrupt the long comb.....then they could keep building the way they like, and I could do beekeeping the way I like!

Thanks, Steve
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Offline deantn

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2008, 06:43:57 am »
Don't think you have really thought this out fully.
A four ft. long piece of comb loaded with brood and honey is not going to easy to hold on to, to say the least, much less be able to pick up out of the hive to check. Even with supports you couldn't pick it up and bring it out of a TBH without tearing it up in some fashion.
Good luck trying this adventure but think you would be much better off building them side to side.

Really think you need to get with another experienced beekeeper when you go to try and get this hive out of the floor. Most would be happy to help you or at least give you some verbable or moral support about how to do this without killing the queen, even if you do get her she might not stay.

Offline Irwin

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2008, 07:57:30 am »
Ok a little off here but I want to see pic's of the horse logging please  :-D
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Offline BBees

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Draft Horse
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2008, 08:36:03 am »
Irwin,

This all happened about 25 years ago, long before digital cameras I'm afraid. So sorry, no pics.
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Offline deantn

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2008, 08:37:59 am »
Don't have any pictures but our Electric Co-op uses horse teams to clear some of the right of ways they put in on steep mountains around here.

Offline Irwin

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2008, 08:51:01 am »
After 25 years I'll let you slide on this one :-D But I would like to see pic's of your cut out when you do it and your TTBH when you get it done.
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Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2008, 08:55:36 am »
Yup, most of my work was steep slope work where they couldn't get equipment to. Also had a bunch of landowners that didn't want the big ruts the skidders would leave behind. Ahh, the gold old days, brings back fond memories of a simpler time!
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Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #10 on: December 05, 2008, 08:57:39 am »
Irwin,

Certainly will. Just got to figure out how to post pictures!
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Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2008, 01:55:11 pm »
deantn,

>Don't think you have really thought this out fully.

Nope. That's why I threw it out here. Figured I might snag someone smart enough to say how it "can" be done instead of how it "can't" be done! I'm not experienced or smart enough to know it can't be done and to stubborn just to give up without trying!

Back to the drawing board,
Steve

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Offline Irwin

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2008, 10:48:03 am »
BBees never give up if every body gave up where would we be today  :-D
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Offline suprstakr

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2008, 12:16:10 am »
TBH is fun just don't put it in the shade .

Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2008, 01:05:50 am »
Went to my first local beekeeping club meeting. A bunch of really nice folks. All are more than willing to help, but no one at the meeting has any TBH experience. That's OK because I'm learning a lot through this forum and at least I don't feel I'm in completely uncharted waters. Maybe I can bumble along and let the bees teach me too. Anyway, I'll gladly share anything I can learn, knowing full well that some of the best discoveries are found by making mistakes!

Steve
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Offline BjornBee

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2008, 09:38:19 am »
Went to my first local beekeeping club meeting. A bunch of really nice folks. All are more than willing to help, but no one at the meeting has any TBH experience. That's OK because I'm learning a lot through this forum and at least I don't feel I'm in completely uncharted waters. Maybe I can bumble along and let the bees teach me too. Anyway, I'll gladly share anything I can learn, knowing full well that some of the best discoveries are found by making mistakes!

Steve

You may want to send an email to Chris Harp. He is from New Paltz, Ny. which is a ways from you, but he has helped a good number of people start natural comb and TBH's, and may know someone close to you. You can access his info at www.honeybeelives.org

Tell him I sent you.
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Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2008, 09:53:57 am »
Thanks BjornBee,

I'll do that. Thanks for the info.

Steve
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Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #17 on: December 10, 2008, 10:12:21 am »
BjornBee,

Fired off an e-mail. I'll keep you posted.

Again, Thanks
Steve
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Offline BjornBee

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #18 on: December 10, 2008, 10:25:07 am »
Steve,
No problem. I'm glad to help.
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Offline BBees

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Re: Top Bar Hive Comb Orientation
« Reply #19 on: December 10, 2008, 05:16:55 pm »
BjornBee,

Just got an e-mail back from Grai. She doesn't know of anyone in my territory with TBH experience. There are some spring meetings I'd like to attend. I'm sure I can find someone closer once I get a local network established.

Thanks again,
Steve
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