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Author Topic: changeover. ideals to full depth  (Read 4870 times)

Offline Col Collyer

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changeover. ideals to full depth
« on: August 03, 2011, 01:35:10 am »
I am changing over to TBH,( built one and working good, building another) and soon I will be moving our bees from a langstroth with ideals to a TBH with full depth frames. I have in my head that I may be able to cut out the ideals, and put them in the BOTTOM of  full depth frames, and hoping the girls will build down to the old comb and everything will be good
 Is this a sound idea ?
 Col

Offline Sundog

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2011, 01:10:33 am »
I don't know about the idea in general, but...  I put a cutout into a TBH and the frame idea did not work too well for me.


The rubber bands worked okay though.  A bit of damage, but the bees attached it and I removed the bands after five days.


Have fun!

Offline col c

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2011, 06:44:55 am »
 Hey Sundog, thats sorta what I had in mind, the question is will they build down to it OK, and will any brood be looked after ?
 As mine are langs and "Square" , so I could also do a cutout and "nail" it to the sides up near the top. I would still like them to glue it to the top bar.
 I would still like to see how yours end up.
 Thanks
 Col

Offline caticind

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2011, 12:22:21 pm »
So you're saying that both hives have square frames, but with different dimensions?  What are the differences?  Are the ideals just deeper?  Or wider as well?
The bees would be no help; they would tumble over each other like golden babies and thrum wordlessly on the subjects of queens and sex and pollen-gluey feet. -Palimpsest

Offline Sundog

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2011, 07:06:40 pm »
Hey Col

My bees didn't want to build upward, but maybe if you're "down under" they will. :)

Mine abandoned the comb at the bottom and are building flying saucers this week.

My son Kevin holding the bar.


Offline col c

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2011, 08:16:15 am »
Caticind
 The Ideals are about 2/3 the size if full depths. My TBH takes full depth. I could put the ideals in, but I fear they will make a mess in the gap below. So I had pkanned on doing cutouts, brood abd all, and place them down the bottom of the full depths, leaving perhaps a 3 inch gap at the top. I was hoping they would build new combe down to it and everything would be OK.\ The other alternative is to still do cutouts, but attach them at the top, with nails through the sides. Would they attach it properly ?
 Hey Sundog, do you really think the downunder thing would work..... Do the bee's know they are "downunder". Mmmmmm
 Col

Offline Sundog

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2011, 04:13:05 pm »
Col

It's similar to an "Australian Kiss".  Like a French Kiss, only down under. :evil:

Exactly where is "Hopelessly Lost".  I know I've seen it somewhere. :-D

Have fun!

Offline Col Collyer

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #7 on: August 07, 2011, 07:59:26 pm »
Ha
 I cant ever remember that Hopelessly lost bit, i'm never afraid to hide behind pseudos.
 Will fix.
 Col

Offline caticind

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2011, 11:09:23 am »
Caticind
 The Ideals are about 2/3 the size if full depths. My TBH takes full depth. I could put the ideals in, but I fear they will make a mess in the gap below. So I had pkanned on doing cutouts, brood abd all, and place them down the bottom of the full depths, leaving perhaps a 3 inch gap at the top. I was hoping they would build new combe down to it and everything would be OK.\ The other alternative is to still do cutouts, but attach them at the top, with nails through the sides. Would they attach it properly ?

I think you're much more likely to get a mess with the cutout. In my experience, bees don't like to connect down to loose comb nearly as much as they like to draw down from properly attached comb.  It will probably suffice, but the cutout seems unnecessary.

My recommendation: put the ideals right into the full depth TBH.  They usually build neat comb hanging down (as they would from any bar) so I don't see this being a problem.  If you want the combs to be solid all the way with no bottom bar, then cut just the bottom bars off the frames before putting them in. 
The bees would be no help; they would tumble over each other like golden babies and thrum wordlessly on the subjects of queens and sex and pollen-gluey feet. -Palimpsest

Offline col c

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Re: changeover. ideals to full depth
« Reply #9 on: October 03, 2011, 09:02:31 pm »
Well, It's been a while, but things have been happening. First, I have made a new TBH with observation windows, and have swapped the girls from our first TBH into it. I have also put windows in that hive now.
 So the swap from TBH to TBH went well, almost too easy. We have Ideals, full depth and frameless mixed in, and with the windows it is easy to see what is happening and do what is required. They have already stuck wax to the glass on one of the frameless and are treating the ideals as frameless on the bottom, looks like it may actually be a good idea. You cant see far into the hive on the "busy " end.
 Last night was time to swap the lang into TBH. First it was 6 boxes high (Ideals) so we had about 2 boxes to many frames. The next problem was the hive had brood all up the hive,and lots of drone cells and drone's. The were normal cells also. My wife copped a couple of stings on the throat early in the show, the smoker kept going out, and some brood had to be sacrificed,and it was messy work with plenty of angry bee's.
 Anyhow, jobs done, and as Caticind said, it looks like the ideals may be Ideal.
 p/s.... My wife LOVES her Top Bar Hive !
 Thanks
 Col

 

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