Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => TOP BAR HIVES - WARRE HIVES - LONG HIVES => Topic started by: HomeSteadDreamer on May 22, 2013, 01:15:00 pm
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I hived a package near the end of march. My hive seems to constantly be fighting between honey storage and egg laying. There doesn't seem to be enough comb for both the queen and foragers. They have built 17 frames which is equivalent to about 22 medium langs. Do others see this problem the first year? Does it get better the second? Since honey harvest will be crush and strain and they'll have to rebuild that comb will I continue to flirt with being honey bound?
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Hi, I use all medium 10 frames. Two of my three new hives have completed 24+ full frames and I added their first super about a week ago. We have not had good weather (between the high winds, rain and cold snaps) so I think they are about on schedule. Last year I was putting on second super the third week of May, so this year we are behind last year. But that is beekeeping. -Mike
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I have never run a top bar.
But have you tried putting a empty bar in the middle of the hive. So they have to much space between combs to encourage them to build new combs.
Like I said I dont run top bars but with a regular hive I have done this often.
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mikecva - was your 24 built bars from an overwintered hive or a package?
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If you have more bars to fill simply place empty bars in between brood an they will build. That is how I keep them from swarming also. I am converting to the Perone hive which is type of top bar and will allow harvesting honey easier. I have two kenyan tbh and not easy to get honey as there always seems to be brood on bottom section of the comb.
Blanc
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I have several bars that are all honey. Just waiting for them to get mostly capped. I am out of bars though so I harvested two honey bars and processed the capped seperate from the open. fed the open back to a weak nuc.
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HomeSteadDreamer, the bees were from a 3# package put into a new hive with foundations. today they are into their second honey super but slowing down (first super full, second about 2/3 full.) Some fellow club beeks are putting a third super on but I will not be as I want them to make sure they have plenty of stores for winter. I do not plan to get honey for myself my first year from a package but the bees have stepped upthe last two weeks. -Mike
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What Haddon said can help to encourage them to build new comb as well as straight comb in a top bar as well by placing empty bars between full ones.
The first year, especially housing, a TBH is the most difficult. the second year will be a lot easier for you. Remember that producing comb takes a lot of energy so feed, feed, and then feed some more.
In my hives, with the exception of heavy flows that may skew the housekeeping I can almost always expect to see a (listed from the front entrance to back) a bar or 2 of pollen, brood, long term honey stores in the back. How many bars of what can vary greatly through out the year but it will mostly be in that order unless a flow is real strong and the house bees don't have time to organize it, a heavy brood laying cycle like the spring build up may skew the order as well. As long as you make sure they have room to build being honey bound is usually not a long term issue in a top bar as they will just build more bars.
I hope this helps.