Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: bulldog on July 01, 2010, 11:16:19 am
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i'm getting a nuc today. any thoughts on putting langstroth frames into a top bar hive ?
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They will not fit!
Why are you trying to do this for?
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you're a genious. i already knew they wouldn't fit. thanks for your help.
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Well what are you really asking???
The frames will not fit.
Take a serrated knife and cut the comb out of the frame in a shape that will fit the shape of the TBH and wire them onto the top bars.
What a chore just to have a TBH, you will loose some of the comb as waste, use plenty of wire since it will want to pull through the soft wax comb.
Good luck :roll:
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all have is a top bar hive, but someone gave me a nuc on lang frames. so, other than butchering them to pieces i was hoping someone might have a better idea
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There is a much better way, but I'm not a genius, so I probably wouldn't explain it right.
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Now ,lets behave here guys!How can we transfer bees from a nuc to top bar?I'm sure someone on the forum has done something similar.
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I think I would just spring for a couple of deep boxes and extra frames. As far north as you are located I am thinking it will take the two deeps to make it through winter, others in your area will know better than me on that. Feed, feed, feed to get them to draw out wax and have enough stores.
Was not trying to be a smart butt in the first post I made, just answered the asked question.............putting a square peg in a triangle hole.........something has to give way. Did not say to butcher anything up, tell me how you would make it fit?? Just be sure to keep the comb oriented in the up direction.
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Are the frames drawn out, with honey, pollen, and brood or is this a new swarm on some foundation?
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I don't have any personal experience managing a TBH so I don't think I'd be much help (where's Sam Comfort when you need him huh?). What kind of set up is the nuc? are the bees on wax foundation? Plastic? Foudationless? Wax or foundationless I would think are easier to transfer as suggested only (I understand) its better to use yarn or heavier twine to attach the comb to the top bars as it won't pull through the fragile wax as easily. There are also top bar frames that you can make for just this type of occasion and I'm sure you casn find the design with a quick search. Plastic foundation or solid plastic is more of a problem. Maybe you can set them in the bottom on a little skew and remove them after they've started drawing the natural comb and the brood has emerged? In any case be prepared to sacrifice some brood/frames for the move.
I'm thinking I need to start a top bar hive or two so I can understand a little better!
Scott
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sorry if i misinterpreted your response, but i guess i should have explained it better myself. i was hoping i could avoid cutting them, but i really can't afford to go buying anymore equipment right now. yes, they are all drawn out and full of brood/stores
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if i lay them in the bottom will the queen continue to lay eggs in them ?
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I doubt it, especially if they are leaning very far from their original juxtaposition. A little lean is ok. Feed them heavily to stimulate them to draw comb and she might pick right back up?
I'd like to hear from others more familiar with this obvious problem...I'm sure you're not the first in this situation!
Scott
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There are two ways to do it.
1...You build a lang 10 frame and install 5 top bars and the nuc. If the bars are too short, put a strip of sheetmetal across the top to hold them in place. Angle a piece of sheet metal at the proper angle for them to draw out tbh comb. Once drawn out, move to tbh and get rid of lang frames. a tbh with five drawn bars and 10 frames worth of bees will build fast.
2. Build a 2 sided box with strips to hold the frames and install the langs longways. Let them build on the top bars at the end of the langs.Put the langs at the back, as they will put the brood next to the entrance as they expand.
PS. Honey catches more flys than vinegar. Thanks for reply #10.
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well the frames need to hang vertically, and bee space needs to be kept (anything over 3/8" will have burr comb built into it and anything less than 3/8" will have propolis stuck in it. If the faces of the comb can not be accessed by the nurse bees the open brood will starve or even chill, capped brood could not hatch out and the queen will not be able to access the open cells to lay eggs.
Is the nuc a wood box with a removable bottom or a cardboard nuc? If wood with a removable bottom, can you remove the bottom board and sit the nuc on the TBH sideways? My thinking would be that they might start building downward if there is bee space between the top bars themselves. Of course you would need to work on closing up the cracks on the top of the TBH and the bottom of the nuc.
Just thinking out loud.
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those are all really good ideas. i was kind of leaning towards putting the frames in longways, but not sure. will they continue to reuse those frames ? or will they quit using them once they are empty ? i'd like to phase them out of the hive at some point, hopefully soon before they get comb attached to them and a mess ensues.
sorry, i got a little cranky. hope i haven't offended anyone. this predicament has had me stressing all day. i have absolutely no experience at this. before today it was all just theory.
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May I suggest a long hive, basically two langs side by side with one inner wall removed, a ten framer. Iddee may have hinted on this.
Or you may have to modify your TBH to accept lang frames, I hear this has and is done.
...JP
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This guy makes an adapter that fits right in the tbh and holds five langs.
Bill Rawleigh
6356 Cloud Rd.
Julian
336.273.6800
www.thegardenhive.com (http://www.thegardenhive.com)
Modified link to make clickable
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I think Iddee was suggesting putting the Lang frames longways away from the hive entrance and putting top bars conventional near the entrance. When the brood gets layed nearer the entrance and the lang frames are broodless,remove them.Am I correct? Or did I misinterpret that?
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You got it down pat, buzz
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You got it down pat, buzz
Now If I could just get me a topbar!!! :lol:
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They will not fit!
If you build your TBHs correctly they will :-D Seriously, this was the easiest way I found to move from a Langstroth to a TBH.
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/862-2/100_0596.JPG)
Dimensioned them so the Langstroth frames could be tied under a top bar. then slowly migrated them out over time.
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I build my TTBHs to take medium frames... but if I were populating a TBH that doesn't take Langstroth frames directly I would not buy a nuc to populate them. I would buy a package or a shaken swarm (same thing but from a local beek)
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you know michael, that's probably the easiest way to go. i already have a kenyan top bar, but i was planning to build another one anyway. i guess i will just make a tanzanian for it instead. i was too busy kicking myself for not making my existing one big enough, i guess i was trying to outthink the problem. if you could only see all the ridiculous drawings i've been coming up with. you've saved me many headaches, thanks
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Hey bulldog, now that you have slept on it what did you decide to do??
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actually, since i had some more wood left, i just made a tanzanian top bar big enough to accomodate the frames and screwed them directly on my top bars. i put them in their new house monday and so far so good. i thought for sure i'd get stung, but not yet.
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sounds like you got it going on, great job.
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thanks. sorry we got off on the wrong foot, you've been very helpful.
oh, btw i don't think the girls liked the cordless drill too much. i had a couple of them staring me in the face when transferring them.
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No need for that but thanks anyway, you were just stressed out over what to do with what was at hand. I am glad someone chimed in with what had worked for them. There are a bunch of good beeks on here that are willing to share and help. I did not mean to sound like a smart butt, hard to read expression and tone into typed words sometimes. Glad things are going your way now, keep up the good work.