Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => TOP BAR HIVES - WARRE HIVES - LONG HIVES => Topic started by: BC on January 14, 2010, 12:12:32 pm

Title: New to top bar hives
Post by: BC on January 14, 2010, 12:12:32 pm

Hello. I had some friends at work build me a top bar hive from plans I got off the internet. The hive is 97 cm long and the top bars are 3.2 cm wide. I've noticed on this site that some of you have wider bars for brood and honey. Do I need to make changes ?
Thanks !

Title: Re: New to top bar hives
Post by: GaryMinckler on January 26, 2010, 05:06:13 pm

I'm very new to top bar hives and made all my bars 1 3/8 inches wide.  Don't see a problem yet and have bars of brood and bars of honey.  TBH's are cool!
(http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/7161/1000743f.th.jpg) (http://img85.imageshack.us/i/1000743f.jpg/)

Title: Re: New to top bar hives
Post by: Michael Bush on January 27, 2010, 02:25:46 am

I'd just make up some 5mm or so spacers.  When the bees start making comb so thick it won't fit on  the bar and it starts spanning the next bar, put a spacer in and put them between the rest of the ones across.  Also, you can feed the 32mm bars back into the brood nest during the build up to get nice straight combs and to keep them from swarming.

Title: Re: New to top bar hives
Post by: Michael Bush on January 27, 2010, 02:26:49 am

http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm)