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Author Topic: Started a top bar hive  (Read 12491 times)

spandit

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • East Sussex
    • Sussex Forest Garden
Re: Started a top bar hive
« Reply #30 on: April 23, 2014, 04:42:06 pm »
What a great shame but onwards and upwards!
sussexforestgarden.blogspot.co.uk

sss

  • Joined Mar 2014
  • Cambridgeshire
Re: Started a top bar hive
« Reply #31 on: April 24, 2014, 07:00:16 pm »
These things happen, glad your not giving up. I have just read your blog. A couple of my 10p worth.

Do you have a disease officer in your association? If you do, it is worth giving them some of your bees to look at if you have not cleared them. We have a lovely chap who will whisk them under a microscope to do a 'post mortem'. This may indicate any other internal nasties for future reference.

Unless you have a uber desire to go 'conventional' hives and TBH, I would stick with one or the other.  The reason being is that to swap bits, eggs, brood etc etc becomes a lot harder if you have differing hive types.  I run my 'square' hives for honey and my TBH's for cut comb and wax. But I have to accept that I can not 'rob peter to pay paul' if I need to.  It also becomes harder to merge colonies if its required.

Over the winter I run with the bottom boards in the TBH's, but leave a gap for debris and air to circulate. The bee's will propolis it closed if its too drafty.

I am surprised there are not more people running top bar hives in your area you can 'bounce' off. There may well be some but they are in the closet. I was for a bit with my BKA. There are some TBH forums out there with lots of tips.

Unless you have someone in your BKA selling reasonably priced nucs I would advise against buying commercial ones. They are very expensive in my opinion. Especially when starting out it can be very costly. I know some do not agree but I would wait till the swarming season and get a free one. There are gambles about disease, unknown temperament and an old queen etc. However if you make a mistake as you build your skills and knowledge there is less financial loss.

Not sure if any of that helps.

benkt

  • Joined Apr 2010
  • Cambridgeshire
    • Hempsals Community Farm
Re: Started a top bar hive
« Reply #32 on: April 24, 2014, 08:36:18 pm »
Swarming season is here, for us at least! I did my first of the year this afternoon.

Victorian Farmer

  • Guest
Re: Started a top bar hive
« Reply #33 on: April 27, 2014, 10:00:58 am »
Price at the mo is £150 for one I'm after 10 in Essex .Iv built 10 boxes on a caravan frame so i can move it on to the heather moor rs with out problem .Its the only thing doing well .

Olly398

  • Joined Mar 2010
  • Herts
    • Brixton's Bounty
Re: Started a top bar hive
« Reply #34 on: April 28, 2014, 01:33:59 pm »
Hi SSS, thanks for your reply, its really helpful.
 
Do you have a disease officer in your association? If you do, it is worth giving them some of your bees to look at if you have not cleared them. We have a lovely chap who will whisk them under a microscope to do a 'post mortem'. This may indicate any other internal nasties for future reference.

Good suggestion for next time, thanks.
 
Quote
Unless you have a uber desire to go 'conventional' hives and TBH, I would stick with one or the other.  The reason being is that to swap bits, eggs, brood etc etc becomes a lot harder if you have differing hive types.  I run my 'square' hives for honey and my TBH's for cut comb and wax. But I have to accept that I can not 'rob peter to pay paul' if I need to.  It also becomes harder to merge colonies if its required.

Yep, this really hit home when we tried re-queening the TBH with national brood...  very tricky. I know it will be a pain to run two types, but I think it would be pig-headed to continue down the TBH only route, with nobody to help from the BKA, limitations to my beekeeping knowledge and a first year failure...  so I want to run a framed hive, so I can learn more and interact more with my BKA chums.
 
When I say a 'conventional' hive though, it will be a Rose OSB with no queen excluder...  I built three boxes and a dozen fames yesterday.
 
Quote
Over the winter I run with the bottom boards in the TBH's, but leave a gap for debris and air to circulate. The bee's will propolis it closed if its too drafty.

Good idea

Quote
I am surprised there are not more people running top bar hives in your area you can 'bounce' off. There may well be some but they are in the closet. I was for a bit with my BKA. There are some TBH forums out there with lots of tips.
We are a really small BKA. I will continue to fly the flag!

Quote
Unless you have someone in your BKA selling reasonably priced nucs I would advise against buying commercial ones. They are very expensive in my opinion. Especially when starting out it can be very costly. I know some do not agree but I would wait till the swarming season and get a free one. There are gambles about disease, unknown temperament and an old queen etc. However if you make a mistake as you build your skills and knowledge there is less financial loss.

I am lucky, there are a couple of folks in the club who will help me with reasonable nucs. I will use one of these to get the Rose hive going.
 
I might also try to catch a swarm to re-populate the TBH. This is the easiest way (even if I wanted to throw money at it).

Quote
Not sure if any of that helps.

Yes! Thanks for that  :wave:
also blogging at...

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