Tips for working with a Top Bar Hive by Becca's Bees
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ส.ค. 2016
- While inspecting Queen Victoria's Hive I share some tips for working smoothing and quietly with the bees. Covering techniques specifically for working with top bar hives.
Great work. I fixed aload of cross combing in my hive yesterday it was a disaster. I felt so guilty I fed them.
Nice work, keep it up.
Hello Larry
I used to keep bees the old way. I've had one top bar hive, and will start again this spring. I like top bar hives better. Your video was helpful.
Thanks, that was helpful. I am beginning bee keeping and I'm going to start with a top bar hive and I appreciate the tips you gave, they were very clear and concise.
How did it go? Did you get a hive?
Very helpful video - especially the part of jiggling top bars to move bees out of the way.
No need to use smoke in a TBH. A mist spray is enough to get their heads down.
good job Larry ! I m still learning too with my top bars hive;; specially how to harvest as bees are mixing everything in same combs ,,,, honey pollen brood......
Thank you, very informative
Hi from Texas. Very nice, ill be looking for the construction plans to make my own.
Thanks for the video. I just got bees in my top bar hive about a week ago and I'm studying up before going through it for the first time.
Hope you have great success !!
I recently got a top bar hive and I’m going to start a hive this September. Thanks a lot, this helps!!!!!
Thanks for the video. I just built my top bar hive this week and got my bees two days ago. It's good to get tips just a bit ahead of me. We have lots to learn!
Good luck. Share photos with me. Larry
That was very enjoyable to watch! It's 2018, and I wish you the best year yet. Thank you for posting this.
Thanks for the great video, Larry! I like your presentation! I'm a newbie, but have had an interest in bees for years.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed. I really enjoy the hobby and the bees.
Mahalo, great video. I've been having the problem where they are building comb on two plus bars. How would I prevent this from happening in future?
سلام جميل👍👍👍👍
Great seeing the informative clear text sticks in the mind. Thanks Larry
Those are some good tips. I've only recently started learning about bees, I knew most of the things that where taught. Though I sure am glad that you know how much to smoke the bees and when it is enough. Some people who post this stuff very commonly over smoke or are too careless about crushing bees. Thank you for showing the right way on the basics. :)
Thank you for your kind comments. Larry
Thanks for the lovely video. It's the only top bar hive video that I've seen that slowly looks at each bar, to share the stage of development. The tips were very helpful. It was pleasant to hear you call the bees guys, when usually people say girls. :)
I have watched close to 60 videos on top bar hive inspection for beginning beekeepers. This is one of the best! Thanks for your work.
-and I think you smoked them just the right amount :)
Wow! Thanks for the high praise. I'm glad you've enjoyed the video. Larry
This was great, thanks, I have been researching "beehive make" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Tiyia Beehive Basophilic - (should be on google have a look ) ? Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my work buddy got excellent success with it.
Good videos,Larry.Hope you enjoy your beekeeping as much as I have for thirty five years now. There is no end to the things you can learn about bees. Guess that is what makes it so interesting.
Thanks Glenn. I've been pulled right into the beekeeping world. I watch and read whatever I can find. I love opening up my hives and I love to watch the bees. And the beekeepers I've met really love to share. Thanks for your comments. I may send you questions if I get stumped. In what region of the country do you live?
Hi Larry thank you for sharing a wonderful video on top bar hives, do your bees overwinter well in top bar hives in NY? What are your survival rates?
Larry, you are a true bee lover! This video is very insightful and inspiring. :-)
thanks Larry I am getting back into bees and using top bar for the first time I need a brush up and your helpful
Thank you for the video. Your style of TBH closely resembles my own hive style. I only use a division board when the colony is young. After they get big enough to patrol the whole box, I pull it out. By doing so, i can give myself a little more room to work than just a one bar gap. There are some instances where you need to reach your whole hand into the box for manipulations. I also find that a cheap chefs knife is better for splitting the bars than a langstroth hive tool
Good tips. Thanks for your comments. Larry
I am a first year beekeeper and am using a top bar. The hive is completely packed now and it looks like I may have some cross combing. There are definitely some crooked combs. I was on a vacation a few weeks ago and that's when things went crooked. I'm thinking that I will get a clean tub and do what I have to do to get things apart again. Hopefully without doing too much damage.
Good luck
Actually I seem to have better luck with my bees by not smoking them, the smoke almost seems to irritate them...
I've found the smoke helps. Cool smoke helps. As the fuel is consumed in the smoker, warm smoke and ash blows out. Keep the smoker full of fuel so it is smothered and cool. I've watched bees attack my smoker when it was blowing hot ash at them.
Hi Larry - nice tips thanks ( from a novice in sunny New Zealand)
That's amazing that my videos are reaching you on the other side of the planet. Glad you enjoyed. Larry
I am building my first top bar hive right now (a cathedral hive). I hear mixed messages about using smoke. Personally, I think I will give a go at not using it. Will all due respect, I do believe smoke stresses the bees, and causes them to gorge on honey. Plus, they associate you as the bee guardian, with the smoke which riles them up a bit which can make you use more smoke to "calm" them down. Maybe I'm setting myself up to get stung, I don't know yet, and I won't know until this spring. All that said, thanks for making this video. It was informative and gives me another perspective on bee guardianship. Thanks for taking the time to keep the bee population alive and well!
Your tips will help me 😊
Thanks. Purchased a KTB hive. It's on it's way. My first hive. It was a tough decision for me, either the Langstroth or a top bar. Both very different.designs. I simply wish to get my bees to make it through the winter. I don't expect to get any honey or wax for now. I felt that the top bar seemed to me to be a bit more bee- friendly, less intrusive. Great tip on that moisture and mold issue with the Tanzanian hive. Best Regards.
Hi Larry.. Brand new to beekeeping and I just collected a wild swarm and put it in my top bar hive 2 days ago. How long before I can open the hive again and do my first inspection?
Hi Chad. Sorry it has taken this long to reply. You should be ok to open the hive by this time. You can tell pretty well how they are doing from the outside by observing bees coming and going. Pick a nice day when the bees are streaming in and out. Don’t stand in their flight path but on opposite end of the hive. Use smoke if at all very sparingly. Let me know what you find and congratulations on catching a swarm.
what hour in a day you inspect your hives, please?
early in the morning? late in the afternoon?
when is better disturb the bees minimizing their stress? thanks! (Italy)
Athamantide Hellè I find early is better as the bees are still slow to be getting busy with their day. Just keep in mind temps as far as brood goes.
Nice video. Thank you.
I've kept bees for forty years, but have never dealt with a top bar hive. Thanx for the education.
That's a neat hive. I'm just getting started how hard is it to set those up for winter? How do you extract that honey? I'm very curious.
Not sure what I'm looking at but on the right side of the camera view there seems to be a gap between the top bars and the side of the hive body. Can you explain if that is on purpose or if it's a design fault.
The roof for the hive is hinged and when it comes down it rests on these side boards. I don't know if they are really required but it not a design fault. I would make sure the boards and roofs are wider than the bars so you have room for your fingers with gloves on. See the video, I think it will help explain.th-cam.com/video/tpuYU_TFXZs/w-d-xo.html
What prevents the bees from attaching the comb to the sides and base of your TBH?
Nothing. They will occasionally attach burr comb between the hive and the sides. They never seem to attach to the bottom of the box. One top bar builder suggested he had the best results preventing attachment by choosing a wall slope angle that a hexagon naturally makes. When removing comb I often have to cut the burr comb. I started with a bread knife but found sliding a hive tool down along the wood sides worked very easily. If I miss this step, I risk tearing the comb apart. As I lift if it seems stuck in place, I check for burr comb. Your biggest concern is having the bees cross comb, which is attaching the top of a single comb to two or more bars. This makes it very difficult to remove comb without tearing it. You need to examine the hive when they are in the process of building a lot of new comb to correct if necessary. Also placing new comb between two established straight combs helps.
I've been looking at top bar hives and have noticed a lack of talking about queen excluders, are they not used with top bars? if so do you just put the queen anywhere?
You can use a divider. You will probably not find one to purchase so you have to buy one large enough and cut it to fit your hive and build a frame so it fits tightly into your hive. You would put the hive between the brood nest and the area where the bees are creating honey stores. As top bars are typically a hobbyist hive, most hobbyist don't bother. Just harvest the honeycombs that are free of brood.
Hi, my first year keeping bees, I'm in the UK. I have two national hives, but want to build a couple of top bar hives for next year.
Knocking the bees off the bars is disturbing for them! It isn't working smoothly and quietly. And you really don't need the smoker unless you are looking into the brood nest. Just move your follower board slightly furthur back so you have a bit more room to work and can gently slide the other bars you look at towards it. Then slide them all back again.
You must have less than 5 hives
bees are cool
hello
But you do provide some nice tips...
Thank you.
Or don't use any smoke at all; I don't and my bees seem to be fine.
I find the smoke helps but it is not always necessary. I'm glad to have the smoker ready when I need help controlling the bees. I appreciate your comments and agree there is more than one way to keep bees.
Thanks for the helpful tips Larry. I appreciate your thoughtful methodical approach. I'm brand new to beekeeping and will be opening my first Top Bar hive this year. Thanks again for sharing.
Good luck and I hope you share how your first Top Bar hive does. I recommend watching this guy's video on Top Bar hive installation. His experience may help you be successful. th-cam.com/video/wZe_OtxOz18/w-d-xo.html
Hello! Lol
Hello Leo. Hope you enjoyed and I welcome questions. Larry
You are lucky enough to be working with a friendly hive. You will learn rather quickly to quit BANGING your equipment if you get a hold of an angry hive. Bulls in China shops make less noise than you. Nothing but your fingers should ever touch that hive, never tools. Learn the lesson before you LEARN the lesson.
Good comments. I try to work quietly.
You smoke them to much,more is less.
I don't feel that I smoke them too much.