@evertkleynhans2617 fantastic 👏 Hope that we can help you with your beekeeping journey! Feel free to pop in and see us when you are in the KZN area, it'll be great to meet you 😀
The method that suits me best: top bar hive but with Langstroff frames. The hives are in my yard and are not meant to be moved. I built them from thick wood [3 cm] which allows the bees better insulation. Advantages: 1. I don't have to bend over. 2. When I open the hive not all the frames are exposed and the bees remain relatively calm. 3. As you said, you can add or subtract frames - I can take out 2 frames with honey and just reduce the space. The known disadvantage - apparently the bees produce less honey in these hives. Since I only want honey for home consumption - 2 hives give me a sufficient amount for eating and making mead.
You can use rescue bars, which have wire bent to hook comb onto. I have langs and top bars. Many beeks who have langs do not understand how top bars work and do not like them because of that. Good reasons to have a top bar hive are many. Here are a few of the most popular. Being there are no heavy boxes to move, they are well suited for people who would find that difficult or impossible. Everything is also sitting at one level, making it accessible to those in wheelchairs or who may not be able to bend over. It allows for the harvest of wax and comb honey. The bees are free to build cells the size they need. Langstroth tried to make the cell sizes bigger, under the impression bigger bees would make more honey. However it just makes more room in the cell...for mites. In general, tbh require less intervention, than langs, and can have healthier populations. The colony also has better temperature regulation in tbh. They are a good way to enter beekeeping with minimal investment. Lang equipment sure gets expensive in a hurry. It also teaches beginning beeks more natural bee behavior, before getting into langs which require much more manipulation..of all those heavy boxes. There are reasons for keeping bees besides honey. People who can't wrap their mind around that ansl can't wrap their mind around top bars. Maybe some people just enjoy keeping bees and dont want it to suck Also, Kenyan top bars were invented in Canada, inspired by a greek design. They were first used on an international project in Kenya, where the are in fact commonly used because the can be suspended, thus protecting them from animals.
The gaps can be filled with shims thin peaces of top barr wood u by doing one bar at a time not disturbing the whole colony... and the was can be used for candles and other products .. for the home bee keeper thay are better than longstoths
This particular hive was fairly easy. However the Scutellata bees are well known for being quite Fiesty. They are brilliant producers, but are very defensive.
Excellent I have lately bought 10 longitudinal hives. It’s a similar concept but the frames can be spun. Frames are brooder frames size. So far so good but I won’t be able to move them easily
That's awesome 👌 thank you for watching 🤗 Maybe you can send us a video of yourself doing a hive inspection on it and we can share your experience with the beekeeping community 😉 🤗 +27 82 533 6099 Kristie
Hi Kristie, I'm from Rustenburg (NW) and want to get into beekeeping. Glad to have discovered your channel.
@evertkleynhans2617 fantastic 👏
Hope that we can help you with your beekeeping journey! Feel free to pop in and see us when you are in the KZN area, it'll be great to meet you 😀
The method that suits me best: top bar hive but with Langstroff frames. The hives are in my yard and are not meant to be moved. I built them from thick wood [3 cm] which allows the bees better insulation. Advantages: 1. I don't have to bend over. 2. When I open the hive not all the frames are exposed and the bees remain relatively calm. 3. As you said, you can add or subtract frames - I can take out 2 frames with honey and just reduce the space. The known disadvantage - apparently the bees produce less honey in these hives. Since I only want honey for home consumption - 2 hives give me a sufficient amount for eating and making mead.
Some top bar beekeepers put queen excluders on the entrances for the first few weeks to keep the queen from leaving.
You can use rescue bars, which have wire bent to hook comb onto. I have langs and top bars. Many beeks who have langs do not understand how top bars work and do not like them because of that.
Good reasons to have a top bar hive are many. Here are a few of the most popular.
Being there are no heavy boxes to move, they are well suited for people who would find that difficult or impossible. Everything is also sitting at one level, making it accessible to those in wheelchairs or who may not be able to bend over.
It allows for the harvest of wax and comb honey.
The bees are free to build cells the size they need. Langstroth tried to make the cell sizes bigger, under the impression bigger bees would make more honey. However it just makes more room in the cell...for mites.
In general, tbh require less intervention, than langs, and can have healthier populations.
The colony also has better temperature regulation in tbh.
They are a good way to enter beekeeping with minimal investment. Lang equipment sure gets expensive in a hurry.
It also teaches beginning beeks more natural bee behavior, before getting into langs which require much more manipulation..of all those heavy boxes.
There are reasons for keeping bees besides honey. People who can't wrap their mind around that ansl can't wrap their mind around top bars.
Maybe some people just enjoy keeping bees and dont want it to suck
Also, Kenyan top bars were invented in Canada, inspired by a greek design. They were first used on an international project in Kenya, where the are in fact commonly used because the can be suspended, thus protecting them from animals.
Fantastic comment thank you for allthat extra info 😀 👍 👏 😊
The gaps can be filled with shims thin peaces of top barr wood u by doing one bar at a time not disturbing the whole colony... and the was can be used for candles and other products .. for the home bee keeper thay are better than longstoths
Sounds like you have a good plan 😉 thank you for sharing this with us.
Agreed... more suited for the backyard beekeeper. 😉👍😊
Hi
The bees are easy to handle by the looks of it..
What variety of bee are they please?
This particular hive was fairly easy. However the Scutellata bees are well known for being quite Fiesty. They are brilliant producers, but are very defensive.
Grand! What size are your top bar frames?
Tôi thích giống ong này
Are these Mellifera bees?
That's correct 😉👍Apis mellifera Scutellata
because wheels haven't been invented yet?
Excellent
I have lately bought 10 longitudinal hives.
It’s a similar concept but the frames can be spun.
Frames are brooder frames size.
So far so good but I won’t be able to move them easily
That's awesome 👌 thank you for watching 🤗
Maybe you can send us a video of yourself doing a hive inspection on it and we can share your experience with the beekeeping community 😉 🤗 +27 82 533 6099 Kristie