Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[sgtmom52]

I have a question. So far, I've yet to get any bees. But I'm building a Top Bar Hive. There are bees available locally but here's my problem: You have to buy the physical hive and all. How to transfer to a top bar hive? Please don't ask me why I want to do that. I do, and my question is how, or if it's no feasble, tell me that too and why. Thanks!

The best way to put bees into a top bar hive is to get a "package" of bees ~ usually 3 pounds of bees and a mated queen in a box. You can then just put the queen in her cage into the hive and dump the rest of the bees in. They will release the queen in a couple of days.

A swarm is also an excellent way to populate a top bar hive as swarms are "wax building machines" and will quickly draw out comb.


A nuc that comes with frames of bees would be difficult to put into a top bar hive as the frames would not fit and it is hard to transfer the bees without the frames. A nuc usually comes with 3 to 5 frames of bees, brood, honey and a mated queen.

 

[dbcooper02]

I've decided to go with the top bar hives too. Last week I started looking into them on line and garnered most of my information from the sites maintained by Philip Chandler, The Barefoot Beekeeper, and Christy Hemenway of Gold Star Honeybees. I was able to learn enough from their offerings to draw up my own plan and build my own from scratch. I even figured out how to cut the beveled point top bars on a table saw. I had enough materials on hand to build the first and get a good start on the second. I had to buy a couple of 1X12s and some misc. hardware as well as the glass for the observation windows to complete them, but I figure my total expenditure for two/thirty bar hives will come in at under $100. Here's some pix of the first. I haven't drilled the entrance holes yet, or painted the top. Now for the long wait till next spring when I can populate them.

 

[Queen Bee]

Since I was a little girl, I wanted bees! I have always been fascinated with them. So 13yrs ago, I got two hives, then it was four, then six and now I have 7 hives.. I LOVE every minute of it.. I don't sell my honey, I give it as gifts and to barter with.. Just the thought of my honeybees bring me such joy.. ... I hope you will continue to enjoy your hives!

 

[ThePigeonKid]

I've decided to go with the top bar hives too. Last week I started looking into them on line and garnered most of my information from the sites maintained by Philip Chandler, The Barefoot Beekeeper, and Christy Hemenway of Gold Star Honeybees. I was able to learn enough from their offerings to draw up my own plan and build my own from scratch. I even figured out how to cut the beveled point top bars on a table saw. I had enough materials on hand to build the first and get a good start on the second. I had to buy a couple of 1X12s and some misc. hardware as well as the glass for the observation windows to complete them, but I figure my total expenditure for two/thirty bar hives will come in at under $100. Here's some pix of the first. I haven't drilled the entrance holes yet, or painted the top. Now for the long wait till next spring when I can populate them.

Nice!

 

[sgtmom52]

Since I was a little girl, I wanted bees! I have always been fascinated with them. So 13yrs ago, I got two hives, then it was four, then six and now I have 7 hives.. I LOVE every minute of it.. I don't sell my honey, I give it as gifts and to barter with.. Just the thought of my honeybees bring me such joy.. ... I hope you will continue to enjoy your hives!

I know exactly what you are talking about. For me it was 7 years ago I got my first hive ~ now I have 17 in 3 different locations (soon to be 4) and am President of my County Beekeepers Assoc. I just spent the last 10 days at our County fair working our Beekeepers information stand.

 

[galanie]

Nice top bar hive there! Mine is built with old cabinet lumber, from way back when they were built from pine 1x12 (1950's). So the outside is covered with ducks, the old shelf paper. And the legs are pallet lumber while the top is made from a political sign. It's a sight but 100% free of cost except for the screws. I plan to put it under a roof.

Hard to explain but my coop is an old shed with a sort of covered "porch" in front. Half the "porch" area is sectioned off with fencing and extends out that way to make a covered run. The other section is separate and open and a hive would be protected from the weather and shaded while still being more than 200 feet from any houses and fairly private.

Question: How wide are your bars? I cut a few at 1 3/8" and they look narrow to me.

 

[jtbrown]

Wow, nice top bar hive.

I went out with a friend of mine Saturday morning to help her tend to her 5 hives. I had a blast. Got stung once through my jeans (surprised me), but we had a warning, the hive buzzed differently than the others, and sure enough, I got it. My jeans were the weakest link, as the rest of me was properly covered.

My birthday was in August, and I got 2 hives for my birthday. Well, we haven't ordered them, but I will, they will be combined birthday and Christmas present. I will paint them and then get my bee groove on in the spring.

I am so excited, I have wanted bees for the last few years, but was unwilling to commit to buy hives until I had a chance to go with a friend and get a feel for it. I can do it. Such an interesting feeling, spending my life avoiding bothering bees if they are pollinating in the garden, etc. Then to hold the brood on a bar and see the queen -- AWESOME! Even the one little sting wasn't bad, I don't react too much to stings though, so that is good. Loved it, I cannot wait to get mine, I will be watching this thread closely now!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Welcome everyone!

Really nice top bar hive.

 

[dbcooper02]

I cut the bars at 1 3/8" because that what I found in my reading. The Gold Star kit includes spacers with the top bars so you can space them wider if needed.
Post # 25 in this thread shows a top bar with the comb attached. It looks wide enough in that context.

 

[Twisted-Rooster]

I too started just this spring with 2 hives and the more I read about the top bar hive I built my own just this past week...I don't have pic's yet but will post some later today!!! I started with nuc's with the standard box hives and one queen must be a laying machine...I was able to be rewarded with some late summer honey. I plan on having more hives and mostly TBH's next year...I have a few relatives who have asked to place a hive in their gardens...Will down load pic's later....