A newbie Beek and her adventures

[reinbeau]

Keep in mind the wax takes an enormous amount of energy for the bees to produce - there's a reason why so many beekeepers use conventional Langstroth hives. The top bars are fine, I'm not against them, I just wouldn't run with them. A friend of mine has one as an experiment, he doesn't think it'll make it through the winter, though, it's very weak - not because it's top bar, the bees just didn't do well for him this summer.

 

[Beekissed]

I read something about the langstroth artificial comb structure had bigger hexagons than normal comb and it causes the bees to work harder to build accordingly? Does that sound right?

 

[me&thegals]

Also.....I like being different than most folks and I haven't seen anything like them around here.

Hee--hee If I'm being completely honest, I have to admit that was part of the appeal for me, too!

The MEN article hinted about this design being better for the hygiene of the hive and bees but never elaborated. Me&the gals, what do you know about that? Better, worse, or the same as the typical box hives?

Here are the pros as I see them (and have read):

1. The bees only build the comb they need. There is no extra foundation or comb to protect from hive beetles, wax moths, etc.

2. There is little/no chemical buildup. That boughten wax foundation comes from other people's hives. I don't know the process it goes through, (as far as disease-carrying capabilities) but it is known to develop quite a buildup of toxins.

3. Some people believe that smaller cells (which bees eventually build when left to their own devices) disrupt the cycle of the varroa mite. They believe that as the bees regress in size, developing more quickly in their cells, the mites are not able to fully mature before the bees "hatch." Or something like that. It's under debate.

Other pros:

1. The bees build whatever sizes they want. I think they can rework foundation too, but I hear they actually build QUICKER on foundationless (see Michael Bush's website) and can have multiple cell sizes in one bar. I see this frequently in my hives.

2. Because the comb is not attached on sides and bottom (for topbars), I hear the bees are better able to communicate through their dances, the movements of which are better able to be transmitted through the free-hanging comb.

3. Ok--this one is just for me, not the bees--but it is truly awe inspiring to see your lovely glob of bees hanging from the bars where you have dumped them, then come back in a week and see beautiful, white, pristine wax being formed from inside their mass. All on their own. Just amazing.

 

[me&thegals]

So does anyone know if there's a Backyard Bees forum?

Is this something one can do in, say, your normal run-of-the-mill-subdivision back yard?

There is!! But it's not related to BYC or SS. Also, check out beesource.com, biosbees.com and forum.beemaster.com. All great sites!

You will see many pictures and hear from many, many people who do, in fact, keep their bees in town. They fence them, tuck them into corners, put them on their decks, porches and roofs, even! You could find tips on these forums for getting your bees to fly up high when leaving the hive to avoid problems with nearby foot traffic.

 

[me&thegals]

Keep in mind the wax takes an enormous amount of energy for the bees to produce - there's a reason why so many beekeepers use conventional Langstroth hives. The top bars are fine, I'm not against them, I just wouldn't run with them. A friend of mine has one as an experiment, he doesn't think it'll make it through the winter, though, it's very weak - not because it's top bar, the bees just didn't do well for him this summer.

My friend got 4 Langstroth and I got 2 topbars, splitting mid-summer to 3. She definitely got MUCH more honey than I. I need to talk to her about how her hives are doing. My sense was that mine built up much more quickly than hers did, but somewhere along the line the balance shifted. I'm not sure if it is hive type difference or hive management (I accidentally allowed mine to swarm several times).

I wish there were really excellent studies, but I doubt there are enough topbars in America for an excellent scientific study on bee health, honey production, wax production, etc.

One thing that I think we could all agree on is that topbars take more frequent management. When I saw my hives were getting prepped for swarming, with a Langstroth I could have slapped on another box, bad weather or not. The topbar design required me to get into the hive to add bars, which I couldn't do in the rain, and they swarmed. Same with busy times of the year. I needed about an hour to really work the entire hive, time I couldn't find in Aug and Sept, and I believe they swarmed again then. Of course, this also points out how incredibly well and fast they kept building up in those topbars!

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks for the info, Me&thegals! It was very helpful and has really helped me to make my decision. I will be looking further into it and finding just the right design but I really like the thought of building my own hives. Should be an adventure!

I like the idea that they allow the bees to produce more naturally.....I'm all about animals living as natural a life as possible.

 

[reinbeau]

Thanks for the info, Me&thegals! It was very helpful and has really helped me to make my decision. I will be looking further into it and finding just the right design but I really like the thought of building my own hives. Should be an adventure!

I like the idea that they allow the bees to produce more naturally.....I'm all about animals living as natural a life as possible.

Bee, a great resource for building your own hives is on the Beesource information site. Lots of other good info there, too - but the community is rather elitist, and not very friendly.

 

[me&thegals]

Thanks for the info, Me&thegals! It was very helpful and has really helped me to make my decision. I will be looking further into it and finding just the right design but I really like the thought of building my own hives. Should be an adventure!

I like the idea that they allow the bees to produce more naturally.....I'm all about animals living as natural a life as possible.

Awesome-have fun! Don't get stuck in the thinking I had, which is that I HAD to follow plans. Really, you can make them out of anything. Just consider the physics of the comb, in that you don't want a really narrow and deep bar, which would be a lot of weight on a small bar and more easily broken.

I'm telling you, there is nothing like chomping into that first amazing piece of honeycomb! Actually, it's exactly how I got my very first tongue sting!! First I was like this: . Then, I was like this Of course, the story about my greediness leads people to do this:

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks for the info, Me&thegals! It was very helpful and has really helped me to make my decision. I will be looking further into it and finding just the right design but I really like the thought of building my own hives. Should be an adventure!

I like the idea that they allow the bees to produce more naturally.....I'm all about animals living as natural a life as possible.

Bee, a great resource for building your own hives is on the Beesource information site. Lots of other good info there, too - but the community is rather elitist, and not very friendly.

Yeah, Ann....been there and done that. Did NOT buy the T-shirt! Those folks were less than cordial.

I really like the people at Beemaster.com and the one fellow from WV has such a great web page with pics of all the hive diseases and what to look for when trying to trouble shoot, how to requeen a hive, etc.

I was wondering if one could convert a plastic barrel into a top bar hive, with a few modifications for ventilation and such? You know, cut it in half or even take off the top 1/3rd of the barrel, lengthwise, and use this?

 

[Beekissed]

Hey, guys! The fellows at Beemaster linked me to a great webpage of a fella who has constructed TBHs from a plastic barrel! Check it out!

http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/barrel-top-bar-hive/

Was wondering just how deep you could make these and if the bees would build their combs accordingly? That would be the neatest thing but difficult to lift out without breaking it off, I imagine.