Hello everyone
Any top bar keepers out there?
cider
Oh yes, there are several here.
SH
Yes.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm)
YEP
Me too
i am very interested into building a top bar hive and keeping a hive. :)
I have just one.
I had three. Lost one, learned from it and will re-populate that particular hive when I get the chance. Now I have two, one doing great and the other has bees from a cut out and a bought queen from a man who sells them about an hour from where I live.. She is laying and I'm very glad that I tied a lot of the cut-out comb to some of the top bars.. Are currently feeding that hive a 1:1 sugar water mix with 2 tsp of Pro Health (experiment).
Top Bar hives are easy to love and I recommend checking out Michael Bush's website and just use his plans for the Kenyan Top Bar.. Doesn't get much simpler than that. [=
-John B
I'd wanted to play around with a top bar hive next year but can't find exactly what I'd like...which would be a modified kenyan tbh using medium foundationless frames and a double screened bottom board with door I could slide cookie sheets with oil on them to kill SHB's.
I could use the medium frames in my other hives, and kill SHB's and not lift supers...it'd be pretty cool.
I am going into my first winter with a top bar and love it. Do not know much about the other type of hives but my TB was low maintenance. Those bees sure know what they are doing.
I agree with BeeNinja. If the bees could talk they'd say "alright, we'll take it from here!" once ya plop them in a top bar hive.
>which would be a modified kenyan tbh using medium foundationless frames and a double screened bottom board
That's this one, except it has a single screened bottom board and no tray for the SHB:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeshorizontalhives.htm (http://www.bushfarms.com/beeshorizontalhives.htm)
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/TTBHOpen.JPG (http://www.bushfarms.com/images/TTBHOpen.JPG)
You can put medium frames in it or just top bars...
first timer here. learned a lot this season. maybe ill call myself a beekeeper next year...joking, of coarse but it as been an eye opener.