Hi I am new to the keeping community and have been looking for plans on how to build a kenyan top bar bee hive as well as an wyre top bar bee hive if any one has some that they can share with me that would be awsome and i will be much thankful for them. I live in Catalina Az. and will be home latter this evening for I have to go to work. thanks to all and I hope to get to know all of ya.
Dracono
google,, bushfarms , Or google,, top bar hive plans
Quote from: Dracono on February 19, 2010, 01:31:49 PM
Hi I am new to the keeping community and have been looking for plans on how to build a kenyan top bar bee hive as well as an wyre top bar bee hive if any one has some that they can share with me that would be awsome and i will be much thankful for them. I live in Catalina Az. and will be home latter this evening for I have to go to work. thanks to all and I hope to get to know all of ya.
Dracono
Having only been in b'king for the last year, I would suggest you stick to the basic hive most everyone uses for a while, untill you have a little more experience under your belt, follow "the kid's" reccomendations, also search tis forum good for top bar post, and then when you are experienced enough, and ready you will know how to proceed.
Go with whatever hive interests you IMO. The fundamentals are the same for the most part, it's just a different style of hive. Starting out with a TBH is no different that starting out with a langstroth if you don't know any different. They are cheap and easy to build and you can benefit from the natural comb. Also said, to answer your question, check out the following:
http://bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm (http://bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm)
http://topbarbees.wordpress.com/about/design/ (http://topbarbees.wordpress.com/about/design/)
I'm sure you can find lots more info out on Google as suggested.
There's a free book of plans online that are easy to follow. §¤«£¿æ (www.§¤«£¿æ.com (http://www.xn--9abir5hok.com)) He's in England but since top bar hives are not precise, using American wood measurements doesn't create too much of a problem. (this post was all garbled - what gives? I've tried to modify and it still is garbled - is §¤«£¿æ a dirty word??) Well, it stays garbled no matter what I do - if you want to know, PM me and I'll try it that way.
Linda T in Atlanta
my advice...
study as many books that teach about honey bee biology and 'natural' behaviors.
Once you get a grasp of what honey bees do on their own, you can get an idea of how you want to work with them in a managed situation and what type of beekeeper you want to bee.
Also, have in mind what you exxpect from beekeeping while you plan. Are you interested in producing honey and selling or sharing it? Are you interested in harvesting other products from the hive like wax and propolis instead?
Are you more interested in the hobby or conservation or pollination or breeding and selling of bees? Based on what your intent is will have a big impact on how you manage and work with the bees.
Just for my own two cents, I believe that 'traditional' langstroth hives are better suited to those who intend to harvest regularly from a beehive. I personally think that horizontal tbh hives are very much in line with hobby and conservation, even breeding interests.
I don't personally beleive that one gains 'better' experience from following 'traditional hive usage, I think the best way you will gain experience is by helping out and getting hands on experience helping a beekeeper who has been keeping hives, whatever type of hives, alive for more than a couple of years before you get your own bees.
But that is only an 'ideal' in my thinking and not always practical. So first and foremost, be willing to accept advice and have the fortitude of independent thought to take others advice, like mine here, only as advice and use the education you get from learning about bees to make your own educated decisions.
most of all, have fun with your bees.
Big Bear
Keep it simple, is what I say - but you know that! :-P Hehe.
I would mimic what others have said. If you are starting off stick with what the community is using. It won't be any easier than starting off a different way, but it's alot easier to ask for help, borrow equipment, use extractors, buy hives, sell hives, transfer brood, ect if everyone's equipment matches up. Especially since (at least around here) the majority of beekeepers are 'set in their ways', if you have a Kenyan TBH and you have a problem, most beeks would scratch their head and say "Um . . . I don't know about yours, but mine do ___."
Use the community that you have. In order to utilize the community, you have to have the same equipment.
I want to start off by saying thank you to EVERY ONE for all of your advise. I am ever so greatful to every ones ideas and knowladge.
On a 2nd note I scored big time today. I went to this construction site and asked if I can have some of there scraped lumber and they had truely blessed me with a truck load of lumber. and they even told me to come by next friday for more. He said its a win/win for the both of us he doesnt have to pay for a laborer to clean up the job site and pay for trash removel and I get free wood.
I do not think that if I usd osb would make a big diffarance for hives while I am just starting off. and I have so much off it I will be able to give some away also. and it gives me a chance to exparment with so many differant hive plans that I have obtained resantly I am so excited now I just need the rain to stop and go away so I can get to work.....
I do have other questions also.
I heard some one saying the term "rabit" what is that? they where refering to some kind of bee space.
also do we have hive beetals here in az? and what is volva? I havent quit got it yet?
tillie, stay away from the garbled stuff. If you can't read it and it is from an unknown source, you can get your computer in "BIG" trouble. Been there done that. Lost every thing. Not saying there is anyone on this site that would do this, but it can happen. As soon as I see anything like that I delete it ASAP and don't go back to it. I use and under stand one language, and I make a mess out of it. :roll: ;)
Buy the way how is your bees doing? didn't you loose some due to the floods back in the fall? :)doak
May I ask a question? Did you get the idea of doing top bar hive from reading Mother earth News?
Dracono, read Mr. Bush's website regarding the pests you mentioned. You'll want to Google search or ask someone in AZ if the hive beetles are there (I suspect yes since they are in PA). Also, the varroa, you can find on his site also and Google. Lots of info on both in this site. As far as the rabbet...that's a type of carpentry joint. http://www.dixieline.com/woodjoint/woodjoints.htm (http://www.dixieline.com/woodjoint/woodjoints.htm)
No I got the idea from a friend here on the forum and she happends to be my girl friends cousin and she has ben helping me out with alot of hands on...
and no I did not loose any bee's I have not yet recived bee's I have two hives up now and am looking to put up a bigger kenyan top bar hive or a werre or maybe both....
I may be able to do both...
some one had also asked me what kind of bee keeping am I going to be doing....
Well I currently sell raw honey and spices.... So I think I will be keeping bee's for the use of harvesting the honey for sell as well as a hobby....
I have a few more questions.....
how do you make a queen exculder for a square tbh? and how do you make a pollan catcher for a tbh? and how about a feeder?
and what do you meen by the garbled stuff? are you talking about web sites? if so I am a computer nerd. I have plenty of protection on my computers that if I wanted to I could down load many viruses and just need to restart my puter and its back to norm.... check out deep freeze you wil love it. if you need to know where to find it look up google this page "katz.cd" you can dowm load it for free. the best softwere ever.
Bee space is the space bees naturally leave to go around ends, top, and bottom of the comb.
Any thing larger they will build burr comb, smaller and they will seal it up with bee clue.
I think the space is something like 3/16th of an inch. When you put the frames in the hive body, the space between the end bars on the frame and the end board of the hive body is bee space. Got it? :)doak
That is why they don't attach the comb to the side of the Top Bar Hive sides.
Just like painting a floor in a room that has only one door, start painting at the door and paint your self into the corner, then you have to walk out on the fresh painted floor. :roll:
gotcha but I wouldnt start at the door I would start at the far end and work my way out lol :evil: thanks on the info
Some things I have about a tbh
1 its a step back much like say owning a Model T car hey it would be cool to have one but not practical to drive. See the langstroth hive has been around for 158 years. its the modren hive say a nice sleek toyota prius. were a TBH is the modle T nothing wrong with it be cool to have one.
2 there are no inter changeble parts from one hive to another much like trying to find parts for a model T.
3 when you poen your TBH you might ruin the comb because they the bees desided to go crazy and attach it top to bottom. then when you harvest the honey you destroy the comb. were I uncapp spin put back to clean store use again next season. i can move equitment from hive to hive if needed. TBH maybe.
I would just start beekeeping using a Langstroth hive. then use a TBH for fun have the modren hive and the Model T later your will learn more have fun and be able to use standard equitment found any were.
I just want to point out some down sides to a TBH thats all. and I do have one TBH just for fun.
As I stated in my previous post, better to be a little educated, and experienced in an endeavor before starting to experiment.
There are enough posts on this and other beekeeping forums that shed a lot mot factual information on how top bar hives really work than you will find in this thread.
Please just read all you can and make you own, educated judgment. Whatever type of hive you decide to use, be it langstroth or tbh or whatever must in the end work best for you and your intentions regardless of what anyone else thinks or uses. After all, you are the one working those hives so it must work for you.
have fun, enjoy the bees,
Big Bear
Wow EVERY one here is great I thank every one and each of you for all of your info and idea's.
I am now building hives and am getting a grip in things. I am getting ready to do some beeking for this year and have the time of my life with it.
Its going to start out as a hobby but into a business I hope.
I was out selling honey and spices today and I had a costumer stop by and she said she would love for me to put hives onto her back 40 acre's.
Now just curious how many hive do you all sudjest to an acre?
Quote from: Dracono on February 21, 2010, 01:07:44 AM
No I got the idea from a friend here on the forum and she happends to be my girl friends cousin and she has ben helping me out with alot of hands on...
Oh, hi!! That' would be me. :)
Bee season is just getting underway hereabouts... as Dracono has been saying. :)
Quote from: Dracono on February 21, 2010, 09:53:40 PM
Wow EVERY one here is great I thank every one and each of you for all of your info and idea's.
I am now building hives and am getting a grip in things. I am getting ready to do some beeking for this year and have the time of my life with it.
Its going to start out as a hobby but into a business I hope.
I was out selling honey and spices today and I had a costumer stop by and she said she would love for me to put hives onto her back 40 acre's.
Now just curious how many hive do you all sudjest to an acre?
The acerage is probably not 40 acres, as the term the back 40 is an old and widely used saying in the past. If you planted something away from the house, it was usually termed to be in the back 40.