Hello to all! I have been an organic gardener for many years and recently been attending the local bee keeper club meetings (and joined the club.) My father-in-law is building a top bar hive for my family while I have been doing research (educating myself about bees) - there is much to learn! I am interested in talking to anyone who has a top bar hive and some advice for a newbie.
A little about where we live: our neighborhood has large lots (2.5 acres or more) where we are allowed to have livestock and poultry (we have chickens and guineas). We have a large vegetable garden and serveral flower beds. We also have many mesquite trees in the neighborhood which I have been told the bees work in spring (bloom time) and we have a few fruit trees in our yard. We also have been planting blooming bushes and shrubs in preparation for getting a hive. I have tried to get clover established in parts of our yard but last year we had a drought so it didn't do so well (I will keep working on that.)
I look forward to getting to know other people who love gardening and bees!
Welcome to the forum. I do have a tbh but it has frames. I had built the tbh and a guy in the club I'm in gave me some bees in a tbh nuc. I hadn't opened them until I got them home and they had built their comb on the sides none on the bars. I built frames on my topbars where I could tie the comb in. Since I need a few done that way when ahead a did the entire hive. Works pretty good. On you planting flowering plants, I have also, but they range huge areas. Good luck with your bees.
Joe
Welcome to the forum.
Welcome to the site!
Thank you for the welcome and the info about your tbh.
Welcome to the forum Pearl.