Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => TOP BAR HIVES - WARRE HIVES - LONG HIVES => Topic started by: jennybrobst on July 19, 2012, 08:22:14 AM

Title: overwintering a topbar hive
Post by: jennybrobst on July 19, 2012, 08:22:14 AM
HI I am a new beekeeper this year and I was wondering if anyone knew how to overwinter a topbar hive here in Northeast Pennsylvania or show me a link that could tell/show me Thanks.
Title: Re: overwintering a topbar hive
Post by: larabee on July 22, 2012, 12:15:59 PM
You might check Sam Comfort's information at Anarchy Apiaries or Michael Bush's information.  Sam is geographically closer.  Michael has good general information.

Good luck
Title: Re: overwintering a topbar hive
Post by: llgoddj on July 24, 2012, 05:15:52 PM
Hi, I am also new, since May, and live in New York, downstate, Long Island. Not very difficult that I can see. I plan on putting fiberglass insulation on top of my top bars in the roof area, and then on the bottom end I have a hinged bottom bracket so I can clean the entire hive, and it is also screened below.  So I plan on opening up the hinged area and also placing a very thin layer of either fiberglass or a thin packing material that is rolled and air filled.  not bubble wrap but more like a foam insulation kind of like what they use for computer wrapping.

Larry, good luck
Title: Re: overwintering a topbar hive
Post by: gardeningfireman on July 25, 2012, 04:41:42 PM
Last fall, I just stapled 1/4" foam sheets on the hive and then wrapped it with roofing felt. It was a mild winter, but they did just fine here in NE OH. I will do it again this fall.