Someone came over to my house and dropped off a top-bar bee hive. He built it himself and wanted to give it to me since i have bees. This is my first year and i'm not sure what to do. I thought about it and decided that once new bees start emerging in my langstroth hive and the population starts growing pretty quickly ill shake some bees into the top-bar hive and order a queen to go in with them. (Im assuming that its too late to get packages plus im already 400$ down the hole with my original hive.) Is this okay or is there another way?
You will need something to hold them there -- brood and eggs on some comb attached to the top bar(s) will do it i willmyield thebfloor to somebody who has donenitnfor a more complete answer. I will be interested in seeingnwhat they say.
Sorry about the garbled words. Hopefully you can tell what I wasbtrying to say.
Quote from: Dallasbeek on May 09, 2019, 10:09:04 PM
You will need something to hold them there -- brood and eggs on some comb attached to the top bar(s) will do it i willmyield thebfloor to somebody who has donenitnfor a more complete answer. I will be interested in seeingnwhat they say.
I can tell what you were trying to say. Those pesky keys next to the space bar.
I have used my langs to draw out top bars for friends. How does the length work out? 19" or shorter?
Based on the situation described, the best advice I can give you is to give it back.
It has no value to you other than to be repurposed for storage. Set it out somewhere and store your beekeeper suit and tools and supplies in it. Or set it next to your patio and use it as a beverage cooler or storage locker.
Seriously. Please, do not put bees in it.
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Hey now, I love my Top Bar Hive. I like the visibility of sloped sides to see what's going on inside and monitor it. I must qualify, I am a hobbyist, NOT a commercial op.
The TBH is a brood FACTORY. The bees crank out brood in that hive better than in any other. I have to keep an eye on it, but that's ok, it's at my house. When it's looking crowded, hey! make a split or take brood to strengthen another hive.
Here's how to bring brood into a Lang hive:
Sink two 1-1/4" drywall screws through a Lang frame top and into a selected TBH Bar (while the TBH is closed). The bees don't even know you've got a drill driver. Lift out the bar and Voila! It fits a Lang deep.
If your bees are calm, you can add the Lang frame's prenailed bottom & sides using a battery nailer to the top frame. Depending on your TBH's size, comb may need to have the bottom 1" trimmed with a kitchen knife.
I've never had comb collapse as long as there has been a few rounds of brood, since the cocoons make foundationless comb thick and rubbery. Honey is harvested from white-wax capped comb. No extractor, just a knife and some waxed paper to catch the drips.
But it doesn't transfer easily from Lang to TBH.
If you're going to have only one TBH, I suggest building a little TBH nuc to put a split into. Just to manage all the bees it cranks out.