I've been hashing trying a TBH for some time but before I try and become a bee mass murderer I have some dumb questions;
1) What mite problems exist? I've become a bottom screen believer. Can these be built with a bottom screen? Would a bottom screen even be beneficial or just a waste of construction time, or even a detriment in winter?
2) What has been the effect of the SHB on the TBH and / or additional management techniques to quash it?
3) Does the type of wood used really make a difference? Better yet, are there any woods I should not use?
Frank :lol:
1)I built mine with a bottom screen buy making the sides attach to the ends and just have the bottom open. I used #8 hardware cloth, cut it to width, and stapled it on the outside, on the bottom. As for mite problems, maybe they'll be reduced. Afterall, sometimes they'll build a brood nest core of small cell.
2)I placed my TBH in dappled sunlight so it could be worked in summer and, so they SHB wouldn't be as present as they would be in the shade. Also, screened bottoms work wonders on SHB given that, even if the eggs hatch, the holes in the screen are usually so big taht they fall through and are eaten by ants.
3)I can't see why wood would make a difference. Just avoid the "pre-treated" stuff. Just be sinsible, don't use wood that's so thin that it will rot immediately (3/8 inch plywood, for instance). Also, if you assemble it like I did mine, use a 1x12 or a 2x12 at the ends so the nails have something firm to go into.
Quote from: fcderosa
1) What mite problems exist? I've become a bottom screen believer. :
Bottom screen does not kill mites, trachea of varroa. If you don't handle bees with chemicals you loose them.
TBH does not save you from mites or what else.
Normal cell beekeepers are tired to write that small cells either save you bees. Often it brings more trouble.
Mine has a screened bottom and is coming along nicely...
http://hh-farms.com/bees/topbar/
I built a TBH about two years ago. I have a screened bottom board. It also has a slide to block the wind in the winter. It easily could be made with a hinge to cloe it up. I put mine in the sunlight, and it is about 2 1/2 feet off the groung. I used 1 1/2 in top bars, but I would use 1 1/4 if I were to do it again. As for small cell, I have various cell sizes through the hive. I think I have 20 bars, and 17 are filled out so far. But, all you need to do is harvest some honey, and you have more room.
I'm glad I built mine, but would not run an entire operation of them. I think its easier with standard frames.
Finsky,
I haven't used chemicals in my hives, ever (45 years). I lost all my Italians in 1999. I started over with Russians in 2000. Still haven't used chemicals and all 16 hives are busting at the seams, but it has only been 6 years.
>1) What mite problems exist?
Until you get a second regression (basically swapping out all the comb once and saving the smallest until you get 4.9mm or smaller in the brood nest) you'll have mite problems.
> I've become a bottom screen believer. Can these be built with a bottom screen?
I put a botom screen on the long medium langstroth sized top bar hives I built. I didn't on the KTBH. I don't think they make any significant difference in the Varroa mites, but they do help in monitoring the mites until you get regressed enough that you don't have a mite problem, and they allow good ventilation.
> Would a bottom screen even be beneficial or just a waste of construction time, or even a detriment in winter?
I think they should have a tray in them in the winter. I have some corragated plastic for the tray.
>2) What has been the effect of the SHB on the TBH and / or additional management techniques to quash it?
I know nothing of SHB.
>3) Does the type of wood used really make a difference? Better yet, are there any woods I should not use?
Pine is cheap and light and works fine. I put 2 by 2 cedar rails on my pine TTBH so it will last longer and can be set on the ground if I want. As it is it's setting on treated 4 by 4s.
>I haven't used chemicals in my hives, ever (45 years). I lost all my Italians in 1999.
Pretty much my experinece. I started in 1974 and used terramycin the first two years because of the horror stories, but it just didn't seem right. So I quite. I used nothing at all from 1976 until about 2000. In 1998 and 1999 I lost all the bees. Didn't know why. I finally treated in 2000 and 2001 with Apistan out of desperation. Started going to small cell in 2001, but didn't get them regressed and despite treating with Apistan they all died from teh Varroa. I got them regressed to small cell and treated some while regressing with Oxalic vapor and FGMO. I now have some hives that have not been treated for five years and most have not been treated for three.
I haven't used TM since 1976. I haven't ever used Fumidil. I used grease patties one year when I was still sorting out what killed my bees. I've never used menthol. Never used thymol. Never used Check mite. Only used Apistan for two years out of desperation and oxalic and FGMO for one year. That's out of 34 years of beekeeping. I only lost a significant number of bees (as it turns out, all of them) on three occasions. 1998, 1999 and 2001.
We don't have mite problems with our african bees, but I have sen plently in India and before as a lad in the US. What I can say in regards to mites is place some new TB frames on a honey flow, the bees will make drone comb from the starter strip and this is the favorite hide out of the buggers. Once capped, remove and destroy. I think you could replace one or at the most two in this manner.