Split: Lang to TBH?

[diggity]

Hi everyone,
  I've got a hive that appears to be coming out of this winter strong.  (Well, at least that's how it appears to my amateur eyes!)  I'm going to be experimenting with a top bar hive this year.  It's already built and waiting for spring.  I could just order a package of bees to put in the TBH, but I'd rather not spend the money if I don't have to.  Plus, I'm slightly worried about picking up mites/disease from the package.  Thus, I'd like to make a split from the strong colony that I already have.  This colony is in a Langstroth hive.  Any advice for how to do a split from a Lang into a TBH?

Thanks!
-Diggity

[gardeningfireman]

Go to youtube. There is a video on how to cut the frames/foundation to fit the TBH. After a while just remove the foundation. You can also put the split into a nuc or super and put it on top of the TBH with a couple of bars removed. A third way is to remove frames 2, 4, 6, and 8 from the lang, and replace them with topbars only. After the bees make their comb just transfer them to the TBH. They will make their new queen from the new eggs or brood.
I am going to do the same as you are this year. I am also putting out some swarm traps and maybe just install a swarm into my TBH. Good Luck! :)

[Michael Bush]

Wait until a few weeks before the flow (like mid may here) and do a shaken swarm.  Take the queen and cage her and shake a few pounds of bees into a box with her.

[diggity]

Thanks for the info!  Michael, our primary spring flow here is dandelion - so you think I should make the split BEFORE the dandelion flow?  I guess I just assumed after, but maybe I didn't think it through.

Thanks!
-Diggity

[Michael Bush]

You need that time of year that is getting close to when they would swarm naturally.

[diggity]

I was thinking about this as I was driving home - is there any reason I can't take a few frames from the Lang and transfer them SIDEWAYS into the TBH?  I tested it just to make sure the TBH was deep enough to accommodate full size frames and it looks like it is.  It looks like I can perch 4 Lang frames comfortably on top of the bars of the TBH, at a 90 degree angle to them.  The only thing I'd have to do would be to cob something together to keep it all tight and weatherproof, but I think I can do that pretty easily.  It would only be temporary anyway... once they've colonized the top bars I'd take the Lang frames out.  Is there any obvious reason why this wouldn't work?

Thanks!

[Michael Bush]

The problem with sideways is that bees build parallel combs.  Do you want combs parallel to your sideways combs?

[diggity]

Well I'm thinking that after a little while, as the colony grows, they will outgrow the 4 Lang frames and eventually have to start building on the top bars, right?  Or are you saying that they'll just end up building bridge comb the wrong way across the top bars and end up making a mess?

Thanks!
-Diggity

[Michael Bush]

You're making it too complicated.  Do a shaken swarm and keep it simple.

[diggity]

OK cool - simpler is better.  The only problem is (and I'm afraid to admit this here) that I always have trouble finding the queen.  How about if I purchase a new queen, put her in the TBH, and shake some bees in with her?

Thanks!