My new PDTBH (Plastic Drum Top Bar Hive)

Started by nietssemaj, March 11, 2012, 07:48:05 PM

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nietssemaj

I don't know about the comb being attached. But a wine/beer barrel stays together due to the bands. I don't think it would be easy to 'cut' one in half. There is another thread about a 'strip' built TBH. Wasn't from a barrel but is that shape and made of wood.

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,36092.0.html



buzzbee

nietssemaj
Did you realize your pics in this thread are no longer linked to the forum?

nietssemaj

Yeah, I moved them on photobucket and broke all the links. I'd edit them but I can't seem to edit anything other than the last message I posted.

nietssemaj

Installed PBTBH #2 yesterday afternoon and split my 2 colonies into their own hives. Was pleasantly surprised to see they've torn down all the queen cells they were building. Saw the marked queens in both hives so I guess the colonies have decided to keep them.

Still have SHB everywhere but I didn't see any in the comb and the bees were really chasing them down when they tried to run.

nietssemaj

Both hives are dead. The beetles took over. I combined, compressed, over-crowded, the bee's just couldn't manage.

Once the beetles started getting the upper hand it was inevitable. The size of the combs meant I couldn't freeze them. (Would take a very large chest freezer to fit them.

Maryland Beekeeper

Sorry to hear it. I lost a few to the SHB this season as well. Like you finally had to build new hives with traps and transfer colonies, that and changing to pvc pipe entrances w/ sticky tape seems to have turned the tide. I've got a video I'll get up @ some point of the bottom of a Perone (2'x2') with 3-4" of SHB larva piled in it squirming around. I was expecting the, "Hatch", from a recent cutout but it was worse than I've ever seen. Absolutely disgusting !
Cheers,
Drew

Robo

I put a swarm back in mine this year.   They seem to be in good shape for winter, time will tell.

Rob...
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison