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Barnyard Buddies:  top bar hives?  |
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 16 2010 : 5:44:22 PM
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| Anyone use top bar hives? Any comments for those of us interested? Thanks! :) |
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Farmtopia
True Blue Farmgirl
1465 Posts
Zan
New York
New York
USA
1465 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2010 : 10:39:42 PM
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Hey Sheila,
I don't use top hives, but when I was training in beekeeping, our teacher sent us to a keeper who did have them, and we worked with them for two weeks. Then another friend also had one top bar amongst his other two Langstroth (standard box) hives. My two cents:
They're ok, but I don't know if I'd use them if I was a novice. The hives are apparently cheaper to make, and buy, but the idea is that there are no standard frames: the bees draw the comb out from several top bars hanging from the top of their box (which they supposedly do in the wild, anyway).
Problem is, the combs are uneven and unsteady because there is no support on the sides and bottom, and so transporting them to harvest is tricky. Also, you have to break the comb off entirely and squeeze out the honey, so the bees spend extra time rebuilding these (on the other hand, you then get to harvest a lot of wax, more so than standard hives). At the same time, the boxes are more lightweight, so you don't kill yourself lugging everything around when you harvest, and most of the hives are lifted way above ground so you aren't bending over--so harvesting is less cumbersome.
I think the idea is that you are mimicking the bees in the wild, so it's actually better for the bees. I don't know if I would recommend these for a new beekeeper because of the logistics of the frameless combs--they are fragile and transporting sometimes causes breakage...also, inspecting the bees is a little more involved because of this, also.
~*~Dream all you dreamers~*~
View My Work:
art/dolls: www.wildatheartart.blogspot.com
View the blog and radio show!
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NEXT RADIO SHOW: Jan 17th ~ Suzanne McMinn/Chickens In the Road
www.bigtownfarmer.com
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2010 : 05:37:46 AM
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| We do have a "regular" (Langstroth) hive, but I'm interested in this type, for some reason. Definitely a novice, but it intrigues me. The other hive is my husband's baby :) |
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Farmtopia
True Blue Farmgirl
1465 Posts
Zan
New York
New York
USA
1465 Posts |
Posted - Jan 17 2010 : 08:08:07 AM
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Hey Sheila,
I don't want to discourage anyone from getting a top bar hive, I was just putting my experiences out there. It's definitely a very different looking hive to work with, and interesting too! 
I wonder if there isn't a way to find someone near you who has one, so you could observe? Maybe you have some sort of beekeeping society or beekeeper's club that is in your area? Or the local beeman? Ask these folks and they might have some idea of a top bar hive keeper in your community.
~*~Dream all you dreamers~*~
View My Work:
art/dolls: www.wildatheartart.blogspot.com
View the blog and radio show!
Renegade Farming!: www.therenegadefarmer.com
NEXT RADIO SHOW: Jan 17th ~ Suzanne McMinn/Chickens In the Road
www.bigtownfarmer.com
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Barnyard Buddies: top bar hives? |
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top bar hives?
