2. What are good dimensions for tbh's?
4. Are there different types of tbh's?
6. Does a tbh have to have sloping sides?
7. Where should the tbh entrance(s) be?
8. What size and shape should the entrance(s) be?
9. Are covers necessary on tbh's?
10. Can drums and other containers be used to make tbh's?
11. Can observation hives be made using combs and bees from tbh's?
II. CONSTRUCTION OF TOP BAR HIVES
A tbh is nothing more than a cavity with tb's and bees. Make the cavity in any way you can: new lumber, scrap lumber, plywood, particle board, reeds, straw, brick, clay, bamboo, old cabinet drawers, metal or plastic drums, large hollow logs. Hives made of reeds or straw have been plastered with cattle dung on the inside, then smoked over a fire to cure the inside coating. Sturdy cardboard boxes might work if they could be waterproofed in some way.
Rick Jeavons builds handles into the side boards of his tbh's. The handles work well for moving the hive and also provide a place to hold combs as they are being worked or removed from the hive.
Joel Govostes has considered using large diameter PVC pipe cut to an appropriate length, split lengthwise, then half-moon shaped pieces glued or nailed to each end. Would probably work.
Paul van Westendorp commented that tbh's require quite a bit of wood compared to the amount of comb, and that in many parts of the world wood is very dear, very scarce. In his work with developmental beekeeping they make tbh frames out of wood then used woven material for the sides and bottom. He said the bees had no difficulties with this type of hive, but "the logistics to implement it proved enormous."
[Tim Haarmann] Awhile back I purchased the cardboard Lang. nucs they advertised in some of the bee magazines. They are boxes made to fit 5 Lang frames. I was able to easily adapt them to hold TBs (working with cardboard is a snap). I weatherproofed the cardboard with a spray sealer, and they lasted the entire season no problem. Worked out to be real cheap.
I have used bamboo, other jungle material, even sheets of black plastic to make hives. They work OK, especially in the tropics, but nothing can replace a solid piece of wood. A few of the beekeepers in my association have experimented with "pumice-crete" hives. Pumice is a locally available, light, volcanic rock. Mixed in place of regular rocks, it makes a light concrete. This hives proved impossible to move, but they are darn sturdy and can be passed down from generation to generation. I am sure one of these days we will try and make one out of Adobe, just to be southwestern about the whole thing. [end of Tim's comments]
2. What are good dimensions for tbh's?
Dimensions are not critical for the hive. A good starting point would be the size of three full-size, deep, standard brood chambers placed side by side. This should produce a tbh that would require 30 tb's. Try 85cm long, 30cm deep, 50.5cm wide if you're more comfortable with specific dimensions. The only really important dimension is the width of the tb which varies with the species of bee. 25.4mm = 2.54cm = 1 inch
For Italian honeybees, the width of the tb should be 35mm, for African bees, 32mm. Paul Magnuson said that when the African bees arrive in GA, USA, I can plane my 35mm bars to 32mm. [g] :) The bars can be cut on a table saw from new lumber or scrap wood. If scrap wood is used, avoid wood that might be treated or contaminated with insecticides or noxious chemicals. If wood isn't available, then tree limbs or bamboo of appropriate diameter can be used.
I cut a centered groove 1/4 inch deep the length of my tb's. A foundation strip is waxed into the groove. On one side of the center of the bar, I cut a 3/8 x 3/4 inch notch. This notch is useful to observe where the bees are, and how far comb has been drawn out. The notches are covered with thin strips of some material such as plywood or masonite unless I wish to give the hive ventilation or provide more entrances. 1 inch = 2.54cm = 25.4mm
Joel Govostes has made tb's by using two strips that together would total 35mm, then nailing them together with a starter strip of foundation between them. Clever!
4. Are there different types of tbh's?
Two general types: those with sloping sides (Kenya tbh) and those with straight sides (Tanzanian). The hives with sloping sides supposedly allow the bees to build a natural, crescent-shaped comb that is attached to the sides very little. In practice, I have seen little difference in the amount of comb attachment whether the sides are sloped or straight.
If you wish to build a hive with sloping sides, try an angle of at least 14 degrees from the vertical according to Ron Brown. He published an article titled "A TOP-BAR HIVE" in *The Beekeeper's Quarterly*, No. 44, in which he describes making a tbh from the bark-lined strips cut off logs at sawmills.
[Tim Haarmann] Interesting you should mention all this. I have only used the sloping sides, having been taught you must do it or the bees will attach to the sides. Of course, they attach to the sloping sides as well, so apparently it doesn't really make a difference. One friend of mine tried lining the inside of his sloping hive with linoleum to see if they would be less likely to attach. It didn't work!
This is a variation on the top-bar/natural comb concept. Joel Govostes has made a catenary tbh, and has kept bees in it successfully. This hive was "invented" in the mid-1960's in England by W.B. Bielby. It is well described in his book, "Home Honey Production." The hive has the sides and bottoms fashioned from a single sheet of curved, thin plywood. Such a hive is about the same size as a standard hive, and is enlarged for surplus space by providing upper storeys ("supers"), as with a conventional frame-hive. The top-bars do not form a covering in this case--a bee-space/passage exists between each pair of top bars, again, like in a frame-hive. The catenary-hive top-bars are about 1" wide, this gives bees open access to combs above the brood nest. The typical inner cover and outer cover are used on top. The colony therefore expands vertically in a catenary hive, and not horizontally as in the usual (long) top-bar hives. There are photographs and drawings of this type of tbh on p.305 of Eva Crane's "Bees and Beekeeping."
6. Does a tbh have to have sloping sides?
No. Sides can be straight. Supposedly the sloping sides will result in less comb attachment, but experience has shown that there doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference. Attachments are easily freed with a hive tool. I prefer to build straight sides.
7. Where should the tbh entrance(s) be?
The entrances can be holes either down the sides or at one end. I have one hive with a series of 3/8 inch holes down both sides, and the bees use mostly the center holes on the east-facing side only. The remainder of my hives have a series of one inch holes (usually seven) on one end.
Since I keep my hives side by side on waist-high stands so that I can work the hives without bending over, I have found it convenient to have the entrance holes at the end away from where the hive is opened for harvesting the surplus or inspecting the colony. With the holes at the end, the combs are oriented the "warm" way and form a series of baffles which might help overwintering by reducing drafts. If entrances are down the sides, the combs are aligned the "cool way" and might be better in hotter climates. I have no data to support these suppositions.
In the summer I open the notches in my tb's near the front of my hives so that there are more entrances for the bees. The tb's also warp occasionally and make additional entrances. :) I haven't tried a hive with entrances only at the top.
[Tim Haarmann] When making hives, I like to extend my bottom board out one end and that becomes the landing board (I'm sure you have seen this design). I then leave a 1-2 cm entrance all the way across the distance of the landing board. I then reduce the entrance in the winter much like I do my Langs. I think entrances are very over rated. Look at nature, bees can use 100 different kinds and seem to be equally as happy. I think I'll try your hole method, sounds fun. I like to use old lang hive bodies as stands for my TBHs. They are a little short, but they get the TBH off the ground. Besides, I like the symbolism of sitting a TBH on top an old Lang hive body.
8. What size and shape should the entrance(s) be?
It doesn't seem to matter much if there are enough of them and the hive is strong. Smaller diameter holes are easier to defend in case of robbing. Duct tape or pieces of wood can be placed over entrance holes to reduce the number if management dictates that it be done. I usually reduce the entrance holes to two or three in the winter. Entrances could be made as slits the length of the end or side.
9. Are covers necessary on tbh's?
Although the tb's do form a "roof" for the hive, it seems desirable to place some sort of cover over the bars to protect them from the weather. I have taken sheets of cardboard and tried to waterproof them with paint or a water repellent mixture. These sheets seem to last about a year. The 5-V tin which is used as roofing in the USA makes a good cover, especially if it is painted white to reduce heating. Sometimes the tin is available as scrap.
I place bricks or stones along the center line of the tb "roof", let the tin cover arch over them, then load the tin cover down with four bricks. No cover has blown off yet in the Georgia summer thunderstorms. The tin covers can also be tied on easily.
Covers could be made from plastic sheeting, thatch, large leaves, or most any other suitable material.
[Tim Haarmann] We always make a cover out of plywood and then either paint it or put metal on top. I usually put a piece of 1X2 as edging so the cover doesn't slide off in the wind. We always have to weigh down the covers with rocks. A disadvantage is that spiders and ants love to hang out in this space where the bees can't get to.
10. Can drums and other containers be used to make tbh's?
It is my understanding that large metal drums (55 gallon US??) have been used in Africa to make tbh's. Those hives would probably need to be shaded to prevent the metal from heating excessively. I will be trying some hives this next year, 1997, made from 30 gallon plastic, food grade drums. Blocks will be attached to stabilize the drums after I've split the drums lengthwise. With tb's along the top, the bees should build lovely, crescent-shaped combs. It will be interesting to compare comb attachment to the sides with my present straight-sided hives.
The plastic barrels are translucent and might need a coat of paint to block the light out. I'll try one "as is" and paint the others. The *bees* will tell me what they prefer.
Five-gallon plastic buckets, split lengthwise and provided with a half-moon shaped "front" and top bars have been used quite successfully for small demonstration colonies.
11. Can observation hives be made using combs and bees from tbh's?
Yes indeed. I made up an observation hive using a single bar, and it was a delight. Just remember to make it wide enough for good bee space to either side of the comb on the bar. Make it whatever length you have for the bar that you are using. I used glass for the sides, with some opaque clothlike material used as curtains to cover the sides. Thin plywood would probably work better for the side covers.
I *unwisely* mounted in hive in the window of a small greenhouse that had no temperature regulating system. In August of that year it was 100F+ inside at times, and a meltdown resulted. I didn't restart the hive in 1996, but probably will next year. I missed not having it. Don't know where to put it...perhaps in my bedroom, but NOT in the greenhouse.