Well I do have a TBH (Top Bar Hive - explanation for those like me who had no idea what all these acronyms (is that right?) mean.)
Yes I have a TBH, unused yet, but really looking forward to the day I have sufficient ladies established that I can start it off. I like the theoretical simplicity and natural way of husbandry. Surely there must be someone else out there doing something outwith the mainstream of beekeeping - isn't there??
I've been very tempted to try a TBH, but my only apiary until this year has been on an allotment and the thought of trying to cart it away in the event of problems has been enough to dissaude me. I'm experimenting with, at this point, a single Super frame with no foundation, I left a starter rim of a couple of cells worth of comb around the edges and I'm interested to see how the bees deal with it, I'm intending to stick it between two pre-drawn combs and see what happens. What might be more useful/interesting is how they deal with a 14x12 frame with no foundation in it.
I am used to calling them KTBs (Kenyan Top-Bar Hives) from working with Bees Abroad in Ghana (http://www.beesabroad.org.uk). I decided that I should really gain experience with this type of hive here in Orkney, too, and have built one last summer. Unfortunately the swarm it was intended for had vanished by the time I tried to collect it and it's still without occupants. I will use it as a bait hive in the coming season and I assume it might come handy if I ever have to transfer an already established swarm on wild comb.
Another hive type I am tempted to try is the Warree, but with our shortage of bees here I can't afford too many experiments yet.
Anybody else with experience of alternative hives?
Doris
Last edited by Stromnessbees; 17-03-2010 at 09:20 PM.
Reason: added website
That must have been very rewarding working with Bees Abroad. I have heard of their work, and believe they do great things? I guess myTBH is Kenyan type with a Cornwall-like twist to it. You probably know what I mean! And I think your idea of using it as a bait hive is great. I tried that myself last season but with no success. I think it could have been because all I used were those artificial swarm lures you can buy. Whereas I should have put some drawn foundation in as well, or even just foundation.
My neighbour uses the Warre system, and is well pleased with it. We must keep in touch on this one ?
POPZ
POPZ, I'll let you know when I get bees in my KTB, it might be a while though.
I have attached a picture that shows one of the things that can go wrong in a KTB: The comb has been built across the top bars. We lifted the whole colony out in one piece and turned it upside down. To put it right you have to cut the combs off one by one and tie them to individual top bars.
Very interesting work, but it gets incredibly hot inside a beesuit in a tropical forest...
Doris
Last edited by Stromnessbees; 18-03-2010 at 12:37 AM.
Reason: typo
I also have plans to build a TBH this year although I remember I said the same thing this time last year.
Doris.
That first picture is interesting as don't the Warre people say that bees naturally don't like to build more than 8 parallel combs and you have about a dozen there. I have a similar picture from underneath an Open Mesh Floor where the queen went under by mistake and build about a dozen combs.
I think the bees are very good at utilising whatever space they happen to be in. In any cavity they start several combs at the top and go downwards. If they can't go any further down they'll have to go sideways instead. I have heard the argument that in a horizontal hive they have to swarm as they can't keep expanding the nest sideways. Apparently the comb nearer the edges is designed for storage rather than for brood.
My pictures are of A. m. adansonii, so could be different from European types. In Ghana there is talk of hives where the bees use more than 27 top bars.
For great pictures of free hanging colonies go to this Museum of Bees in Spain:
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