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Date: | Sat, 9 Nov 1996 21:47:59 -0900 |
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Joe Hemmens wrote:
> 'They have the same fault (as top bar hives) in that bees do not care
> to expand their brood nests sideways; it is natural for the pollen
> and honey to be above the brood and for the nest to move in an upward
> direction.'
>
> And -
>
> '...but in practice colonies in such hives never build large populations
> or store too much honey'.
>
Joe,
There is at least some truth to these comments. I have only one 'Top Bar' hive, and I do not use it
regularly. Sometimes it has been slower to build up than normal vertical hives, but not always. I
made it just to give it a try.
One thing I did do a bit differently than standard was to make a few top bars with one-half a bee
space openning on each side. Then in the fall I was able to add standard supers and move the bees
up for a wintering attempt. (The top width of my TBH was made the same as the length of a standard
super.)
Crops do not in my experience are not only less than with standard equipment, but extracting is
comparatively easy. But, I would still encourage you to try one or two just for fun. You will
learn some new things.
Tom
--
"Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Tom Elliott
Eagle River, Alaska
U.S.A.
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