Comments on: Cut Comb Honey Harvest

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:42:25 +0000

Hi Allison, checking for disease is extremely important. In a Top Bar Hive you can still lift the top bars off to inspect and in a Warre style hive you can use half frames in order to do inspections. I’m not sure what your asking as far as the temperture, you shouldn’t open any style of hive in the dead of winter. As far as how much to leave in honey you should talk with your local association membership. Long hard winters require you leave more stores but folks that live in a warm climate can leave less due to a short winter. Hope that helps ~Nick

By: Alison Burton

Alison Burton — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:47:40 +0000

BBKA members emphasise the importance of checking for disease – how do you do that in top bar hives? Also if you’re not meant to check them because of not wanting to reduce the colony temperature, how do you know that the bees have enough food to overwinter on? Am new to beekeeping and am starting by doing a local BBKA introductory course.

By: Donald Wilkins

Donald Wilkins — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:14:41 +0000

Great sit I enjoyed it very much. I started last year with 2-TBH and one Lang. I am building traps for the spring in hopes of Swarms.I have 58 AC. of Apple Orchards and plenty of Clover and Alf.

By: Terry

Terry — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:12:54 +0000

What is the deep orange stuff in the honey?

By: Margie in AK

Margie in AK — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:55:51 +0000

Hi Montechello,
My Warres are full-dimension 2″x8″, so roughly the depth of a Lang medium. I salvaged the topbars off my Lang deeps to use, so it’ll be 8 bars and change. I put a strip of foundation on a bottom bar to take up some of the bee space, with the intention of leaving in the one end of the super; works well. Simply stay true to the inner dimension of the hive and you’ll be fine with that thickness.

Be mindful they are hefty with this dimension, so do consider building a lift to complement your apiary accessories.

Good luck!

By: MONTECELLO

MONTECELLO — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:44:22 +0000

I am in the processs of building two Warre hive’s with a friend. Scott and I live in Colchester Vermont. I have a question about the thickness of the hive walls. We used 2″ rough cut pine for the walls. Is this ok?..compared to the 3/4 or 1″ average thickness.

By: sierra

sierra — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 17:05:14 +0000

Hi there! Found your website after googling topbar beehive construction, and I’m happy I did! I’m planning to have two hives built in the next month or so, and hope my spring bees will be happy on their new farm home!

By: Margie in AK

Margie in AK — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:29:50 +0000

Hi Debbie, Warre hives are still being pooh-poohed Stateside; they’re widely used elsewhere.
The inside of the hive is very dynamic; where the queen lays changes a lot; the bees prefer to have their stores above the brood nest; you don’t have to pull the brood frames, just the supers with honey. To harvest, most use a fruit press or something similar. I don’t know off hand what Nick is using; he mentions a method up above. You’re welcome to ignore your club member’s comment and enjoy your experience with your ‘girls’.
Best of luck to you!

On the topbars, I cut a notch into the end of the topbar, then put a brad in the rebate to hold it in place; the notch acts like a pair of fingers holding a straw in between. Hope that helps a few folks.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:28:48 +0000

Hi Nick, I am new to bee keeping and have got a warre hive set up and am now waiting for bees. I l have joined a local bee club and I told them about the warre hive, one of the older members said you couldn’t eat the honey from a warre hive because there would be brood in the comb because there is no queen extractor could you tell me if this is the case.