Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => EQUIPMENT USAGE, EXPERIMENTATION, HIVE PLANS, CONSTRUCTION TIPS AND TOOLS => Topic started by: ArmucheeBee on August 25, 2008, 11:09:17 pm
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I did a search-could not find anything or anyone talking about the angle of the side boards on a TBH. I read on a blog that 120 degrees from the floor board is critical so the bees will not attach comb to the sides. Is this true? I built a hive Sunday. 36" long, 5" inside bottom, 12" side boards, and about 18"-20" (can't remember now) for the top bars and made the sides 120 degrees. Really made it wide at the top. Feedback? Most people's are only 15 inches at the top with 12" side boards.
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check out the golden mean http://www.backyardhive.com/General/General/BackYardHive_Beekeeping_Shop/
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Not sure of the angle, but I went with what Mr. Bush has here. It seemed big at first, but it really wasn't at all after the bees drew out the comb.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm
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Yes. I have been to all the sites and patterned my hive after looking at all these. But my question is: Does 120 degrees really matter? The angle info came from a beesource article where it was called critical. I just feel a 20 inch top bar is too long.
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I wouldn't think it would. I mean, think of the langstroth and even though they are in frames, it's vertical. I've put top bars into langstroths already and they pretty much drew out the foundation as a triangle at first but then when it was finished, it looked like what you would find with framed foundation. I've seen pics from Robo who used barrels cut in half. The comb was drawn out rounded like the barrel. My point is, the bees will make their foundation to fit whatever you give them regardless of the angle type.
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I made my KTBHs with 120 degree sides and have very little attachment to the sides. Also made the bars 19 inches long to fit in my Langstroths if I want to use them for a split or boosting a weak hive.
Bruce
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I was planning to cut the "V" out of one-by. MB says that works best. But it is a lot of cutting. The short the better for that reason.
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The thing about top bar hives is that in places of underdevelopment and poverty -any one can and dose make a top bar hive from any thing and every thing that one could imagine -they ceartanley are not worried about the 120 degre angle so i would have to say NO WORRIES my friend it is all good-RDY-B
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I was planning to cut the "V" out of one-by. MB says that works best. But it is a lot of cutting. The short the better for that reason.
That's what I used. It was a piece of cake really. Unless you are using a handsaw. I also made 1/4 inch groves down the middle so that I could glue in some starter strips. It was easy.
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What do you think of making the top bars extend about 1 inch past the side boards on each side for easier lifting out? That way you always have a handhold without having to seperate the tops enough to get your fingers between them.
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What do you think of making the top bars extend about 1 inch past the side boards on each side for easier lifting out? That way you always have a handhold without having to seperate the tops enough to get your fingers between them.
I think it is a fantastic idea. When I originally made my TBH, I made my bars 15 inches. I had the same thought as you did and quickly replaced them with longer ones. I forget what length i settled on. Maybe 16 or 17 inches tops.
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What do you think of making the top bars extend about 1 inch past the side boards on each side for easier lifting out? That way you always have a handhold without having to seperate the tops enough to get your fingers between them.
My TBH has the top bars laying on top like this. The only important thing is to still be able to place it exactly where it should be when you put it back. I have many times by accident placed it nearer to one side than the other so the wax get close to the wall. The bees then fasten the wax to the wall as the space are non-existent or too narrow. Some short nails or something on the inside at each side forcing it to be placed at the right place when you put it back, could possibly solve the problem :)
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>I read on a blog that 120 degrees from the floor board is critical so the bees will not attach comb to the sides. Is this true?
No. I've built them straight up and down (Tanzanian style) and sloped (Kenya style) and I see no difference in the attachments. Either way they will be a little. Either way there won't be a lot.
> I built a hive Sunday. 36" long, 5" inside bottom, 12" side boards, and about 18"-20" (can't remember now) for the top bars and made the sides 120 degrees. Really made it wide at the top.
I'm sure it will work out fine. I've had bars as long as 19". They wander a little more off at the ends with the longer bars, but not so you can't manage things.