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Author Topic: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH  (Read 6802 times)

Offline Dallasbeek

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Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« on: August 14, 2016, 06:27:30 pm »
How would you go about doing a split from a Langstroth hive into a top bar hive?  I saw one guy on here who hung some frames at the front end of a TBH, at 90 degrees to the top bars, and developed major problems, so obviously that's not the way to go.  i don't want to get a package and queen to start a TBH.  I'd prefer to split one of my hives, but I'm just perplexed as to how to go about it.
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Offline gww

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2016, 07:02:39 pm »
Dallas
I have no bee experiance and only read alot.  One ideal that comes to mind comes from abby warre's book "The poeples hive"  He was a firm believer in filling the hive in spring with about 4lbs of bees and just destroying the brood.  Why couldn't you just shake bees out of the hive and make a package for the long hive.  You might want to start with a nuc for the long hive so you could move it a few miles away for a couple weeks.  Or Just do a teranova split (spelled wrong I am sure) and fill it with young wax making bees and feed.
Just my guesses
Good luck
gww

Offline Eugene Willson

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2016, 07:33:21 pm »
 If your top bar hive is the same dimension as the lang. then put a couple of empty bars in the lang. and let them build comb and lay eggs then put it in the bars in the top bar hive shake some bees and feed them, they should make a queen. or put the queen with them and let the lang. hive make the queen.
 Not a big expert here but I have done this before.
Gene
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Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2016, 07:43:54 pm »
Gww, I had read about Taranov splits, but had forgotten about them.  Yes, that would be great except my hives face a 4-foot retaining wall topped by an 8-foot fence and are only about 3 feet from the wall.  This forces them up upon exiting the hive, which is good, but doesn't leave space for a ramp.  I would love to try a Taranov split sometime, though.  Maybe I'll relocate my hives with that in mind.  Thanks for the response.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2016, 07:46:47 pm »
Eugene, my top bars are much longer than the top bar on a Lang, but maybe I could use wire ties to fasten frames to top bars.  Good suggestion.  Thanks.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline divemaster1963

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2016, 08:02:11 pm »
There are YouTube videos of guys removing the sides and bottoms and cutting the plastic foundation to fit the TB hive. Seems to work for them.

John



https://youtu.be/FVQ1et2OR50

Offline little john

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2016, 08:06:14 pm »
A couple of years back I tried working with Warre hives, and the way I introduced colonies was to tie half a dozen Warre bars underneath my regular frame top bars and then chequer-boarded those in-between drawn brood frames.  When the new bars were drawn out, I cut the Warre bars - now with drawn combs - free and installed them, then simply dumped the bees into the Warre boxes.  Job done, with no problems.

I see no reason why you couldn't tie bars under your Lang top bars, chequerboard them as above, then cut 'em free and re-tie them under your long Top Bars. Having pre-drawn comb like this really helps a colony get off to a good start.

LJ
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Offline gww

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2016, 09:45:20 pm »
dallas
On the other forum I frequent, I have been reading that some doing the split don't worry about the ramp.  They take the hive several to 50 feet off and shake over a ramp to a differrent empty box.  They said they liked this better cause they didn't have to worry about angry foragers cause they flew immediatly back to the parent location where a box also was.  I have only read about this stuff so use your own judgement.
Good luck
gww

Offline Jim134

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2016, 09:52:19 pm »
Here is something I think that would work great for you. If you want to work smarter rather than harder. hahaha

https://youtu.be/ETgWMMZr4So


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Offline Joe D

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2016, 12:46:55 am »
You may try taking a bar or two off the TBH and set the super with the bees over the TBH.  That is what I have done to get my TBH to do Lang frames to sling out.   I leave all that they do in the TBH for them.
That is the first hive I had, it has had bees in it every since,  I have several supers on it now.


Good luck to you and your bees,

Joe D

Offline crmauch

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2016, 09:51:02 am »
How would you go about doing a split from a Langstroth hive into a top bar hive?  I saw one guy on here who hung some frames at the front end of a TBH, at 90 degrees to the top bars, and developed major problems, so obviously that's not the way to go.  i don't want to get a package and queen to start a TBH.  I'd prefer to split one of my hives, but I'm just perplexed as to how to go about it.

This would require some wood work, but I have seen pictures of a nucleus hive attached to the end of a top bar (in this case it seemed permanent).
Chris

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2016, 11:22:37 am »
I always do a shaken swarm.  Similar to the taranov method but I shake them into the top bar hive and the field force flies home.  Make sure you give the queen to the top bar hive as they will have no brood to rear a new queen.
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Offline pjigar

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #12 on: October 05, 2016, 10:59:21 am »
The guys referring to some board in the video. Scalerow? Stellrow? What is the correct name?


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Offline Jim134

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #13 on: October 05, 2016, 11:49:30 am »
The guys referring to some board in the video. Scalerow? Stellrow? What is the correct name?


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    I believe this is what you're talking about. Double Bottom Screen board AKA Snellgrove Board and some will spell it Snelgrove. There is a book written about this Board the title of the book is "Swarming, Its Control & Prevention".
By L.E. Snelgrove . If I remember correctly this book is about a hundred.
 Pic of  Double Bottom Screen Board AKA Snellgrove Board
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/10-Frame-Double-Screen-Board/productinfo/694/

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« Last Edit: October 08, 2016, 04:47:27 am by Jim 134 »
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
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Offline pjigar

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #14 on: October 05, 2016, 12:38:11 pm »
Thanks.


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Offline Beelab

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #15 on: October 19, 2018, 06:37:10 am »
I have a nuc size(5 frame) Langstroth box on one side of my TBH, with a large hole into the TBH.
Just put a Lang split into the nuc box. They will expand into the TBH section eventually, since there is nowhere else to go.
Hoping, by exchanging Lang frames, to push them over into the TBH completely, then over to the other side of the TBH, so I can use the nuc box again for another Lang split.
Well, that?s how I think it could be worked. It?s my first TBH.

Offline paus

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #16 on: October 19, 2018, 12:37:42 pm »
I am going the other way, "TRYING" to convert a TB to a lang.  I made an adapter so I could put two Lang boxes on top of the TB.  and cut the TB bars so they could be Tie Wrapped to the Lang frames. I was more enthusiastic about this arrangement than the bees.  They are slowly adapting, stay tuned for the next exciting episode, next spring.

Offline TexnBrit

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #17 on: May 23, 2019, 01:51:22 pm »
I am going the other way, "TRYING" to convert a TB to a lang.  I made an adapter so I could put two Lang boxes on top of the TB.  and cut the TB bars so they could be Tie Wrapped to the Lang frames. I was more enthusiastic about this arrangement than the bees.  They are slowly adapting, stay tuned for the next exciting episode, next spring.

So it's nearly June 2019 and I'd be very interested to hear how things worked out so far with your experiment.
I have opinions, some of them are useful, some are not. Some you'll probably agree with, some you won't. Anything I say is just that - my opinion, nothing more. :smile:

Offline paus

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2019, 09:30:40 pm »
I just finished 5 minutes ago writing a sad note in the log of this hive.  They abscounded this week no robbing, no honey no brood.  I am guessing the virgin queen did not return from mating and I did not catch the queenless symptoms.  The bees did not except the lang frames very well.  They preferred the topbar in the old part of the hive.  needless to say I won't do that again.  If I had approached this experiment as a cutout and rubber banded the comb I am sure they would have accepted this.  Even so the end under these conditions was inevitable.  Lesson relearned Watch the hives.

Offline paus

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Re: Conversion frm Langstroth ot TBH
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2019, 09:32:09 pm »
Oh yes there were three queen cells, empty and normal.

 

anything