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Author Topic: Hard to find Top bar beekeeping book  (Read 2689 times)

Offline Foxhound

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Hard to find Top bar beekeeping book
« on: February 16, 2015, 11:15:13 pm »
I looked through a lot of different top bar beekeeping books. All of them were pretty similar in my opinion. Different design, same point of views.

I bought Wyatt Mangum's book and I really like it. I had to buy it online from him and it was about $50. Pretty pricey, but I believe it was well worth it.  He addresses the problems that the other authors don't want to talk about. He talks about how to feed, if you have to. How do collect pollen, if you want to. How to add a screen bottom board and window, if you want to. How to treat, if you want to.

I don't use all those options on every hive, but it is really nice to have them spelled out for me.

Just wan't to say I am impressed with it, and it's worth a look.

Does anybody else have any experience with his book/design?

Offline Maggiesdad

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Re: Hard to find Top bar beekeeping book
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2015, 11:46:18 pm »
That's the design I settled on, too. The reasoning and logic behind all his 'whys' just make sense to me.

I'll be back in the basement knocking nucs together tomorrow, what with all this snow we're getting...

I must say I like the like the comb manipulation drawings in Les Crowder's book -that helps me understand the workings of the brood nest better.

I'm really looking forward to hearing Dr. Mangum speak at the MAOHBC in Richmond March 28th. Sam Comfort will be there too.

Offline Foxhound

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Re: Hard to find Top bar beekeeping book
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2015, 10:09:20 am »
Felt the same way about all his reasonings.

Some charts showing how the brood is layed out through the seasons would be a a helpful addition.

I've landed on doing 2' for nucs/swarm boxes and 4' for everything else. Do those lengths seem right to you?

Getting 5' long and more seems really really long.

Offline Maggiesdad

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Re: Hard to find Top bar beekeeping book
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2015, 10:57:24 am »
Pretty sure you'll do fine with 2'ers and 4'ers. I've been studying and contemplating since last Oct. I limited myself to one batch of bought wood for the first season. Everything else I'm putting together is out of scrap. So the bodies are just whatever the wood will yield, but with strict adherence to the cross sectional IDs for full comb compatibility. So my nucs/honey harvesters/traps are about 14"(10TBs) and then I've got 2',3' and4' bodies.

He (WAM) overwinters in two footers no problem, and he's just a county over and mebbee  200' lower in elev. than me, so forage and climate are quite similar. He also uses the 2's as pollination boxes - I really want to go all in to this, but it'll take a couple of seasons to see if I have the knack for it. So I'm not concerned about being mobile just yet. Crowder mentions a few more combs for overwintering, but I guess that's because of his smaller hive body and different location.

I really like what you and your wife are doing with y'alls set up... that's where I'd like to be in about four years. :grin:

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Hard to find Top bar beekeeping book
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2015, 12:00:16 pm »
Four foot is a good length.  Five foot is a maximum useful length.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline Foxhound

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Re: Hard to find Top bar beekeeping book
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2015, 06:15:09 pm »
Thank Maggiesdad and Michael.

I'm curious to see how quickly they fill the TBH. I did some math on total square inches of comb for a 4' hive and compared it to medium langstroth frames. a 4' hive works out to be about the same as 30 medium frames. Doesn't seem like a lot to me, but we will see.

With that organic conference were a little closer. Organic beekeeping is the odd man out here in Alabama.

 

anything