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Does anyone know anything about these? I am looking at having a small hive for the back yard and garden area. I don't really feel like have a large hive back there. I have plans to build a Top bar hive and thought I would ask??? Any info would be great.
Top Bar Hives are not like the Langstroths used mainly by beekeepers today. They are considered to be more sustainable to the bees, alittle less work than the Langstroths. You only are using wood lathes instead of frame /foundation. Bees draw naturally from this providing you do have some beeswax starter strips on the underside of the top bars themselves. Check out in Daves Garden in the beekeeping supplies. There is a great website that builds and sells Warre sustainable hives and langstroths. In Illinois. Also check with your state beekeeping regulations for keeping TBH's. Some states shy away from them being used. Inspectors might show up and find they cannot pull the bars out as they are nailed down and bees love to make propolis. This will stick all shut. They need to check for diseases. Have fun with the top bars. They are great backyard additions.
If you do get honey you will have comb honey which you can eat, or there are online plans to build your own press to extract the honey and not have alot of comb. You can re-sell that wax as well once you have cleaned it and melted it so to be put into a container. Great candles and more...
For sustainble backyard beekeepers tbh or warre hives seem the way to go, what you may lose on production you make up on insimplicity of management. Teh 'coffin box' tbh seem good if you don't want a lot of lifting, bushfarms, michael bush's website is very helpful on everthing bees, for warre hives, try: http://www.warrebeehive.com or http://www.warrebeehive.com/forums I wouldn['t mind knowing anyone who is warre hives ? Can't find anything on the web. Thanks, Chris.
There is a website in Daves Beekeeping Supplies or look online http://BloominBz.com or BloominBz Beekeeping and Billy B's Lip Balm. There you will be able to get a Warre if you do not want to attempt and build one. Also look at beespace.net. Nick Hampshire has alot on the Warre as well.
