Bee Stock for Top Bar Hive

[cbs7lb]

Hi

I'm about to build my first top bar beehives. Does anyone know if I can buy starter colonies and queens to go in them or do I have to attract swarms? The suppliers that I have spoken to only supply the bees with frames, and my local association is quite standard hive orientated.

Thanks

[orangey]

I had exactly that problem with my local BBKA - the chairman went so far as to say she doubted anyone (in the association) would supply me with bees when they found out I was going to keep them in such an "irresponsible manner".

You can go from a framed nucleus into a TBH, though:

http://www.biobees.com/library/TBH_mana ... _a_TBH.pdf

You could also just shake a nucleus in (losing all the comb), although I wouldn't want to do that too late on in the season.

[cbs7lb]

Orangey, I am also Essex so perhaps it is an Essex bias.

[orangey]

I've found trying to get my first bees a deeply frustrating experience. Seemingly few suppliers who all want you to have booked a year in advance, and bees seem rather more towards the Panda end of the reproductive scale than the Rabbit end.

[contadino]

I suggest you register on Biobees and ask if anyone can help. Bear in mind that you've left it pretty late in the season for this year though. You may find someone can supply you with a package.

[chardyboy]

Hi everyone,

I can certainly say that this is not just an Essex bias, I've had similar experiences.

The biobees.com is a very good source of info., and I also found this a very good site:

http://www.cornwallhoney.com/top-bar-bee-hive.html

I mailed them with some questions as a maker and seller of TBHs and found out that they use them as well and prefer to work the TBHs than the more modern upright hives. They also run courses, so I'm hoping to tie it in with a holiday later in the year.

I bought a flat pack TBH from Thorne.co.uk just as a starter into beekeeping, rubbed the inside with beeswax and lined the top bars, stuck in a swarm lure for good measure and placed it on my brick shed's flat roof. I placed it there on Thursday and yesterday some bees took a liking to it!

I don't think it's a main swarm as I've only seen the bees coming and going in 3s and 4s, but I really didn't want to pay £150 for some bees for them to fly away a week or two later - especially as I'm still learning about this bee keeping lark.

I'm going on holiday in about a week so am wondering if I should feed them before I go, just to get them started or leave them bee(!) until I get back. Afterall, they made the choice of new home so perhaps I should just let them settle in? Though with so few bees, they may have even moved out or died off by the time I return - oh well, easy come easy go.

Good luck with getting a swarm or nuc - apparently Lemon Grass Oil is the dogs doo-dahs for attracting a swarm.....

Regards

Dave

[lsm1066]

Thornes will supply queens too. Current cost is £40 including shipping. Their website is at http://www.thorne.co.uk/. We're in kind of the same boat. Although my husband got hold of a couple of standard second hand hives, it was just too late to get a nucleus (frame), so we're just going to put one of the hives out in our orchard, now that it's ready, and see what comes of it. I'm guessing the worst that can happen is nothing at all.

Lynne

[Sasha]

Beekeepers can be very rude, as can other people! They are afraid of things they don't understod (TBH) I had the same problem. I had problems with getting bees for my TBH. Instead of bying nucs on frames ask for packages. This way theu should provide you with 9 I think 1 kg or 1.5 kg of bees and the quen in a cage. Put it in the tbh and that is all.

[CyberPaddy66]

From what I've read you just have to coat the inside of your TBH with beeswax and wait, they'll move in when the times right :D

[chardyboy]

Well I got back from holiday and opened the TBH and there was absolutely no sign of the bees.

I squirted some more lemongrass oil in and around the hive in the hope that there are still some swarms looking for a nice home.

With regards to the beeswax on the inside of the hive.....should I be smothering it all over or just a light rubbing?

Thanks

Dave

[contadino]

Attracting a swarm isn't quite as reliable as that. What you're doing is akin to a motorway service station spraying coffee around in the hope it'll attract motorists.

Firstly, is it still within the swarming season where you are?
Secondly, are there any swarms around? Have you seen any?

If not, then I'm afraid you're unlikely to have any success.

If so, and you're still having no luck, try putting a few bait boxes around - a good few hundred metres from each other - to increase your chances.

Attracting a swarm is a pretty unreliable way of getting bees nowadays, as beekeepers go out of their way to discourage their bees from swarming. That's why the majority of colonies are bought as nucs or packages.

[Sasha]

I have never cached a swarm in such manner ( with a bait box). It can happen but rarely IMHO. I suggest you to locate a nearby beekeeper and talk to him about this. Beekeepers are ussually friendly and like to help people into the hobby.
You can also build a tbh which can also use frames. So called Tanzanian THB. This is what I did. Now I can keep bees in them with or without frames. In this case you don't have to explain to the seller what kind of hive you have or anything else. Just get the bees on the frames and do what you want after that.