Episode-143- Build A Top Bar Hive – Part 2

Kenya top bar hive
Top bar Hive under construction. Phase 1.

During my break from being int he office I had come up with several activities to keep me busy. Well I didn’t get around to most of them as my family has kept me busy. But one plan that was not going to be interfered with was building 2 top bar hives (Kenya style). At the time I came up with the plan to build this style hive I still had two strong honey bee hives in Langstroth hives and as you know the colony I have had for 19 months has died. The other 8 month old hive is doing well and is clustered properly in the hive.

Until I get results back from the USDA about the collapse of Hive A, I have to keep my mind occupied when it’s not being overtaken by the family. Thus in the evenings I am in the garage with my tools and plans from several different sources. This is a 48 inch hive based on plans from Phil Chandler the Barefoot Beekeeper at http://biobees.com Here is a link to the plans http://biobees.com/build-a-beehive-free-plans.php These are the most thorough on the net but they do leave out some things. such as how to actually build the observation window you see on my hive and a gabled roof which I plan to construct.

These other links provide more information on the various ideas I have combined to create my own unique design. Anyway if you build one I would just rub a little lemon grass oil in it in April and see if you find bees. Getting bees locally is almost not possible in my area of northern Virginia as anyone making nucs has them all reserved and you really don’t know if you can get any until April so I will be getting more bees from https://kelleybees.com/ 

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