Opening My First Top Bar Beehive

This top bar beehive was made from redwood and has been in my yard for about two weeks. It is the first time I have opened a beehive. My smoker did not function well but the combs were present. No good sign of a queen bee based on mulitple larvae in upper cells. One bee sting.

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• Bees
• Honey
• Beekeeper
• Top
• Bar
• Hive
• Orange
• County

[ocbees]

Yes, there is a queen in there. The queen arrives with the rest of the bees. At first, a few scout bees will locate the hive box, and then they will alert the rest of a swarm that there is a suitable home. Very soon, the large swarm arrives at the hive box. It's pretty cool.

[a64tbird]

You need help---just buy it!!1

[ocbees]

@a64tbird

Perhaps if I were an average person, I would have given up a year ago when I first got interested in beekeeping. But, I found it to be such a wonderful learning experience and a great hobby. I now have two Langstroth hives and requeened them with purchased Italian bees so I would have much gentler bees. I will soon be harvesting this year's honey. Last year's honey was fabulous; I have about 15 lb left that is running out quickly, just in time for this year's first extraction.

[debay777]

just a few observations. take a frame out and plane it down so they arent wedged in. they prob got mpoist and swelled. Try not to bang on bee hives. Sometimes its unnavoidable, but try. bees hate to be brushed. I only do it when harvesting honey. The veil. the ways its tucked in, YOU WILL BE STUNG IN THE THROAT. Its a neat hive, and I hope to see more vids in the future.

[ocbees]

I have learned a lot since this first opening. My veil is actually a zippered viel that has a zipper sewn to my suit. It works well keeping the bees out. I now have two Langstroth hives started with my original bees show.n in the video. The weather here was so hot, the combs of the top bar hive would fall and I had to constantly wire them to the frame. You are right about bars--much too tight. It was a fun way to get started into a great hobby. I will soon harvest my first batch of honey.

[debay777]

on my first opening the bees crawled up my hand. contrary to what I convinced myself I would do I tossed the frame...bees and all. Not too good, lol. I think that little hive would still work It just needs modification. do you still have it?

[ocbees]

I was very unsure how I would react to being in with all those bees, but it was wonderful! I actually made two of those bee boxes, but when I changed over to Langstoths, I made one into a planter and used the other one as a nuc. On rescuing a huge hive from a tv cabinet in a nearby city, I wired all the comb into it and then when I got home, I transferrered the comb to the L-hive. The lady liked bees, so I took the box and the queen back to her and the leftover bees made it their new home. It

[ehmDavid]

sooo expensive eqitment for this tiny thig =D

[glvedio]

hai miss..make more keeping bee videos like this..:-)

[Snakehunter0930]

Dont there have to be a queen for all the bees to stay in that hive?

[inacave]

Hey Ocbees, good going! :) The first time is always the scariest! Debay777 is right; don't bang the hive. Also, on the smoker, get in the habit of giving it a few puffs every so often just to keep the smoke going. Also, with the smoker, puff it into the front openings some, and when you loosen up the first frame, puff some down into the hive. Then gently place the frame back in place --- and wait. Give the bees a few minutes to respond to the smoke. Then you can go back in.

[Duboisi]

Another observation - You should always start at the back, and check for brace-comb.

BTW: Seems like that cube are too small to hold a decent colony. Means that they may be prone to swarming.