Top bar sizes

[Adam Foster Collins]

Cacklewack,

How many top bars do you have in operation at the moment?

Also, I know that you have to put in a follower board, but having a center entrance allows you to place a follower at BOTH ends. This gives you access to (theoretically) both the honey end, and the brood nest. If you have an end entrance, then it seems that you can only have one follower board in the honey end.

Does that mean that you've got to disrupt the whole hive to get at the brood nest when you've got only the one follower board in the hive with an end entrance? I mean, it seems that if you've got to start with pulling the follower out to get access to the bars, then you'd have to move them all, one by one, back until you reach the brood. To get to the bar closest to the entrance, you'd have to move ever single frame.

Is that right?



Adam

[Cacklewack]

Presently I have 8 horizontal top bar hives in the Portland, Oregon area.

That is true about end entrances -- only one is necessary at the end where the honey combs are.

In my own limited experience with end entrances you generally do need to start out moving through the combs toward the brood chamber. However, often you can pull out the first comb near the entrance (brood) as they don't usually put as many attachments on brood comb as they do honey comb since it isn't so heavy.

You can move relatively quickly through a TBH without even fully-removing the combs once you get used to it. I'll often quickly cut the attachments and push them toward the sides/back in groups so that there is limited interference with the bees.

Matt

[Adam Foster Collins]

Okay. So, in your opinion, is one following board enough?

Adam

[Sam-Smith]

I'm planning to make my next hives with side end entrances, but I will place them 12cm from the end then I can use a follower board at the brood end AND the honey end, maby only 1 bar width from entrance end, would make getting at brood area a bit simpler.


Sam.

[bigbearomaha]

I only plan on using one board. I use entrances on the ends, so I can't see much a need for a second follower board myself.

Big Bear