# making frames for tbh



## peletier (May 5, 2007)

If you want a top bar hive, don't worry about comb attachments. It really is not a big deal. TBHs are simple to make and a joy to work and watch. What you are contemplating is a horizontal hive (or long hive). Build it to accept standard frames and forget about slanted sides. Do a search for horizontal hive.


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

If you are set upon building frames then there will have to be bee-space (3/8 inch) between neighboring sides and bottoms; There will also have to be bee-space all around the frames so that they don't glue them to the sides. For me this would be a table-saw endeavor that would cost fingers.
As one of the primary reasons to build a slope-sided TBH is to avoid adhesions, and you are already planning on avoiding adhesions by building frames, why not go one step further and just use regular medium or deep frames and put them in a horizontal hive as on Michael Bush's website? If you go the popsicle stick route you will still get to see bees build natural comb, and you would have easy interchangability with langstroth stuff if you so choose. Adrian.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

*Oxymoron?*

A top bar hive with full frames is not a top bar hive?


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## justgojumpit (Apr 9, 2004)

I think what you are talking about is a long hive with foundationless frames. I would go ahead and do this, but ditch the slanted sides and use normal frames.

justgojumpit


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

this is what folks refer to as a long hive

http://www.drobbins.net/bee's/lh/lh.html

a topbar hive doesn't use frames, just a topbar (that's why they give it that name)
of course you can also use topbars in a long hive, kinda the best of both worlds

Dave


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

Would be curious to know how well the bees move up into the honey super on the top of the longhive? Because it is placed so far to the rear of the lower box it just seems like it would hardly get occupied, but maybe I'm wrong. Based on what I have read on top bar hives, the bees are hesitant to move horizontally much past the brood area, you even have to keep feeding in empty bars into the brood area to keep them focused on expansion instead of swarming. I must admit, I don't have any experience with top bar hives yet, I'm in the research stage. I am getting a couple new packages this spring, and I'm not quite sure whether they will be going into a standard Lang or if I will build a couple top bar hives for them.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

jmgi,
What's wrong w/ a Langstroth type hive? It sounds to me like you are trying to reinvent the wheel here.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> jmgi,
> What's wrong w/ a Langstroth type hive? It sounds to me like you are trying to reinvent the wheel here.


You're right, I need to stop trying to reinvent the tbh and just build a couple for myself and be done with it! I guess I have way too much time on my hands lately as I got a layoff from my job recently! By the way, there is nothing wrong with a Lang hive, I kinda likem alot.


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## justgojumpit (Apr 9, 2004)

A long hive with top bars would be a tanzanian top bar hive  I don't think anything is being re-invented here.

justgojumpit


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I have my suspicions that the bees will continue to attach the comb as many times as they have to.

That's because you haven't tried it. I have no suspicions anymore, just observations. They don't reattach them.

But if you want frames, and you want a horizontal hive, why not just build a long one that takes standard frames?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeshorizontalhives.htm


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

I'll will reserve further questions about TBH design and management until after I have had experience with one for a season. Actually I'm going to have two of them for twice the experience!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Would be curious to know how well the bees move up into the honey super on the top of the longhive?

When I have only a top entrance and I add the super on the front closing that entrance and opening one at the top of the super, then they HAVE to go through the super. This helps a lot.

> Because it is placed so far to the rear of the lower box it just seems like it would hardly get occupied, but maybe I'm wrong.

In this case you are right.

> Based on what I have read on top bar hives, the bees are hesitant to move horizontally much past the brood area

I wouldn't say that, but it is a little trickier to get them to expand the brood area enough to keep them from swarming. But they will ALWAYS store honey.

> you even have to keep feeding in empty bars into the brood area to keep them focused on expansion instead of swarming.

Since I do the same with Langstroth hives in a vertical orientation, I don't understand the "even have to". It's primary method I've used to keep any hive from swarming. It's simple and it works.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

> Since I do the same with Langstroth hives in a vertical orientation, I don't understand the "even have to". It's primary method I've used to keep any hive from swarming. It's simple and it works. > Poor choice of words on my part, maybe if I had added in empty frames of foundation or comb into the brood area years ago when I had a couple Lang's, I may have been able to prevent a couple swarms that occured, then again maybe not, sometimes no matter what you do the girls just get it in their heads to head for the tree tops.


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