# 1 bar observation hive



## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

glad to see people are promoting the top bar hive and beekeeping. I love mine and want more gardeners to get into it. I just finished a demo at the county fair. The biggest comment as people walked passed was "eww bees". My comeback was "no-no, these are the good bees that pollinate your food". We need to do more outreach and education for the general public.


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## stdavis (Nov 2, 2013)

This is awesome. Can you share more details on how you made it? Specifically I'm interested in how it opens and closes.


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

Thanks. 

The frame sides and bottom are 2x4. The bottom is screwed to a piece of plywood for the base. The viewing area is plexiglass screwed to the frame. The top of the frame is 2 pieces of 1x1 on each side, leaving a gap of 1.5" for the bar with comb, which is lowered in from the top. The ends of the comb bar rest on the side 2x4s.

The handled lid is a 1x4, which is then screwed through the ends of the combed top bar and down into the 2x4 sides with 4" wood screws. That way the lid can't be removed while being viewed. The screw heads are star bitted so some nut can't pull out a pocket phillips and try to remove them. I don't trust the "public" these days 

I knocked some bees off while removing the bar to rehive it, but I just shook them into tbh and left the observation hive on the ground for any remaining bees to go home through the gap. By nightfall they had all returned to their hive. 

Worked really well and made entirely from scrap materials except for the screws.


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## stdavis (Nov 2, 2013)

Awesome! Thank you!


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## msscha (Jan 4, 2014)

Really cool idea! And I'm totally jelly (as my daughter would say) that you can find the queen so easily.


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## Charlie King (Apr 27, 2014)

Love it Txbeek! Such a beautifully simple idea... Making one for sure


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## fruitveggirl (Mar 8, 2013)

Hope you don't mind, but I love that idea so much I had to blog about it. Sometimes I get requests to talk about bees -- like at my daughter's preschool. I would love taking something like this in to show. 

What is that mesh-looking thing on the right of the hive? Hole covered with screen for air?


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

It's a ventilation hole covered with #8 hardware cloth - 8 holes to the inch like used on bee packages. It's screened on the inside allowing me to put a wet sponge for water if it's going to be hot.


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## stdavis (Nov 2, 2013)

Txbeek: Thanks for the great idea. I built one of my own and it works great.


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## AvatarDad (Mar 31, 2016)

I really appreciate this thread. I've been thinking about an observation hive, but my lang just isn't working out this year and I haven't seen the point of building a traditional lang observation hive. I never even though to use one of the TB frames. 

What a cool idea. I'm probably stealing it!  I'll post pictures if I do.

Thanks!


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

avatardad, how about a nuc observation hive? This one has the wood that goes over the windows, so it just sits in my yard until ready to go. No transfer needed, just grab and go.


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## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

I like it, our club has an observation hive, Lang, that we use for several events thru out the year. I have a small, model, TBH that we use to teach from. I may build a one or two frame observation hive, like that one. Thanks for posting that!! Great idea!


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