# Honey bound



## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

if there's no brood at all the viability of the queen is in question
tell us more of the history of the hive
were they queenright in the fall?

Dave


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## 123sweet (Jun 21, 2006)

Yes they have been queen right in the Fall and there were 4 brood combs with an excellent laying pattern in February (last month) where they were building up nicely. They were doing so well I gave one of their brood combs to another hive that was languishing. So, to answer your question, yes she has been laying well and there is a strong population now.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I know nothing about topbar hives but I do know about our climate flows. You say she has been laying well, but there is no brood? I don't get it. If she is viable, and the hive is honey bound, I would give it 75% new bars at this time, leaving the emptiest for the queen to lay in, if she is viable. Swarm season normally starts this week in the Bay Area.


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## 123sweet (Jun 21, 2006)

In re-reading my posts I am incorrectly stating "feeding in empty combs" when I should be saying, "feeding in empty bars" with NO combs built on them. All available combs are filled up with nectar or honey.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Let me say right up front that I've never done TBH, but it seems to me a good plan of action would be to remove all bars of sealed honey and cut it out for yourself, or do a crush and strain, then replace the empty bars back into the hive. Place them all together at the end of the box were the existing frames are the most empty.

Like I said, I'm not a TBH fan so maybe someone else will perk up with some answers for you.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

If I did not have a forty year collection of Langstroth equipment, I would start out as a top bar beekeeper.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I would harvest some of the honey and I would feed empty BARS into the brood nest to try to get them to expand it instead of filling it with honey.


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## LenInNorCal (Feb 28, 2009)

Everyone else said it, so I will join the chorus: harvest the honey, put in new top bars. If in a week you have brood that are only drone cells, you have workers only and they will produce no queen. From what you wrote, you have no queen so the above is simply to verify that matter. Requeen as soon as possible. I am new but from what I've read, that's about it.


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## Daddy's Girl (May 5, 2008)

Harvest if there is a strong flow going. 
Expand the brood nest to get the population booming.
Watch 'em, cuz they'll get honey bound again pretty quick with a lot of strong flows.


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## 123sweet (Jun 21, 2006)

Well I took the advice of many of you beekeepers who answered me and put empty combs in. Where there was once a brood nest, I put an empty bar in every other comb. I now have a total of 3 empty bars in there plus an empty comb that I dental floss sewed to a bar (hoping the queen would start laying eggs there). We will see if that stimulates some brood production. If not, I have a package coming in a couple of weeks that maybe I could re-queen the hive with....what do you think? This queen is from approximately a year old.


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