# How wide should the top bars be? And how many honey and broad bars?



## Asahi1234 (Apr 25, 2012)

I am building a top bar hive how wide should they be. The ones I have started are 24 inches long and 1 1/2. Cab I just make them all 1 1/2 long? What is the purpose of have them different sizes? I have also cut paint sticks in half and have placed them on the bars and glued them in the groove I have cut down the center of the bars. I know they need bars for broad building and honey so how many do I need to make of each one? Any advise would be greatly appricated.


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

I run 1 1/2 inch bars on all my TBHs. I would say just stick with that, but am open to input.


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## Steven Ogborn (Jun 3, 2011)

I started my hives last year with 1 3/8" and 1 1/2" bars. Didn't see that it made much differance.
The new hives I built this year are all 1 7/16". I'll use these from now on. If I really need to I'll
add some spacers.


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## SteveBee (Jul 15, 2010)

We made all of the bars 1 3/8" wide in our first hives. Then we started making some bars 1 1/4" and the others 1 3/8". The narrower ones are more normal spacing for the brood nest and the wider ones are thicker for honey comb. We also use some 1/8" spacers if they build a comb too wide and need a little more room.


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## taydeko (Jan 3, 2012)

I make all of mine 1 1/2 inch wide. The bees don't seem to care. My hives are about 18 1/2 inches wide at the top so I make the length of the bars appropriately wide. My latest bars are about 20 inches wide total. I have friends who use popsicle sticks and paint sticks and they have a lot more cross comb problems than I do. My bars have a triangular shape providing a strong guide and lots of surface area for comb attachment. My friend's bees just build comb between the popsicle sticks on two bars, half of the comb on each bar.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

When I made them all 1 1/2" the bees would cheat the brood smaller but would build the honey comb on it. This causes them to end up between two bars eventually. That's when I went to 1 1/4" for the brood.


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## whalers (Jun 4, 2011)

So how wide is too wide for honey bars? My bars are 1 3/8 wide and I have these pieces of wood that would make dandy spacers, but they are 3/8 inch wide. That would make the space 1 3/4. Is that too wide?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>So how wide is too wide for honey bars? My bars are 1 3/8 wide and I have these pieces of wood that would make dandy spacers, but they are 3/8 inch wide. That would make the space 1 3/4. Is that too wide? 

I haven't tried 1 3/4". It might work fine. Especially if you have a row of cells drawn at the top (when you harvest leave some). If you don't have a row of cells I would be afraid of them cheating the size smaller.


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## whalers (Jun 4, 2011)

I may give it a try. The package I installed has only been there three weeks, but they are well on their way. Looks like brood will begin to hatch within the next few days. When they make the switch to storing honey I will see what happens. I suppose I could have the stickes shaved down but they wouldn't be as sturdy.


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