# Bee space at the end of a TBH



## kawayanan (Aug 11, 2006)

I just had a quick question/clarification. People seem to make some type of spacer cleat for the end of the hive, to make sure there is the proper bee space between the end top-bar and the hive wall. I have seen people suggest a 3/8" spacer (Dennis Murrell seems to use 3/8", and I am sure I saw it somewhere else too). The 3/8" is bee space, but it would seem to me that each top-bar actually already has 1/2 bee space built into it on each side (each 1 1/4" top-bar for example having 3/16", then 7/8" for the comb thickness, then another 3/16"). When you put two top-bars together, the 3/16" from each top-bar would form the 3/8" bee space. This would seem to suggest that the spacer at the end should be 3/16" so that there was the proper 3/8" bee space at the end. Here is a picture of what I was thinking:










Does this seem right?

(the 7/8" thickness for the comb seems to match the ~20-22mm comb thickness Michael Bush quotes from ABC XYZ of Bee Culture 1945 edition Pg 126)


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## JensLarsen (Mar 14, 2007)

Looks good.

I made *all* my top bars 32 mm and then a bunch of 6 mm strips. 

My follower board has the "spacer cleat" built-in, I'll use them in both ends and they have 10 mm space underneight. This space is covered in the back with a cloth when not opening it to feed the bees. In Sweden we have to remove all honey and feed the bees.


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## buckbee (Dec 2, 2004)

kawayanan said:


> I just had a quick question/clarification. People seem to make some type of spacer cleat for the end of the hive, to make sure there is the proper bee space between the end top-bar and the hive wall.
> 
> Does this seem right?


Spot on. I do it by using a top bar as the top of the follower board and I use a follower both sides of the colony.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I made *all* my top bars 32 mm and then a bunch of 6 mm strips. 

I hadn't thought of that.

The space at the front of my hive is the entrance. I leave a 3/8" gap at the front for that. The space at the back is where they are usually expanding and haven't filled it, so it just push it to the back.


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