# Advice for a Newbee on TBH



## Aram (May 9, 2006)

I only have sloped wall hives but I doubt it matters. Do you have somebody lined up with a nuc for you? If not you might have to order one next February. 
I'm not sure what advantages you are talking about. The bees are supposed to not attach comb to the sloped sides of a TBH - but they do. The comb shape, wider at the top and narrow at the bottom, is supposed to make the comb attachment to the bar more secure in a slanted wall. Stay under 18 - 19" bars and handle them with care and it should be fine. I don't know of any advantages a sloped side would give you re. a late start in the season.
Good luck,
Aram


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## spur0701 (May 30, 2008)

I did find a guy barely within driving distance that still has 1 or maybe 2 NUCs that customers didn't pick up, they've grown to 5 frames though and are deep ones but the TBH's that I've got going are 12" deep so I would think they would be fine.


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## peletier (May 5, 2007)

*Go for it*

I have a dozen standard hives and this year built two top bar hives. I love 'em. I too had deep frames to start these hives so that's what I built. Mine are straight sided, deep enough for the deep frames, and then have a curved bottom, like half a barrel. This makes pretty big combs but so far no problems handling them.

Mine have 30 bars and are divided in half by a follower board. With entrances at both ends, I have four colonies building up. Observation and manipulation are a snap and the combs are gorgeous.


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## Tomas (Jun 10, 2005)

*frame nuc installed in vertical-walled tbh*

Starting out with a nuc, rather than a package, will definitely give you a head start on things. So if you want to get something going right now that would probably be the better option. If you are starting out now with a package or swarm, the bees might grow enough to where they can be over wintered (probably with supplemental feeding later on) but may not give you any extra honey this year.

One disadvantage of a vertical-sided tbh that can hold a deep lang frame is the weight of the comb hung just from the top bar, especially if it is full of honey. If it is made of new wax you need to handle it gently because it can break somewhat easily. Make sure all burr comb attached to the sides is cut before trying to remove the comb. Otherwise you might end up with just a top bar in your hands.

But at the same time, I have seen both my vertical-sided and slope-sided tbhs with comb connected to the sides. It is usually just an inch or so and it is easily cut with the hive tool to free the comb. And even honeycombs in the sloped sided hives need to be handled carefully.

Another problem is the length of the comb if the box is made to hold Lang frames. I’ve seen that the bees like to curve the outside part of the comb on long bars like this, even though you may have a good guide for them down the center of it. At first it’s not that much of a problem but eventually they start crossing the comb over to the next bar. It’s just a matter of rotating empty bars between good straight combs to ensure proper placement of the new comb in the center of the bar.

Here’s a picture of what I’ve done with the installation of a nuc in a vertical-walled tbh. You could actually nail or attach some sort of strip to cover the upper transit space on the frames and make it have a wide top bar. I just put a small piece of plywood over the five frames to close it up. 

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s313/Tomas_fotos/Bees in Wisconsin/nucinstalledintbh.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s313/Tomas_fotos/Bees in Wisconsin/newcombfromthetbh.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s313/Tomas_fotos/Bees in Wisconsin/framefromtheinstallednuc.jpg

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Tom


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## spur0701 (May 30, 2008)

Well I finished a horizontial wall Tanzanian TBH with an interior of 18 3/8" wide by 12" deep and 48" long so that it would take a standard Lang frame. 

But the guy I found with a 5 frame NUC is counseling me not to install these into this TBH...not to even buy them......he says that since its so late in the season and I don't have any expirence nor anyone locally mentoring me the chance they"ll die this coming winter is %50 to %75.....he was very nice and respectful about it and he says he'll sell me at least 1 NUC....but he doesn't want me to give him a rash of [email protected]* when I most probably will fail.


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## mistergil (May 24, 2007)

There's still plenty of time. Go for it


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## Aram (May 9, 2006)

Let him know you understand about the die-off chance and won't be asking for your money back. And while you can gain information in many different ways, there is only one way to gain experience. Go for it!


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## beenovice (Jun 19, 2007)

Go, Go, Go ASAP ! You will not regret it. Who cares what he says. I mean what is the difference installing nuc to TBH or LG hive ?


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

I believe that it was Teddy Roosevelt who said something to the effect of---"It is far far better to strive for great things, than to stand in the ranks of the men who dwell in the gray areas, content to pass their dreary lives never knowing the feeling of a glorious victory, or showing that they are man enough to accept a defeat,"
Go for it , man!..You have THE BEST source of info at your fingertips right here on this forum with all of these experienced beekeepers willing to help and guide you.
Best of luck from another beginner , who is thinking big thoughts already.
Regards,
Rick~LtlWilli


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## spur0701 (May 30, 2008)

Oh, he was a nice guy.......he started out by asking me questions about the hive I built to make sure the frames would fit....then ask me if I knew/told me that it was destructive beekeeping since the comb had to harvested. From there we talked for a while about how I was planning on operating/tending the hive and he said it was a shame that the frames of the NUC would eventially go to waste....then that kinda flowed into my chances of getting the hive through the winter was only %25 or so in his opinion given that I didn't have any expirence or anyone mentoring me.........it sounds worse than it was, he was really nice and differential about it and gave the names and numbers of some keepers local to me to ask for advice........but the way I look at it, other than feeding them if they need it, the bees should be able to take care of themselves especially since I don't plan on harveting anything this year.


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## Liberty Nut (Dec 30, 2010)

Spur,

How did they turn out? I am in the same boat, just 3 years behind..... When is your average first frost in the fall?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>As a result I've gotten some advice to build a Tanzanian TBH with verticle walls and buy a regular 4 frame NUC and install that to get a head start.......is that worth the disadvantages of a verticle walled TBH (or missing out on the advantages of a slope walled TBH? 

There is no disadvantage to vertical walls. I did have problems with comb collapse with deep (10 3/8" box with 3/4" rabbet. i.e. made for Langstroth deep frames as well as top bars). The disadvantage to having too deep of a comb and very new wax on a very hot day...


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