# New TBH Construction



## Belewsboy (Jun 6, 2012)

I have a few Langstroth hives and decided to try a TBH. It is being built by someone who makes Langstroths but just starting making very basic TBH's. I've asked him to modify the hive somewhat and decided I wanted a hinged top. My builder wanted to know if there are any special hinges that people are using, so I told him I'd post his question. Maybe someone could take a picture or send me a link to the hinge?

I would appreciate it.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Just the image of a hinged cover on a TBH, makes me wonder how much easier it would be to crush bees. The thought had me contemplating how one could use a hinged TBH cover, and avoid crushing bees.

I'm anxious to hear if and how, others are dealing with this. I frequently grow TBH nucs for customers, and grow most of them in regular 5-frame medium nuc boxes. The majority of the time I use no covers at all. If a big storm threatens, I have pieces of foil-lined foamboard, cut to size, that I can place over the Top Bars, held in place by 3-4 pound stones. Another time I would use the foamboard covers, is between flows, to help reduce robbing, since without the foamboard covers, they have entrance space along the full length of both sides of the outer bars.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

A sheet of plywood with straps or stones works nice


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## robherc (Mar 17, 2012)

I use Lang-style top bars (i.e. beespace between bars, and above all the bars) in my TBHs, with top entrances. Works great, but still no hinged lids; just a flat roof with a cinder block or two holding it down....I DID see someone use glass inner covers & a hinged, peaked roof, on a TBH design though....think he was in AK or somewhere along the N border of the US...had space for a 10-frame deep in the center, with top-bars on either side, to make it easier for him to start it from a nuc; maybe you can find it with a search (was early last year that I saw it last).


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Here's a link to a pic of how I grow a typical Top Bar nuc ->

Top Bar nuc

The nucs are 7 - 1/2" wide, inside.


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## Beethinking (Jun 2, 2008)

Our hinged cover doesn't touch the top bars at all. It has a board that catches at each end of the hive (on the hive body). And the lid slides on and off over bushings should you want to move the hive or remove the roof entirely for some reason. 

Best,
Matt


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