# thinking of building several tanzanian style



## QUIST (Oct 1, 2009)

I am planning on building several hives this winter with straight sides (tanzanian), and the length of two supers long. They should fit 21 frames on the bottom hive body, so I can fit 2 supers on top -back to back. I want to make it so I can interchange frames from a standard hive. I have heard many people mention this idea, and even seen a hive like it on the Bush site. Has anyone experienced any downside to this method.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Actually it will hold 22 regular frames because of the excess space in each regular ten frame and the two walls you don't have. I would just make one stack of supers instead of two. It seems to work better. Barry has one like this that he stacks them in the middle and puts a smaller cover on each side.


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## QUIST (Oct 1, 2009)

Do you think 22 frames is enough?
If I use 2 supers on top then I can use just one top. correct?
Why does 1 in the middle work better?

Thank you for the help


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Do you think 22 frames is enough?

22 deeps is enough if you micromanage it. It's hard to get bees to expand deep and go much more than 22 frames but a booming hive will. I have several of these. If you are supering them you can micromanage less.

>If I use 2 supers on top then I can use just one top. correct?

I'd use two tops even if you use 2 supers. Why open up twice as much area when you open the hive and upset twice as many bees?

>Why does 1 in the middle work better?

Communication and direction. Bees tend to work in some direction better than they change direction. Having one stack gives them direction and the bees in that column can communicate with each other.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesdecisions.htm


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## Stevedore (Jan 22, 2009)

QUIST said:


> I am planning on building several hives this winter with straight sides (tanzanian), and the length of two supers long.


This sounds very similar to the Dartington Long Deep Hive - the basis of the recently introduced plastic Omlet BeeHaus. I wonder how long it will be before somebody converts a BeeHaus into a top bar hive.


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## Stevedore (Jan 22, 2009)

Michael Bush said:


> Actually it will hold 22 regular frames because of the excess space in each regular ten frame and the two walls you don't have. I would just make one stack of supers instead of two. It seems to work better. Barry has one like this that he stacks them in the middle and puts a smaller cover on each side.


Check out Laura in Portland's (aka Wannabee) "Son of Hivemonster" - a hybrid Warré/hTBH hive. The main hive body is the volume of three Warré boxes, about 36" long.


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## greengecko (Dec 16, 2008)

I believe "bwrangler" had a similar style SketchUp drawing he called his "next hive". If I recall correctly his design was the width of a standard Langstroth frame and the length of two 10 frame Langstroth supers. I don't know if his .skp file is still available anywhere.


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## Beethinking (Jun 2, 2008)

Laura is amazing. And I have yet to see it in person. She puts my work to shame!

Matt


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

that thing is way to prety to get propolis all over it. you should box it up and send it to me so i can out it up and show it off.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

greengecko said:


> I believe "bwrangler" had a similar style SketchUp drawing he called his "next hive". If I recall correctly his design was the width of a standard Langstroth frame and the length of two 10 frame Langstroth supers. I don't know if his .skp file is still available anywhere.


i have it if anyone want it.


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## geoffkb (Jul 2, 2007)

*What about the Kenya Top Bar Hive?*

Gold Star Honeybees makes what looks like a great kit for those that want to keep all their fingers. 

http://www.goldstarhoneybees.com/sales.htm


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

is that right 450$  wow


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

I built one out of scrap wood for around $5.00:no:


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

i can buy prebuilt kits for 100$ all day long


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## waynesgarden (Jan 3, 2009)

That does it. I'm recommending to the owners that our company stop building houses and condos and build top bar hives instead.

Wayne


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## beebiker (May 5, 2009)

here's my 35.00 take-a-frame special. (it would have been $18.00 but i built a swinging screened bottom )










nice part is it's expandable, i built a super for the top as well for $8.00


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## QUIST (Oct 1, 2009)

Beebiker, 
That is almost exactly what I have drawn up. 
How does it work for you?
Do you use one super the same dimension (width X length)? I'm afraid if I make a 22 frame super and I make it deep, it will be to heavy.
Do the bees seem to move into and build in the super as fast as they do on the main hive?
I am going to build alot of them so I am wondering weather or not to use viewing windows. Im thinking its to much.


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## beebiker (May 5, 2009)

hi quist
sorry it took me so long to see your reply, been busy in the beet harvest these days
actually yes,my super is the same dimmensions around the outside, i made it only deep enouph to accept med sized frames so i wouldnt have a weight problem.
it seemed that the added length was going to be a problem at first becouse they didnt seem to want to fill out the brood box initially, but then with the fall flow the girls jumped in and virtually finished it out over night, ( kinda caught me unawares 
i removed one of the top bars in the middle of the hive and within a few days they were building comb up top like nobodys business. unfortunitly right after they had the 4th or 5th bar started in the super they got this crazy idea that they should swarm so that kinda brought things to a halt, but i figure they will have a great start again next spring when the hive starts to boom again :applause:
my thoughts on the window were striclty so i could observe them without jumping into my suit everytime i wanted a peek inside. in hind sight it probably would have been better to not have it there as i might have detected that they were going to swarm if i had actually been pulling frames/bars and seen what was going on, but this being my first hive i may not have recognized the it anyway knowing me :doh: and i didn't put a window in the super.

beebiker


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