# TOP BAR dimension



## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

I much prefer having the standard 19" bars because they can fit inside a Lang hive. Gives you lots of opportunity to do things with the comb at that point. My understanding is the 17" length was after the British National hive. Those are not the typical ones used in the US, so why topbar hive manufactures designed their boxes around them, is beyond me. I get my kits from Beeline Apiary in Michigan. One of their kits can be used as a template if you want. Their kit has both the 1 3/8 and 1 5/8 bars. My bees like to build on both of them, and if you don't want to build your own bars, you can get them for $1 each from Beeline.


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## BRUCE KELLMAN (Jul 6, 2017)

Ruthiesbees, THANKS SO MUCH!!! Yeah would much rather get the bar kit and just stick with building the main structure. Wow buck a piece! Don t reckon I could build em for that price. Saves me a ton of time and as you mentioned interchangeable with our 19 inch Langstroth's. GREAT!


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Mine are the mark on my saw between 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 so I guess the 1 5/16
They work well with my stock, but the bees produce a lot of propulis so very quickly the bars get a bit wider. 
I run a 16" bar, my hives are baised on Marty Hardisons except I use 10" for my sides 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1hLGJYX3QKDU3dXS0JkeUNRWlU/view last page
I had built the more or less standard 19" bards with 1x10s at 120 degres, but I then had the opportunity to take a season worth of classes (at a $5 a day pittance I might add) from Marty. He felt the 16" bar lead to less X-comb and that was my expeance as well when run side by side with my 19"
to place the shorter bar in a lang type hive for splits I simply staple gun a 1/2 toung depressor to the ends of the bar and rest it between 2 frames, I often do this with the bar the queen is on so I don't have to muck around catching her.
Also as it happens, when cut off just below the comb guide the comb fits snugly fits between the top and bottom bars of a deep frame and gets held in place with 2 rubber bands, I can easy convert KTB nuc to lang in well under 10 min, car to car


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## BRUCE KELLMAN (Jul 6, 2017)

msl, now ya got me scratching my melon! As with traditional Lngstroth's all kind of things to consider. Need to take my time a decide which direction in Top bar bee hives i need to go. My old school Langstoth buddies aren't big on my decision to dive into Top bar, but iv'e made my mind up to do so. So much EVIDENCE out there that PROVES it's much more NATURAL to our lil pollinators.But since i'v'e already constructed the hive bodies to accept 19 inch bars i reckon i ought to proceed with 19 and if i start running into too much X comb will go to plan B and your specs! THANKS!


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

> So much EVIDENCE out there that PROVES it's much more NATURAL to our lil pollinators


Got a study to back up that claim? 
I don't see any difference going foundation less in a lang and runing it Seeley style vs a KTBH.
you want natural I would lean towards a Comfort style box hive (skinny/shallow warre) 

I run KTBHs do to the low cost, I now run a bunch of langs do to the local market clasping, and faild hobyists dumping hive cheap, being able to get lang set ups (top,bottom board, 2 deeps with frames, 2 supers with frames) for a $33 advrage off CL changed by tune towards langs

rember its not the box its how you manage the box


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## Grady Stanley (Jul 7, 2017)

I also use 19" x 1 1/2" bars. Staying with the standard langstroth length bar allows some flexibility. For instance I had lang hives before I started top bar and I was able to put empty bars in a lang hive to get comb started before bees were put into the top bar hive. It may not have made a difference but I felt like I was able to give new bees a head start that way. The 1 1/2" bars have worked fine and there's been problem with that width. The bars are easy to make and you can do it for a lot less than $1 each.


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## BRUCE KELLMAN (Jul 6, 2017)

Grady, thanks.


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