# TBH in a log?



## Sparky (Sep 19, 2002)

I am wanting to put a small hive at the house to polinate the garden. The problem is that I live in an urban area now, with strange neibours (sp). I was thinking of finding a hollow log, and fitting Top bars in it, and make a hive out of that. I was thinking of just putting a small nuc, but the log would be more disguised. Any ideas?


Sparky


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## oldgreyone (Apr 30, 2005)

In the following discussion the idea of landscape design hives is discussed.

http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=000216#000000

I like the idea of using a log. How would you make the log into a hive and won't your neighbors wonder about you running around the yard with a bee veil on?

You might see if you can get slabs from a sawmill that are cut off the outside of logs being cut up. Or maybe burning out the log like the indians used to do to make canoes.

the oldgreyone


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## Scot Mc Pherson (Oct 12, 2001)

You can use pretty much any material for a TBH and by looking at it no one will know what it is. People identify vertical langstroth hives with beekeeping. The fact that teh tbh is different is pretty good obfuscation al;ready. Just don't put it in the middle of the front yard where people can watch you holding up several combs of brood with cluads of bees around your head. A full size tbh should be fine, and you probably want a full size hive so you can get at least a taste of honey no and again. The honey from 2 of my hives produces almost enough honey for personal consumption. That's how much we eat. We go through about 3-5 lbs a week easy with everything we do with it. Tea and cooking and whatever else.


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## Sparky (Sep 19, 2002)

Honey isn't an issue with this hive. I have 6 other hives out at a farm for that. Im debateing on wether or not to even put a hive here. We have a neibour here that likes to watch our yard with binoculars.

Sparky


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## Scot Mc Pherson (Oct 12, 2001)

Well I am not sure that spying is legal in all places. The problem with the small hive is that they will tend to swarma bit more often which might cause a scare when all of a sudden there are bees EVERYWHERE for a few hours and they are centered at your house. Don't you have a spot you can put a hive or is this just not possible. Even my friend who has one of my hives at his house has a place to keep them even though he has a really bad neighbor that likes to cause problems for him.


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## Scot Mc Pherson (Oct 12, 2001)

Also, make friends with the people on your city's nuisance board. I have a friend on teh board whom I had come and inspect my bees with me without me wearing protection and he watching from 2 feet away. He's sold that bees aren't something to worry about especially since I can enter their home and still not get stung, let alone get stung somewhere out in the field. It helps to make friends in good places. I have someone on the nuisance board who says, "Scot's bees? No I don't think so. They aren't a problem."


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## MIKI (Aug 15, 2003)

It's your property as long as you don't violate any city ordinances and the hive is not a nuisance just do what you want. To keep the peace I would plant some bushes around it out of site out of mind. As far as his spying, you can go over with a cold beer(or honey) and just ask him to stop OR play the same game they play, set up a big telescope where he can see it and point it at him when you see him with the binos then wave. Once discovered nosey neighbors tend to stop until they get on another kick.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

As soon as they see you in the back yard with a beesuit on they will either think you have a hive or there was a radiation leak.


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## jalal (Sep 2, 2004)

Maybe you can cut down a tree with a hefty trunk.

Cut a ring off the top, make frames out of it.

Cut another ring and use it as a weight.

cut some holes in the front.

Bam, awesome to the umpteeth power.

Thank you, thank you.


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## oldgreyone (Apr 30, 2005)

I know of one guy in town that had bees in his spare bedroom. He kept 4 or 5 hives in a upstairs room with the windows shaded and opened a crack to allow the bees access. He got quite a bit of honey this way without a complaint that I know of.

Another guy I heard of had the bees in his attic. They came and went from the attic vents. I don't know this guy personally, but it sounds like it might work if the attic doesn't get too hot.


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