# Tbhs in the sun



## Farmerboy2 (Mar 29, 2007)

Do you need to keep tbhs in the shade to prevent comb collapse?

Or is this not needed?


thanks,
Famerboy


----------



## buckbee (Dec 2, 2004)

If you use sloping sides and an overhanging roof, you shouldn't have problems.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I try to keep mine in at least partial shade since having a complete collapse.


----------



## Church (May 31, 2007)

What works for me:

Summer shade winter sun. I like mine under Paulownias and they give good shade in the summer, and drop their leaves.


----------



## Dinor (Mar 6, 2007)

I have mine under an olive tree to get shade at midday when the sun is at it's most fierce.


----------



## MrGreenThumb (Apr 22, 2007)

Why would TBH comb collapse if the hive is in full sun but the 10 frame hive will not...foundation wired?

thx


----------



## TX Ashurst (May 31, 2005)

I have some in full sun, against a south-facing brick wall (which reflects the heat back to the hive). I've never had a comb collapse, but I have to be very careful and don't open the hive in the heat of the day during the summer. I have a good portion of my frames reinforced with a dowel, a bee-space away from the hive sides and the bees fasten the comb to them. That helps quite a lot.

So, IMHO, it is only an issue for hot days, and when you can work them. If I am only going to take a quick peek or harvest a comb or two, I don't worry about it, but I don't lift comb out of the hive and expect it to go back in. But if I'm going to pull brood or dig deep into the hive, I go in the morning or wait until later in the afternoon when the sun is not so strong. On hot, sunny, mid-days, the sun will melt exposed comb in about 5 minutes, TBH or Lang hive makes no difference in that regard.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Why would TBH comb collapse if the hive is in full sun but the 10 frame hive will not...foundation wired?

There is no sides or bottom to help hold up the comb. It's only the brand new (very soft) comb that's a problem but when starting off they build a lot of that in a hurry and quickly fill it with heavy honey.


----------



## BWrangler (Aug 14, 2002)

Hi Guys,

I've used a block of wood to raise or lift the cover above my top bars. I haven't had a single comb failure due to heat after do this. And my hives were in full sun. It seems a little air movement above the top bars is all that's needed.

Regards
Dennis


----------



## TX Ashurst (May 31, 2005)

I forgot to mention that I also have an air space above my TBH to help with the heat of Texas summers. I simply use sheets of painted plywood weighted down with bricks for my tops, so I put one of those on, then some spacers (2X4s, bricks, dead branches, or whatever) and put another top above that, weighted down with bricks.


----------



## Farmerboy2 (Mar 29, 2007)

Thanks, i guess i'll put it in the shade.


----------



## JensLarsen (Mar 14, 2007)

Dennis Murrell has some related info on his site. I have also noticed how quick the comb gets soft when working them in direct sunlight.

Dennis Murrell: http://bwrangler.litarium.com/working/

Hot Weather Precautions
Standard bee equipment is safely worked during very hot weather. Frames are pulled, set in direct sunlight and even sag from the heat. Burr comb can melt. Yet, those sagging frames are put back in a super without comb failure.

That's not so with top bar comb. Without the wooden frame, wires and plastic inserts, the comb is more fragile. As combs are cut free and removed from the hive, they are exposed to the sun. Combs moved toward the hive's rear, after being worked, continue to warm. They are displaced from hive cooling which the bees provide toward the hive's front.

In contrast to the worked comb, the comb the beekeeper is actively working is in the coolest part of the hive, where the bees control the temperature. Its wax is stiff and requires a serrated knife to cut. But worked comb, which is moved toward the hive's rear or set in a top bar stand, can be overheating and suddenly fail. This comb won't sag to warn a beekeeper that things are getting too hot. Instead, it suddenly collapses into a pile of mush, much to the surprise of the beekeeper.

It's easy to lose track of time when working a top bar hive. There's no heavy lifting. Hive parts aren't scattered all over the place. And there are no angry bees to move the beekeeper along. These very characteristics, which make a top bar hive so attractive to work, becomes a deceptive liability when the weather is too hot. The heating effects become cumulative and are compounded by the longer working time required by a top bar hive. New, heavy comb becomes very weak under such conditions.

Collapsed comb, in a closed hive, is the precursor to a catastrophe. Honey flows down the bottom board. The bees retreat toward the entrance. Ventilation is lost and other hot, weak combs also fail. This process continues until all the combs in the hive have fallen like Dominoes.

I lost a top bar hive this way :>(.


----------

