# More of Insulated Top Bar Hives



## Marsh (Aug 17, 2010)

Here are 2 photos of my insulation of Follower Boards using 1 inch insulation board


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## Adam Foster Collins (Nov 4, 2009)

Marsh,

Thanks for taking the time to post the images.

I find putting a tbh "to bed" for the winter to be quite a puzzle - or any hive of bees for that matter. On the one hand, you have the idea that you want to insulate the bees from the cold. On the other, you have the fact that their respiration will give off warm moist air - and that has to get out. The two are contradictory.

Last year, I put blue foam like yours down the outside of the long sides of the hives. I also filled the covers with burlap sacs filled with wood chips. 

I found that the hives still seemed too wet in the spring.

This winter, I have just loose burlap in the lids and nothing on the outsides. I moved the follower boards in close to the last comb, and that's about it.

We shall see....


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## SteveBee (Jul 15, 2010)

Just finishing my second year of beekeeping. I have four TBHs. We have relatively mild winters here in Tennessee, but it does get down below freezing. From what I've read, while you don't want the bees to freeze to death, you also don't want them warm enough to eat all the stores. I think "torpid" is the state you're looking for. So cold they're inactive but can still move around in the cluster to keep from freezing. 

I have a windbreak and have closed my five entrance holes down to two. I am not insulating anything other than the space between the viewing window (on the hives that have them) and the window cover to keep condensation down.


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## Marsh (Aug 17, 2010)

Hi Steve, I agree with insulating the space between the viewing window and the window cover, but my window cover filled fairly snugly in against the window. I glued/nailed a piece of plywood to the cover, which has the same dimensions as the window frame opening.


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## oldreliable (Jan 29, 2011)

If you want to be serious about TBH's then leave out the viewing windows..much simpler to build and less headache to worry about drafts. When I "winterize" mine I don't do anything to the inside..barely anything to the outside

1) I don't put a follower board up close and work the bees to one end.

2) I have one entrance that is just to have the first top bar set back 1/2 inch from the end. When I place the cover over the hive it sits up 3/4" or the thickness of the bars thus creating a entrance with its very own overhang...no landing boar..nothing. 

3) I lay a bale of straw on top of the hive to keep cold air outside meeting warm air inside..BUT, I think this is not needed. Here is why I say..the beauty of a TBH is that everything is horizontal..thus having less issue with chimney effect and condensation. The bees bring air in and circulate it down one side of the hive, across to the other side and back out..(something like a race track motion..) 

4) keep the hive out of direct wind and in full sun all year.

The bees will cluster where they want to cluster..middle, ends, whatever..I leave that up to them as they would do in nature. THAT IS ALL.

REMEMBER BEES LEFT TO THEMSELVES DO MUCH BETTER IF WE DO NOT INTERFERE. WE NEVER RAISE BEES, WE ONLY KEEP BEES. OUR ONLY JOB IS TO MONITOR AND HARVEST ONLY SURPLUS HONEY, POLLEN, PROPOLIS..


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## Montana Bee (Feb 1, 2011)

I built 2 top bar hives and used rough cut 2X10 ponderosa pine. I'm hoping the extra thickness will add insulation. I also insulated and covered the observation window. I put up a windbreak and reduced the entrance to 1 inch. This is my first winter with the TBH so we will see how they winter.


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