"nectar management" in TBH

[Bernhard]

G'day,

recently I've read the script about "nectar management" as described by Walter Wright.

I wonder at this working in TBHs. Did anyone do observations about this type of swarm prevention?
Does it work in TBH?

I heared someone negating this working in TBH. If this is the case - what is the decisive difference between horizontal and vertical hives?

Greets,

Bernhard

[Michael Bush]

I do something that creates some similar results. Putting empyt bars between some of the brood area tend to keep them from swarming and keep the brood nest open. But it does not have an identical effect to Walt's checkerboarding. I don't know how you could do that unless you built a hive with multiple groups of bars running the long way instead of one group running the short way.

[Bernhard]

see below ... sorry for posting twice, forgot to click the EDIT-button...

[Bernhard]

Humm, I tried the empty bars in the broodnest, too: produced mainly drone combs, not keeping the bees from swarming. Maybe I added to late in the
season - but when's the right time for do this. The bees produce drones in the very early spring...

Why do you think the 'long' and 'short' way does matter? It isn't impossible to construct such a hive: first the brood combs in a short way, followed by a cross connection bar which enables a long way setup for the honey combs.

Look at the link below for visualizing the configuration:

http://home.arcor.de/bernhard_downunder/tbhxcon.gif

How would this configuration affect the ventilation? Will the bees build that way, or will they try to draw the combs long/short all the way through the TBH? How will the queen roam?

Is this closer to what feral bees build?

I already see the disadvantage for the keeper, cause they'll try to close the gaps between the combs close to the two cross connections. And using sloped TBH the combs closer to the wall will be a bit shorter, the other will be reaching close to the bottom.

Someone already tried this configuration? Any thoughts?

Greetings,

Bernhard

PS: as a non-native speaker I'm just guessing that long and short means the same what we would call 'warm' and 'cold'. Hope I'm right doing so.

PPS: to the Admin: would be nice to embed images directly into the posting.

[Scot Mc Pherson]

Yes long way means from front to back
and short mean side to side

assuming front or entrance of hive is at the end.


What Michael is explaining is this, of course please excuse the poor scale:

Shortway;
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Long way;

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No we don't want to embed pictures, some of us are not using fast internet connection and it makes reading difficult if you have to wait each time to load the page. There are free sites where you can post pictures and then place the hyperlink here for viewing.

[Scot Mc Pherson]

Of course what I do is more of an accordian management style. I spread the brood nest out and put in empty topbars. If done early in spring the bees will draw nice new brood comb, if done late they will build honey at top and brood on bottom edges.

The bees will buildup using the whole brood nest, then slowly choke down the brood nest from the back front and fill the back part of the brood nest with honey. This method gives them room to buildup for spring flows and then slim down for late summer and autumn. You can just cull the combs from the back and the brood nest remains fresh with new combs. It also help regressing bees to smaller when done in early spring and the hive remains healthier because of this.

[Michael Bush]

There's a new term that seems to fit. "accordian". I like it.

[Bernhard]

what happens, when a couple of bars running the short, the others running the long way?

The broodnest short way, the honey stores long. Will the bees accept the starter strips running in a right angle to the broodnest combs?

I really wonder...what do you reckon'?