Starting off TBH's

[wayacoyote]

My wife wants TBH's. I built her 2 taz-style. We don't want to buy packages. How should I start them off? So far I'm thinking of shaking bees into a package box, feeding them over night and then installing them. Another method I thought would be to cut some stout brood comb and wire it to a Top Bar and then shake in some bees. Maybe both? Or something easier?

[stangardener]

all my top bars are 19" long 3/8" thick so frames can be put in the taz-style hives. it goes the other way around too. top bars can be used in lang equipment.

[Michael Bush]

If you don't want to buy a package make a shaken swarm. If you want a slightly better boost, make one swarm catching frame and cut a frame of brood out to fit.

[Rogerio]

http://www.ziaqueenbees.com/

They actually make a starter "nuc" for topbar hives with 19" topbars.

Roger

[Jon McFadden]

I wait for a swarm and install them. If you want more, make splits from the first one. I tried feeding one and what a difference that made. They drew down every bar really fast and straight.
Here are the results so far:
http://nordykebeefarm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42&PN=1
Jon

[wayacoyote]

I tried a tbh some years ago, but it was solo in a distant yard. It was a hived swarm, and I probably should have fed it more heavily, but it did fair without really taking off. I'm guessing feeding (we have some honey that we salvaged off the floor from when I forgot to check a honey gate on a fresh bucket) would do wonders. The inside demision at the top of our KTBH is ~ 12.5 inches (made out of 1x12 stock). Our tb's are set for 1 1/4 inch centers and are 13 inches long.

Now I'm trying to decide how to start a hive in it. We don't have comb unless I cut some out of a frame and jerry rigged it in, but I don't like that idea.