Managing Top Bar Sizes

[Tim Hall]

Ok, I've been reading through every archived thread I can find about top bar sizes. Generally there seems to be two camps: A) use all 1-3/8" bars or B) use a combination of 1-1/4"(brood) and 1-1/2"(honey) bars, a la Michael Bush.

The latter makes sense to me, but I'm concerned (being totally new to this) that I won't know when and were to place the bars...the bees will start to confuse me and then I'll confuse them, and the next thing you know they're building their comb upside down :p.

Does using the the "two-size bar system" complicate management or require more frequent visits to the hive? And if I'm building some 5-bar nucs, should these bars all be for brood, or have one or two honeycomb-sized bars too? I'm not trying to find a lazy way out here...I'm just trying to be realistic about what I can handle as a newb. The nuc situation is particularly important to me right now since I need to get some built ASAP and sent off to a local beekeeper so she can fill them with bees soon. (Trying to make sure I have my ducks in a row.)

Thanks for any insight here,

Tim

[BWrangler]

Hi Tim,

There's another option. You can rip a couple of top bars into various width spacer strips. These can be stored in place of a couple of top bars toward the rear of the hive. Just insert them between top bars when the bees want a wider comb spacing.

Which ever method you use, don't worry. The bees will show you. Just watch where the bees start the comb midrib on the top bar. When they want a wider spacing, the comb midrib will drift away from the center of the broodnest in about 1/16" to 1/8" increments. That will give you about two top bars before the drift becomes a problem. Then just insert a spacer or use a wider top bar.

If you use a spacer, be consistent as to which side of the top bar you put it. That way, you will always know which spacer and top bar go together.

Regards
Dennis

[Tim Hall]

Thanks Dennis. With regard to the nucs I suppose I should ask her (the beekeeper who'll be starting the nucs for me) if she's going to attach some established comb to the bars or let the bees draw out new comb in order to figure out what bar sizes should go in it.

Another question for you guys and gals - do you use a rabbeted edge to hold your top bars (like in a Lang), or do you just carefully line them up with the [flat] edge of the hive body?

The beekeeper I'm dealing with showed me her conventional 5-frame nucs, which have a rabbeted groove of course, and she pointed out that she had tacked in a strip of sheet metal to reinforce the edge, preventing damage from the hive tool. I'm not opposed to adding a little more time and money to my hives...does this sound like something a TBH would benefit from?

[Michael Bush]

The main thing is that when the bees start to get off the center of the bars you adjust so they get back on. You can either add a spacer or a differently spaced bar or both. In other words, if you watch what they are doing you'll see when they decide to build a fatter comb as it will stick off the edge of the bar a bit. This isn't a big deal, just move the skinnier bars to the end of the hive and put the fatter ones next. If you pay attention, you'll see what to do.

[Tim Hall]

Thanks Michael. I'm probably just overthinking it. I suppose I'll just have to watch and learn.