Pros of Topbar

[cadetman]

I am just starting out and was wondering where I would find info on the pros and cons of topbar hives.

Can you alter an older radial extractor to accept topbar frames?? (I just bought an old 30+ frame by Woodman Bee Supply).

Questions like:

Build cost
Production
Handling weight

Thanks

[Michael Bush]

>I am just starting out and was wondering where I would find info on the pros and cons of topbar hives.
>Can you alter an older radial extractor to accept topbar frames??

Top bars do not have frames and no one I know of is trying to extract them. I just crush and strain.
http://wind.prohosting.com/tbhguy/bee/harve.htm http://wind.prohosting.com/tbhguy/bee/bee.htm

>Build cost

If you go to construction sites for scraps, free.

>Production

A bit less than a vertical hive. Less lifting. More managment. Requires moving empty bars between drawn combs from time to time to prevent honey bound brood chamber and swarming.

>Handling weight

You never lift more than one bar at a time. It depends on the width and depth of the bar how much it weighs. So far my best luck has been a long box of standard Langstroth medium size. They weight the same as one medium langstroth frame.

[MIKI]

I paid about 35 dollars and had enough wood to build 1 and a 1/2 hives 30 bars long. I ues the specs from Topbarguy's web site. The advantages for me were:

1. Getting started with little investment.

2. These hives allow the bees to build natural comb a big plus to combat Varroa.

3. No extractor needed



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Procrastination is the assination of inspiration.

Gary

[cadetman]

So for honey production stick with "standard" hives.

For comb honey the topbars?? Or do the box hives do better on that as well.

If my bee keeping experience goes well next spring I will be looking at expanding for income.

[Michael Bush]

>So for honey production stick with "standard" hives.
For comb honey the topbars?? Or do the box hives do better on that as well.

There are a few commercial top bar beekeepers but not many. My guess is you'll get more honey from a standard hive, but you'll also work harder for it.