Not Using a Follower Board in a TBH?

[Adam Foster Collins]

For those of you who don't, how do you get access? Do you just pull up the first bar and hope it isn't attached, or do you try a few...?

I'm just wondering because my hive is getting full. Getting rid of the follwer would offer that much more room...

Thanks,

Adam

[Michael Bush]

I pull a couple of bars from the very back and peek inside to figure out where the cluster ends, then pull the last empty bar out and then start working...

[Adam Foster Collins]

What if there are no empty bars, and the whole thing is full?

Adam

[Cacklewack]

The only top bar hives I don't use follower boards in are my nucs. They are essentially 7 bar top bar hives with the same internal dimensions as my full-size hives. I've had a few of them become entirely full and either had to break off one of the combs or remove one of the ends of the hive in order to detach the comb.

In a follower board-less TBH I'm guessing that most users simply monitor the comb production and make sure it doesn't fill up.

Matt

[Cacklewack]

Also, most of the time the brood chamber is less attached or unattached, so you may be able to get in that way a bit easier.

Matt

[Michael Bush]

>What if there are no empty bars, and the whole thing is full?

Then it's time to harvest. The back bar will probably feel heavy and it's time to get a clean bucket...