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NEW Top Bar Hive (Vita Hive)

13K views 33 replies 14 participants last post by  Che Guebuddha 
#1 ·
Hello my name is Tommy,

I have been working on this concept for a couple of months, rough sketches,drawn plans for dimensional uses, 3d model to work out the engineering problems and finnaly the building process. I will be posting pictures of the 3d model and the final beehive in my yard :p

I still have time to make modifications if needed, my primary goal is to go through the concept with you guys to nit pick at it and make sure it's ok..

But please note I had the material, equipment and also hands on skill to do this project it might be considered over the top for the "producers/farmers" with that said I only want the one hive for personal uses. the production cost would be too much. most of this material was on hand, it cost me around 300$ (115$ for 6 of the glass I did not cut myself, 40$ish for Caulking/glues and around 150$ for the Cedar T&G planks and shigles for the roof) all the rest of the wood was sawmilled by my father several years ago, and I had to plane, rip, glue, nail and cut all these from rough lumber.

-100% Cedar
- 40 Top Bars
- Inner / Outer core
- Glass Tops (Double Pane)
- 2" Insulation (Used the shavings from the planing)
- 2" Insulated blanket for glass tops (100% Hemp stuffed with Cedar shavings)

Here are the models iv'e done in 3d
Product Architecture Table Furniture

Product Architecture Naval architecture 3d modeling


This one is a cut out of my hive to better show the concept for venting and the core.
Shelf Furniture Shelving Balcony Metal


Here is the completed Vita Hive (you will see I have made a quick box in there to transfer my bees from my langstroth hive to this more easily..)
Snow Winter Wood Bird feeder Chicken coop

Wood Table Furniture

Snow Winter Birdhouse Bird feeder Wood

Wood Snow Winter

Wood Wood stain Window Stairs Hardwood

Wood Plywood Wood stain Lumber Hardwood


sorry about the long post.. guess after all that work it's show time :p

Thanks in advance
Tommy
Terra Vita
 
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#31 ·
Update on vita hive!!

UPDATE on my Vita Hive, I got caught and had to put my bees in earlyer then I wanted...I could not find my queen in my Lang and there were queen cells.. So I had to hurry and get to it...

My original plan was to move my queen and 6 of my best lang frames in my top bar hive.. and have an them make comb on my bars then move the queen to the other side of my excluder...
But now I could not locate her, so I decided to take the best 6 frames I could including some queen cells to have her be born in my top bar hive(in my lang transition box).. So I had to remove the excluder to let her take her first flight..

Here is what's happening...

you can see the transition box on the right where I have my lang frames with my bees.. and my top bars on the left where they have to travel to get out..
Wood Musical instrument Wood stain


Since I dont have my exlcuder anymore they have been building comb at the entrance between the transition box and the top bar hive..
Insect Bee Honeybee Membrane-winged insect Beehive



So I took advantage of them building comb in my reach...
Insect Bombyx mori Caterpillar Moth Moths and butterflies

Table Furniture Tree Wood Plant


Here are the ones from the 2 last days, Iv'e been cleanning it up and attaching them on my top bars, They are gluing them already and have made there own also..
Bee Beehive Insect Honeybee Honeycomb

Insect Bee

Wood Floor Room Hardwood Wood stain

Bee Insect Beehive Honeybee Membrane-winged insect


and here is what is bringing me back to ask questions.. I thought they were queeless about a week ago.. I could not locate her... So I went to bed nervous thinking I had a laying worker..
The day after I checked and I found no queen but ALOT of eggs and larva and none had multiple eggs in a single cell. so I decided to give them more time.. and Today I checked and this is what I saw...

Bee Insect Beehive Wood Wood stain

Bee Beehive Honeybee Insect Apiary

Bee Honeycomb Beehive Insect Honeybee

Bee Beehive Honeybee Insect Apiary

Bee Beehive Honeycomb Honeybee Insect

Bee Insect Beehive Honeycomb Honeybee


In your oppinion is my hive queen right, It looks as though the capped cells would be for worker bees which would mean it cannot be a laying worker..right?

So now I'm just trying to let them build enough comb on my top bars and straight at that. and soon I will have to locate the queen and move her to the top bar side and put my excluder between the top bar side and the old lang frames stopping her from laying in there again and forcing the bees to move with her so they have time to build up before winter, because I assume keeping the lang frames which are in a different alignment would give them a hard time to move back in there for honey if they dont have time to do enough on my top bars....

Am I on the right track?
 
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