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Painting inside of topbar hive?

6K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  rmcpb 
#1 ·
Hi everyone.

After a lot of blood, sweat and tears (mostly my tears), my husband has built me a topbar hive with a perspex viewing side panel. It's made of wood plyboard scrap and pine and I'm painting the outside to protect it from the elements with fence paint. I intend to move the entire hive from the ricketty hive we built 2 years ago to this new hive. The bees have only been in the old hive for just over 2 months, so there isn't a lot of comb. I think they lost their queen or swarmed, as there is only 5 bars with comb on it.

:scratch:My question is - should I paint the inside of the hive too? Will this affect the bees? I obviously don't want to cause them to nick off. I've spent too much time on them. Once they are in this hive, I won't touch them again for many months, because I also have the bottom removable for inspections.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Mandy
:s
 
#5 ·
Thanks the answers.

I chose a top bar hive, because I couldn't afford to buy a langstroth and had an opportunity to catch a swarm. Unfortunately, that swarm vacated - which is why I had an empty hive for 2 years. :) That's how long it took before I had another opportunity.
 
#7 ·
My usual disclaimer- I have no bees yet, what I know is only what I have read.

It seems you have some doubt as to whether your hive is queenright or not.
Read here- http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#queenlessbees
Now assuming you are queenright. If I count the months correctly it is late spring there. You have some time, let the bees build up, feed them if you have to, and then when they get going split them into the other hive. every other bar goes, then push the remaining bars together. The half that didn't get the queen will start queen cells. If you can get another queen it will save them time but if you can't they will raise a queen themselves. Feed as necessary to get two strong hives as winter comes (does it come there?). Two hives put you in a much better management position since you can compare their progress and sometimes steal from one to supplement the other. Now build more woodwork and next year do it again.
Good luck and have fun.
Bill
 
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