This has probably already discussed at some stage, but does anyone keep bees in a modified TBH using conventional wired frames? Naturally, the box would need to be rectangular to accommodate them without the sloping sides but that is probably all that needs to be changed.
Search for Long Lang. There are plenty of threads with a lot of info on this site. I have 2-TBH's, 2-warre's, and 4-long langs. They are all learning lessons with unique advantages and lessons. Long langs are great as you don't have to lift boxes. If you try long langs make sure it is three boxes long. If you only do a two box it will fill up fast.
Just follow the link in my sig and you can see the first Long Langs I have built. My next 2 will be three boxes long. They work like a TBH but use Lang equipment and I can add honey supers if needed.
It would be nice to have a TB hive that had square sides, but used conventional top bars. My son's TBH's queen disappeared and although we found an opened queen cell, have yet to see brood. It would be so easy to fortify his hive by dropping some of my Lang frames with brood into it.
That would be a long hive. Top bar hives don't have frames. If it has frames it isn't a TBH, Kenyan, Tanzanian, or otherwise. You could argue that you can a hive with frames and still be a TBH, but you would have to have a top bar on the frame that seals the top closed.
No doubt. I did see a hive that someone had pictures of that was uber wide and you could put in lang frames. You could bolt a 5 frame nuc to the end of a top bar hive as a transition tool or rescue method.
I have the long hive with deep-box Lang dimensions but 2x long. It could accommodate standard deep frames and/or top bars. Bees love the hive! There are two main problems with this hive:
1) As many already pointed out, 2x is too short, 3x would be better from bees expansion prospective. I have no idea how 3x would be practical in terms of building and keeping...
2) TB in deep-size full of honey is too heavy. I had a few accidents when honeycomb has collapsed inside the hive from TB, what a mess. So, I am using TBs with some side support and they worked much better than "naked" TBs.
NRustica, you may want to go a few inches shy of 48 inches, otherwise you will have to go longer than 48 for the roof, and you end up with a bunch of waste.
I couldn't find any info on Long Langs doing a search. Anybody have a link?I guess my main question is do the produce the same amount as a conventional Lang?
As for productivity - we had a discussion on beesource (link?) on this matter. It looks like some beesource members think that long hive is less productive than vertical Lang because "bees expanded vertically". There were some reports from Europe that long hives may produce up to 200 kilos (am I right? 100 kilos for sure) of honey per year, I do not remember details.
> do the produce the same amount as a conventional Lang?
A horizontal hive requires different management than a vertical hive. If you manage both like a vertical hive you will get more from the vertical hive. If you mange both like a horizontal hive, you'll get more from the horizontal hive...
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