thinking of building several tanzanian style

[geoffkb]

Gold Star Honeybees makes what looks like a great kit for those that want to keep all their fingers.

http://www.goldstarhoneybees.com/sales.htm

[11x]

is that right 450$ wow

[camero7]

I built one out of scrap wood for around $5.00

[11x]

i can buy prebuilt kits for 100$ all day long

[waynesgarden]

That does it. I'm recommending to the owners that our company stop building houses and condos and build top bar hives instead.

Wayne

[beebiker]

here's my 35.00 take-a-frame special. (it would have been $18.00 but i built a swinging screened bottom )



nice part is it's expandable, i built a super for the top as well for $8.00

[QUIST]

Beebiker,
That is almost exactly what I have drawn up.
How does it work for you?
Do you use one super the same dimension (width X length)? I'm afraid if I make a 22 frame super and I make it deep, it will be to heavy.
Do the bees seem to move into and build in the super as fast as they do on the main hive?
I am going to build alot of them so I am wondering weather or not to use viewing windows. Im thinking its to much.

[beebiker]

hi quist
sorry it took me so long to see your reply, been busy in the beet harvest these days
actually yes,my super is the same dimmensions around the outside, i made it only deep enouph to accept med sized frames so i wouldnt have a weight problem.
it seemed that the added length was going to be a problem at first becouse they didnt seem to want to fill out the brood box initially, but then with the fall flow the girls jumped in and virtually finished it out over night, ( kinda caught me unawares
i removed one of the top bars in the middle of the hive and within a few days they were building comb up top like nobodys business. unfortunitly right after they had the 4th or 5th bar started in the super they got this crazy idea that they should swarm so that kinda brought things to a halt, but i figure they will have a great start again next spring when the hive starts to boom again
my thoughts on the window were striclty so i could observe them without jumping into my suit everytime i wanted a peek inside. in hind sight it probably would have been better to not have it there as i might have detected that they were going to swarm if i had actually been pulling frames/bars and seen what was going on, but this being my first hive i may not have recognized the it anyway knowing me and i didn't put a window in the super.

beebiker