[misslechunker]

I am brand new to this forum and will be brand new to bee keeping as well. I wanted to ask everyone who would, to please tell me if you feel as though my TBH that I built will be sufficient for the bee's. My main concern is the ventilation and the entrance holes. I have included some pics. My three entrance holes are each, one inch in diameter. The bottom of the hive is closed of by a 3/4 by 5" pine board. there is a tiny crack that runs along both sides of the bottom board. I live in North Carolina (near S.C. line. Please tell me if you think this hive will suffice. I tried to upload some pics from my camera but I haven't figured how to post them on here. Thanks to everyone with opinions !
Oh yeah! Just in case you are wondering.....the hive body is L-44" x W-17.5" x H-12"

 

[beebiker]

hi misslechunker and welcome
without pictures it is kind of a shot in the dark but sounds like you did ok, keep in mind that a hive will/can be build by the bees in just about anything anywhere ( old tires,logs,old trunks,gas meters,hollow logs etc). the reason we build hives in the manner we do is for our ease of access and depending what we want the end results to be.
you have not stated if your top bar hive is either kenyan or tanz style but guessing from your description i would assume kenyan which is fine, i want to utilize more honey from mine so i use tanzanian style but both work well.
i would also recommend as i am sure others here will as well that you study up on a book or two, also check out michael bushes site here
http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm
it is a wealth of info.
have you made your top bars yet ??, this can be an important issue as the bees progress from brood comb to honey storage comb. plus it keeps you from having a real mess later if the correct widths are observed and used appropriately.
top bar hives are fun and an inexpensive way to get your feet wet in the bee keeping world, keep in the back of your mind that the forum is only a key click away and any questions that can come up can usually be found in the search engine for the forum, and if all else fails just ask. there is a world of info here on the forum and most are glad to help answer any questions.
figure out how to post a pic via photobucket or any photo album site and have fun, i would love to see what you have built.
beebiker

 

[misslechunker]

Beebiker,
You were right in assuming that is was the Kenyan TBH ! I have already been to the Bush Farms website and I'll continue to do so. It sure would be nice to have all that knowledge before I began this journey. I guess I'll get a lot of it like everyone else....trial and error LOL! :scratch: I have tried and tried to get several pictures from my photobucket account to post and it will not load them! It keeps giving me a file error message! I would be happy to send them to you via email (since I can't this site to take them) if you want to send me a private message with your address. Do you think that it would be too late to house bee's by mid June around here? I mean, we have hot weather all the way through late September! Just curious. Thank you for responding

 

[misslechunker]

See if these work. Kenyan TBH.........

http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad247/missleslinger/2010%20KTBH/100_1246.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad247/missleslinger/2010 KTBH/100_1244.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad247/missleslinger/2010 KTBH/100_1243.jpg

 

[misslechunker]

:applause: YIPEEEEE! I done figured out how to put pics on this here thing folks! Beebiker, this is what you asked for earlier. These were taken at night.

 

[Barry]

Now the next step to learn is sizing them down to acceptable sizes! :doh:

http://beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225753

 

[beebiker]

hi misslechunker
yep that should work, i am curious thou as to what was used for the finish ?? you obviously put your heart into it and the design is a dandy ( i especially like the roof :applause
as mentioned before i use tanz style hives with an observation window, but would definitly put your hive in my bee yard and brag it up, it looks dandy.
i really can't advise you as whether it is too late to start a hive in nc as i am in wy and as has been said so many times before " all bee keeping is local" what will work for you may not work for me here in the wilds of wyoming. what i might suggest is going to the search engine here on the forum and type in north carolina, pick the introductory section and see what comes up, you may well find someone in your area that is a member here that can answer that question.
in response to barrys note, don't feel to embarrassed or put off, i am fairly sure he didn't mean it that way, it is just that some folks have dial up service and a overly large pic takes forever to load. the trick to resizing on photobucket is easy once you do it. simply click the edit button over the pic you wish to down size and play around with it. being as your new it's a learning curve and after a little bit you will have it mastered.
here is a pic of my hive from last year, not nearly as pretty as yours

well good luck and enjoy the bees when you get them, remeber the forum is always here, don't be shy and keep us updated opcorn:

beebiker

 

[misslechunker]

Thank you Beebiker ! I appreciate the compliments. Now, as far as what did I cover it with......the actual body of the hive is covered with Spar Polyurethane. It is the same that I use on my boat paddles that get a lot of abuse! ( I fish the rivers here in Robeson County 1 Anyway, with polyurethane of any type, if you put the first coat on too thick it will run. Well, I don't know if you can tell from the pics but I made it run along the sides of the body so that when it dried, it looked exactly like honey dripping down the sides! The top is constructed with a treated 4x4 post that was ripped to be three inches wide. I then ripped several pieces @ about 1/4 inch wide. I then just used a brad nail gun along with some exterior wood glue to the roof frame! I did put a little silicone on each brad head to keep them from rusting. Presto, a rustic looking top for the occupants! I have heard it stated on other posts that as long as the bee's have the essentials within the hive body, they will be happy. I don't believe they will give a crap if my hive is "pretty" or not! I just wanted to make it look fairly neat in the yard here at home. As for your hive, I like it just fine I promise (if Barry is reading) to try the reduction surgery on my pics from now on...:lpf: Thank you again for the positive feedback! Oh yea, I found out that if I hive a new package of bees in the next three weeks or so, they will be fine by the winter! I am gonna try and order some tomorrow from Gardners Apiaries in Georgia! I already talked to Tina there and the price was very competitive with others @ $77.00 which included shipping and handling. Beebiker, did you feel as though the three one inch holes at the front will be sufficient? Sorry so long............Chris

 

[misslechunker]

OOOpps on the underlines!

 

[beebiker]

misslechunker
good deal, the spar varnish will keep it looking good for a year or two, longer if it's in the shade part of the day.
as far as the entrance holes they should be fine,maybe set it so it can catch the morning sun so it will give them a early start on their day. i have seen folks build entrance holes on the sides as well and am of the opinion that as long as they have an exit they ( the bees) are happy. before your new girls arrive you might think about a feeder design for inside the hive to prevent robbing by other bees, it will be easier to make hive modifications now rather than later if you need to as far as providing a safe syrup feeding system.
unfortunitly you are right, in the end the girls care little about how fancy it looks, or if the neighbors approve of the look of the new house, they are more concerned about if it is dry,clean and safe from preditors

only other thing i can suggest to finish the hive up is a nice little sign over the door saying " MISSLECHUNKER'S HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS" :lpf:

beebiker

 

[misslechunker]

Very funny! I have no idea about the syrup feeder......Hmmmm. Maybe place it near the rear under a few top bars? Anyway, I am gonna' construct my own using something like the older designed chicken bitty feeders. It basically screwed onto a mason jar, the jar was flipped upside down and gravity did the rest. Feeding the syrup into the screw on "cup" so to speak. All I would need to do is to put a couple of pebble rocks into the syrup area for easier access and an escape if one should take a plunge! If you have any ideas, do not hold them back :thumbsup:!

 

[DavesBees]

The Honey Hole Hideaway will work just fine and welcome to the forum. Shoot, I want to move in. The holes are fine and if you can see a little light around the bottom board you will be operating like me. Some people use no ventilation at all and do just fine. My hives are a full 4 feet and as of right now I have 1 hole plugged with two open and the hive is ¾ full. The only time I open the extra holes is when they back up at the entrance. I also have two bait hives populated and they have 1-1inch hole and solid bottoms with no cracks. The bees moved in so they found it satisfactory at the time. I brought 1 home yesterday and will get the other one tomorrow. The one tomorrow looks like a huge batch of bees. I set them on top of the hive for a week or so and then move them into the hive. Ok, I’m out. You’re doing great…keep it up.