I'm half-way through building my first top bar hive, and here's a dilemma.
If the roof fits fairly tightly around the top of the box, how do the bees get out? -- the bees that come up between the bars as you go through?
Do you brush the bees off the top before closing the lid? Or is there a way for them to get out, later?
Most designs, if they have a roof, show that area closed off. Little ventilator caps from True Value hardware, etc. If it's open, maybe the bees would move into the attic? One guy with an open roof talks about having to clear out wasps that move into that area. It seems like this would be a common problem, but I haven't seen it discussed yet.
If the roof fits fairly tightly around the top of the box, how do the bees get out? -- the bees that come up between the bars as you go through?
Do you brush the bees off the top before closing the lid? Or is there a way for them to get out, later?
Most designs, if they have a roof, show that area closed off. Little ventilator caps from True Value hardware, etc. If it's open, maybe the bees would move into the attic? One guy with an open roof talks about having to clear out wasps that move into that area. It seems like this would be a common problem, but I haven't seen it discussed yet.