You are a true man of wisdom and you inspire me daily. Thanks for being who you are.

Not sure how someone could dislike a video that's so helpful and useful...

Very good build on the tbh , this is in my opinion the best building tbh tutorial on KZfaq, easy put together and easy to measure. 👍

Perhaps the man who had collected these things intended for someone to put them to good use. So the very thought of you using them for projects like these is fullfilling in itself. Makes me happy to think that.

Aloha, as a disabled beekeeper, I now try to teach beekeeping here on Oahu. Duri ng my union based jobs of Carpentry and Movie sets I had 220 hives of recovered wild hives of honeybees. I removed about 500 or so hives from the wild and peoples homes. now being disabled, I'm happy to just be alive and do my bees. now I only use TBH's, whereas before I had 220 hives of the Langstrough style, all built at home to the needs of the hive. Just 30 hives would have been enough, but saving bees from people that just wish to kill them with poisons, makes you jump whenever you hear of trouble from people not keeping their homes 'free of invites' to honeybees, so it got to 220 hives saved.

You remind me of myself when I started raising bees about 7 or 8 years ago.I made many mistakes but I tried to learn from them all.I hesitate to offer help because so many times they think you are attacking there Ideas..I made dozens of top bar plus many others types,what ever the mind can imagine you can do,as long as you keep in mind the needs of your bees.Trust me! If they dont like there new home they will go elsewhere..In a home of there own choosing they generally choose a place the is dry and that they can defend ..from a host of things.Like wasps ,hornets,wax moths,etc.In the top bar add a couple of dummy spacer boards .that fit tight.Give your bees only enough room that they need and can take care of.As the colony grows,widen the space in the top bar designs.The screen on the bottom needs to be fine mesh ,maybe like window screen..The idea of lots of fresh air ,sounds good to people.But remember there are many things that are very small that will infest your colony. A mesh size of lets say 1/4 inch mesh will leave the whole bottom of the topbar hive open to attacks.Some will say the bees protect themselves.That is true and they do it quite well,"once they are established".A new batch of bees are helpless,,They mostly consist of queen and a few workers,nurse bees and the like.The guard bees come later..I could tell you a lot about the pros and cons of top bar design but it would take many pages,lol. I will leave you with something to think about..When you have several hives you will notice that one or two do so much better than the rest.That leads to the idea of Propagating your best performers,and that my friends ,opens up a whole world for you..It requires being able to go into the hive and identifying the frames that are your brood and also finding the queen.I guess that is where the topbar is great for the beginner because of the ease of doing this.If im permitted to I will leave you with My e-mail addy.I have nothing to sell but I really enjoy helping people .Maybe you will be able to not make some of the heart breaking mistakes that I made..Great sight by the way,keep up the great work and have some fun along the way...Bob Fortner"Goldenrod bee nursery Inc" E-mail wisendorf@gmail.com

It was this video (that I found while researching top bar hives) that first introduced me to you and your family. Thanks so much for sharing with all of us your humor and knowledge. I will be building my first hive this week.

Yes Douglas Fir would be and excellent choice. The only reason I didn't use Doug Fir was the cost.

man you r the most smartest guy i ever found on internet!god bless you ,i hope that i found friends like you who are extremly talented may god gives loving ppl you wins higher score in your life as well as afterlife.

THANK YOU! I have watched several of these videos and you are the only one I came across that mention 1x12 being 11 1/4........I work for a lumber mill and thats what they are cut at....Thumbs up to you

it benefits him that you are using those tools where as perhaps another would like it once in a while. its kinda a extension of his self through you. so it went to the correct person and i'm sure he smiles every-time you use one of his tools. smile.....

this bee keeping project will be a blast to watch. I wish you the best of luck and keep us updated on how it goes.

"What matters is how we affect people." beautiful quote, sir.

Wranglestar, I'm glad you went with the top bar hive as I made the decision to go that way too next spring, as from what I've read it is more natural and easier on the bees. Your design looks well thought out and it will probably be the way I go when I start building. Thanks!

i, for one, enjoyed your philosophical commentary during the clasp installation. great video, and i am going out to the hardware store and making one of these!

Thanks for another excellent video Cody. Can't wait to see it finished. See you on the next vid.

I'm by no means an expert at this stuff, but I've heard a few times now in the recent past that your local honey is the best thing to fight allergies. It seems to make sense. Allergies come from the local area and so is your local honey. Support the local...

Love a top bar hive. My husband, PaladinPrepper is doing a 'cut-out' tomorrow morning. He's capturing a hive that has set up housekeeping in a friends vacant home. Can wait for the new hive...they're only about 4 blocks from my house. I love this project...glad you're showing it.

Great project Wranglerstar the best thing is having one of those bit boxes my father left me one when he passed on and still even now 16 years later im still going into it and it usually provides what I need with a bit of imagination, Ps made the Axe sheath last week works real good saves my fingers

Glad to watch this. Thank you. Your philosophy thought was right on. It is much appreciated.

Nice. You do good work and even countersinking for the bee stand. I am going to follow your lead, "There is no excuse to not keep bees."!

This is AWESOME! Thank you! These are the plans I will be using for my next hive for sure!

Ok, I just learned something interesting this morning. If bees feed on the Rhododendron plant, the honey will be slightly hallucinogenic and have a laxative effect. I live in BC just a few hundred miles north of Oregon state and we have a lot of Rhodo's up here so I expect you do too.

I used parts from ye old bin today. I'm uploading part 2 of the bee hive build now. It should go live in a couple hours. It's a little something you all wont expect....

Brilliant, you make it look so easy Cody.

Well Cody, again you have been so educational as well as interesting to watch. I thank you another great video on your crafts and projects. I hope to one day find the time to be more resourceful. God bless!

On the philosophy aspect. I have watched several of your vids and respect your ideals and beliefs. You looked at the negative around the man you didn't know and him collecting things rather than doing what matters. It looks like it did matter to me; you have a huge resource of nick knacks that go towards useful projects. That man's legacy is in everything you create with his collection, instead of all that stuff ending up at the bottom of some landfill. You both did what matters; that's legacy!

Mr. Wranglerstar, I found your videos here just a few days ago and I can say that I am very impressed with your videos, your vocal delivery in them, and how your passion and realism shines throughout. You are an inspiration to me! You must have been very successful in your past career, because it is apparent that you have the "it" that it takes to be successful in anything you do. Also, really like your work ethic. Thanks for the vid.

Glad you film so you can minute details as to how you are doing that. I am learning as I go, as to how to build stuff. Great Videos!

Ok! I went to the Beekeepers meeting last night at our regional extension office. This is an excellent forum on finding out more information and see Sarah Red-Laird (TheBeeGirl.com) who is a member of our local chapter, as well as connecting with a mentor. She is an excellent resource for bee information. I learned about the different diseases and mites which infest bee hives, and also learned natural ways of treating these infestations last night. WOW! Beekeeping is fun. Thank you Cody for showing us how to make our own equipment on the cheap. Cheap is well within my budget.

I helped a friend of a friend, a widow, move a heavy tool from her basement the other day. She was gradually letting go of her husbands things. She gave me a couple of his favorite hand tools. I don't recall ever meeting the man. I might have. Anyway, I have been thinking about him. I'm grateful to have been "handed down" to. I will always remember where I got those tools.

Three holes let more bees in and out based on temperature. They're also for "bee-powered" ventilation. Bees "dehydrate" nectar into honey, using their wings to move the air to maintain temperature and humidity. In winter, they need to keep the internal temperature up. Pplugging two of your holes will help. A "landing board" (1½" deep) level with the bottom of the holes will give them a way to get into and out of the hive. Extend it ~1½ to 2" beyond the edges of the holes.

Cody, I am actually in the process of building this exact same thing. Great timing on your video for me. As always, great work. Take care!

You should make a supply list

This is great, wish it was up in March. I too got the beekeeping bug this year. 3-31-13 I threw together a TB hive from some 1x12 I had. A tree colony was showing swarm signs and I didn't have time for countersinking for my wife to admire. I spent less then $15 on some 1x2 for bars, and a spool of twine and beeswax for guide. I laid old campaign signs across the bars for a roof. (Your gabled roof is far prettier) My first swarm didn’t like it and left, but 6-1 I got a swarm to stay.

A suggestion is make the top bar hive at least 4 ft long.The shorter the space the quicker you will get swarms.I built one that waS BASICALLY a long box that I could use langstrom frames in.lot of fun doing different things.The smaller frames worked better,stronger and not much blowout when exstracting .But great video .

Yes I think you make a good point.

Vary nice vid. my wife and I have been thinking of adding bees to are homestead and I also love the simplicity of that style hive.thanks again.

McCartney Taylor ("OutOfABlueSky") uses both Langstroth and Top Bar hives. The growing interest in Top Bar hives is not only because it's a simpler, less expensive hive, but even some traditional beekeepers are making a transition to Top Bar hives because in the Top Bar hives there is less of a problem with Varroa Mites.

I may have a fear of bees and i may be allergic (maybe, since i was only stung once to find out i was allergic) but there is just something about honey bees that i love. Im only scared of wasps, hornets and yellow jackets but i absolutely love seeing honey bees flying around. Especially when my mom starts her small garden on our back porch. We get all sorts of insects and little creatures showing up. 2 years we had a praying mantis and for the past 3 years we have had a little frog show up. We also have butterflies and small birds flying on our porch for the flowers.

Great videos; glad to share your adventure. I believe you ended up with those things because they followed the lines of craftsmanship instead of blood. I have often given a tool to a boy or friend because they thrill in the satisfaction of craftsmanship. Even though you never met, I think you still may have been the type of heir he had in mind. Keep 'em coming! Thanks.

1. If you insulate your hive, 3-4" or more, the bees will use less honey during the winter and be less stressed. You will then be able to keep them in the shade and not have to worry about them over heating in the summer. 2. Summer, Try drilling some entry holes near the top. It both lets the heat out and gives the bees an additional entry point. They will love it. 3. Stay tuned for yet a simpler version that allows you to still use standard honey harvesting equipment, makes for a stronger healthier hive, and only needs to be tended to about once a year, and when you do, the bees don't swarm on you. Lots more coming soon.

ref 20:15 Those are Roll Cabinet catches, note for watchers they adjust back and forth left and right so u can fine tune your install. As well as learning how to fix mammas cabinets.

As always your videos are great! The content has always been excellent and your videography has really been fun to watch as you continue to improve your various shots. These are some of the best DYI videos on KZfaq. Keep them coming...we love them.

Loved this video . Always found beekeeping to be so interesting. Thanks for the content Mr.Wranglerstar!

Subscribing because I've recently been inspired to have my own honey bees when I am older and have my own house.

Use 1/8" hardware cloth on the bottom so mites fall through, but bees don't. I am told bees need a landing platform at the entrance. The door catch holding the bottom on needs a shot of lacquer or paint to prevent the spring rusting away. This form of hive doesn't separate the honey cells from the larvae cells like a Langstroth hive does.

nice video! I'll be sure to countersink to impress my wife! Also, the man who saved all that hardware was helping the earth and conserving! Just like you, repurposing that satellite dish. DIY!

You may find a swarm in a tree. Hold a 5 gal bucket under it, knock it down into the bucket, put a lid on it. As long as you get the queen (almost always in the center of the swarm), any wandering workers will find her. Be sure you're veiled, etc., and this presents no problem. Watch a few videos on capturing swarms. It's really not difficult.

Good stuff! Noticed the plywood for your dividers miraculously transformed from old mud and oil stained to brand new! heheh... better for the bees...

In response to your "screen" instructions, wrangler - The size is #8 hardware cloth. (I seldom see it in big-box stores - but the mom and pop general hardware stores usually have a few square feet of it.) - Hey welcome to beekeeping too - the more you learn about bees the more fascinating the become.

Warre hives are also another option for the DIY'er that can be made inexpensively. There are some really good management benefits that a warre has over any horizontal TBH.

I think this was a really interesting project, you learning right along side the rest of us. I believe that you just touched on seeing things a bit more 20/20 than some other people. Literally, if you go to (roughly) 20.20 in your VID here, I'll make a point. You're way of saying "thanks" to the neighbor whom you've never known is how you address using those nuts, bolts, washers & other odds 'n' ends. It's the perpetuity of you doing so that IS his legacy & that's a great thing. I too, have received a whole slew of such from our Gramps after his death & I get a smile on my face each time I get to use any of those parts or a tool, to get the job done. (Phonetically speaking we called him Grampa or Gramps.) We're all guilty of saving things with the mentality "I might need this in the future.". Well Sir, you just proved it here! Thank YOU for your legacy of VID's & your philosophy, I enjoy your detail & integrity that you put into all of them. Be SAFE, Be WELL & PEACE To ALL! -Lone Wolf

Hi. Great video, reading some comments below I agree that this hive is a bit too small for a colony to run a whole season. I made one that used 4' long 1x12x3/4 pine and had 32 or so bars. I started it from a swarm in October 2011 and by the end of January 2012 the bees had drawn comb off every bar and started filling with honey, there was brood from front to back. The build is very good but the hive is a tad small (short). This would be excellent as a nucleus hive with the divider in the middle

YESSSSSS. I plan on making about 5 top bar nukes and setting them in different areas to try to catch some swarms.

It seems that you have some magical wood cutting abilities sir, seeing as somehow after you cut your spacers 11 inches high and put the 11 1/4 inch sides on they fit perfectly when after some simple algebra it is evident that the angled sides of the spacers are no shorter than 12 inches which leads me to believe there is some doctoring of the wood boards to lengthen them going on behind the scene, or am i correct in saying that you used a different piece of wood than originally stated in the beginning of the video?

Excellent video and build as usual Cody. Not going to be bee keeping here in downtown Tokyo, but it is very interesting, if I get to retire outside the city at some point, I'll be coming back to this to build some hives. Domo!

HaHa, counter sunk the wrong side of your ends didn't ya, I've been there LOL.

i like the way you work, You do beautiful work and you do such a great job showing us. I enjoyed your video

Cody , I just built my top bar hive with two of my boys, good plans , beats buying a traditional hive

I'd like people to be aware that there is a hive called a Langstroth Hive, which is extremely sensible as an alternative. It also allows you to migrate your bees very easily, and increase the internal volume as the colony increases. A hive needs to be made without using plywood because the glues will be rejected by the bees, and plain timber will last much longer. This type of hive would be illegal in Australia.

"No excuse not to have bees." I have a new motto. Chum: You wanna go see a movie? Me: No excuse not to have bees.

that old man will live for ever (not Forgotten )

Really love your videos, they have really changed they way I look at completing my project from that looks good enough to I think that almost prefect, Thank you.

I love the Cowboy hat. its hard to find someone now days wearing a good hat.

Thank you for that video..I loved it..! You are a good craftsman.

You are explaining things so well! Thanks!!!

I recently got a colony of bees in the old fashioned hives and like yours a lot better, actually, I'm wondering how much my bee man knows. Any hoot, I just have to say you do some of the nicest work I've ever seen, enough to rival my Dad, and I don't say that to many people. Great job Wranglerstar. OBTW, It would me sweet to have your tools. LOL. Kim, (grandma of 8)

Excellent video, really brokedown the whole procedure of building a top bar hive.

The old satellite dish frame will make a great frame for a parabolic solar cooker project.

WOW, I'm impressed good video, good sound, good commentary, good presentation. All & all very nicely done.

Great vid, I really look forward to more on this subject. Bees seem like a great 'starter livestock' option, not to mention their benefits to your garden.

People in my area of Missouri suggested "Keeping Bees with a smile" and I am hoping that is the type of hive that you guys are going to talk about... :-)

Nice video. You inspired me to me want to build one. The collections of things that we collect are useful for us while we are around and then they get passed along to hopefully someone that can appreciate them like you as opposed to getting pitched. I think about stuff like that when I am building things too. Good luck with your future bees.

Hi, Finished up my top bar by your awesome, helpful plans the other day. Same as your as far as material except i used cedar and metal roof. Going to coat in with Linseed / Tung oil. Can't barely wait till spring to install our package of Italian honeybees. We have been beekeeping with the traditional Langstroth hives, but have been wanting to give the top bar a go. Choose your setup and was wondering now that a few years have passed how are your top bars colonies fairing thus far? We live in the Appalachian mountains of Union county Georgia where the winter nights plunge to the single digits and -0 now n again. I did drill a 1 inch vent hole at both ends of the cover ( roof ) and will most likely need to use some sort of insulation summer and winter for moisture control. But anyway THANKS A BUNCH for all the wonderful videos that both you and your sister post! How anyone can give y'all a thumbs down is beyond me, but there will always be negative, unhappy folks in the world in need of prayer.

How are you liking the top bar hive, over a Langstroth Hive? I'am thinking of a long box hive, with standard deep frames. The reason is ALL THE LIFTING, TAKEN UP AND DOWN and yes it will have a screen bottom with a oil trap for SHB wax moths ect.

Sort of like the TV dish has been used to create the new entertainment window, on the hive. Cool.

The beekeeping videos I've seen indicate that urban hives are healthier and generate more honey than hives in rural areas where pesticides are being used on crops. If I had my preference, I'd place a rural hive at least three miles away from any crops where pesticides are being sprayed on crops.

Beautiful work on the behive, two things I would point out, that you might not have considered.

I have read about the ledge. The obvious question is how have they survived so long in the wild without a ledge? I'll ruff up the inside of the holes with 60 grit. Thanks for the tips.

Thank you I found it and noticed that these were filmed a while ago. How goes your beekeeping journey?

You and Your Family are Awesome! Keep it up!

Very cool video! I like your style!

1st thing you need "Is a garden of flowers". A plan to have some form of plants growing so they can even eat and produce any amount of honey. And you need to make sure their is water nearby

Nice dude really nice even the philosophic part

Spend 20 minutes watching the entry passage of someone else's bee hive, and observe the bees returning. We can read a lot, but seeing with our own eyes can change our outlook. Remember today's honey bees aren't found in nature, humans have shaped their outcome.

Hey mate, just came across your utube channel and have subbed. Watching the rest of this build with great interest. Have seen similar but WAY 2 complicated. You explain it in a nice and easy way....thanks, Ray.

Your hive is looking great. I have just built a hive like this myself. I may have to wait until September when spring comes to Australia beofre I can catch a swarm.

Couldnt have said it better myself, Thank you.

Very interesting style beehive!

It turned out the paint on the satellite was lead. The honey cases brain damage. That's what's wrong with preppers. Just kidding. Cool video mate. As a carpenter, I can tell you, just built the triangular box. They put your endboard up there and draw off the outline and cut down the line. You can double check with a speed square. You don't have to draw everything out, just use standard methods. I think you did a great job on the hive, BTW. Especially love the viewing window - fantastic!

Wranglerstar! 1 Corinthians 11:1 is what I see when I watched this! Thanks for be such a great example in a fallen world! I hope to make it to the Mother Earth show to meet you and the family! Godspeed!

Good idea you should also check out Warre style hives. There is a free plans online and his book is a very good read to understand ore about bees. Looking forward to see how you get on. I have built the warre style hive this year and my bait boxes out of old bee hive boxes so we will see what happens.

very nice ! awesome work !

I'm not sure I'll find one. If I do I'll be sure to bring the camera along.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10

You just missed out. We had a bee hive truck crash and leave a couple hundred hives along the road. They were loaded with bees and the county was just letting people come and get them. It was just north of Madras.

Wow, I was looking at bee hives just this morning and i come online to find this, nice one.. Thanks

I heard on a podcast that you can lure wild bees to an empty hive with lemongrass oil. I baited a hive today.

also dont forget to make a spacer .so you can adjust the space you give them to work with.