As per your comment at 5:35 about using metal runners to reduce friction, you might try just pushing a thumb-tac into either end of the top-bar where they rest on the runners.

Mr Chandler you've done it again. Excellent video. I always love the respect you have for every individual bee, even the "little cronies".

Could listen to your voice all day. Gorgeous and so informative. Like your approach very much. Good bless

I have been reading your book on balanced beekeeping 1. I have liked it so far and I have gotten many methods to try from this book.

This was a great informative video. You really seem to know what your doing with these types of hives Phil. I learnt some valuable things. Thanks

I really like this type of modified style hive. Thank you for sharing your details. I subscribed for sure. Looking forward to following your progress. Cheers from Southwest Florida, USA 🐝🐝🐝☮️☯️

Well done Phil. I have learned a lot from your videos.

There is absolutely no advantage to full frame why do they do it, 95% of hives in Australia are not top bars, the education you're providing is very valuable

this super cool guy Paul from Pine City Apiary sent me your way. Never seen anyone make anuke before. Pretty cool

Fantastic.... will certainly subscribe.. keep up the fab vids.

i do this with a modified langstroth box. i never use a bee brush Les Crowder taught me to use sprigs or tall grass to get the bees off the frames. you can us it and have 10000 bees in the air and never get stung. bee brush = mad bees

I learned a lot here! I recently purchased a top bar but I think I have to wait until next year to start it. I was wondering how you made the nucs and here you are!

Just added reflectix to the hives two days ago. I could feel the warmth when I put my hand in the void beyond the follower board. I have two entrance holes open in the main hive. Won't get too hot in the summer, Phil? I'm on Vancouver Island so similar climate to yours but getting up into the mid twenties in the Summer.

Very good and I practice this method. We will have to try it this spring. since in these parts we are already leaving everything ready for wintering, a question, form a new queen in this way? thank you very much Phil Chandler for sharing his knowledge !!! Muy bueno y practico este método. tendremos que probarlo esta primavera. ya que por estos lares ya estamos dejando todo listo para la invernada, una pregunta, forman una nueva reina de este modo? muchas gracias Phil Chandler por compartir su saber!!!

Hi, I'd like to ask if you think there is specific way or condition that making bees build workers' room, not drone room. I have tried to make honey comb with some empty frames, but it's been failing since they always build drone's rooms. I tried the same way you did on this video like putting empty frames between combs.

Enjoyed your video and gentle way of explaining. Thank you. Would the bees have been able to raise their own queen from the eggs laid by the old queen?

I am curious what would happen if you leave the top bars in the square hive for longer. Would the bees then attach the sides of the comb to the hive? In my top bar hive the bees hardly attach to the sides and I have not had any cross combing. I have seen that here in Germany it is possible to buy top bars for the more common hives - Dadant etc. Wonder what they would be used for.

Just a thought from an absolute newbie. If I build a top bar hive (or other design) and put in a feeder jar, putting the TBH on my property near where two neighbours keep their hives, could I attract a swarm and get a ‘free’ colony. Beekeepers in my area are very adverse to selling these days, due to the many issues with the industry.

Hello Phil, I like this video a lot and I think it will help me split one of my top bar hives into two. With an empty hive near to hand I already tried once to split last year but my attempts to persuade the queen into the plasti clip keeper failed-she was far too agile and quick for me.

جميل تحيتي 👍👍👍👍🐝🌹🍯

Hi Phil, Hope this question finds its way to you on an older video of yours but thought it best to place on a video where the question has relevance. I'm an avid watcher of your very informative videos so thank you very much for such a range of instructional and knowledge building topics. I have been considering keeping bees for several years now and am now in a position to do so. I have always gravitated back towards using a TBH even when there have been very knowledgeable people I have spoken to who have offered that start with a national hive to start and then transfer if you still feel you want to go topbar. I have just reserved a nuc (Jan 2021 for June) and thought about how I could convert a 5 bar national nuc to a TBH from the off as it were. Do you think it is feasible to carry out this within the poly nuc or would you suggest setting up an intermediate such as your hive in this video? I was wondering whether the bees would be able to cope with the move to me and then the time it would take to begin their topbars within a confined poly nuc? Any help would be very much appreciated. Kindest regards. Graham

Also wouldn’t the water create humidity for them therefore making them work harder to try fix instead of building?

On the top insulation - the Aluminum side reflects heat - and so it should bee below to reflect the heat back downwards.

If there is no queen cups and no queen, how do they get a new queen?

Phil i was given some topbar hives this year . I am starting with my two langs . if my hives were strong enough to manage a walk away split could i use your method to accomplish this ? ;)?

What was the oil you add to the water spray.? Thank again for you vids

What does the peppermint oil do?

Your top bars look the same size as the BS frames. All the top bars I've seen in a friend's hives are bigger. Are your TBHs a different size to 'shop' bought ones?

what is the ratio of Peppermint oil to water, please? Is it Essential Oil? Thank you.I like your honest beekeeping.

Why top bars? Why the diagonal sides on the hive used for the nuc? Why if that trick with the water sprayer works so well, doesn't everybody do it? I've been watching bee videos for a couple of weeks and I was surprised to see so many things I hadn't heard of at all packed into one video.

Try drilling a hole or holes in the top bar preferably the size of a bamboo Barbecue sqewer and push them to the bottom of the frame and this will support the comb

All top-bar beekeepers I know are going the other direction.

The ‘Conversion Hive’ seems like something that would be banned by the woke folk in America! I love that you have all these different hives. I have collected scrolls and ancient manuscripts for almost 50 years and hope to find old hive ideas for beekeeping once I have fully established my modern hives and learn much more about bees. I have seen other horizontal hives where the top has been hinged. This seems like the easier access for a beekeeper in wheelchair. Do you have any recommendations? I am not in wheelchair currently but understand it is coming. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience. Ps-I’m partial to my professional tailoring shears (designed for certain leathers) but the wetting idea to keep the blades from sticking is GENIUS! Sorry for another question….but…is it possible to start a war in the hive by shaking in bees from several different hives?

Био пчеларство с алуминиево фолио не се прави....

I loved it till he shook nurse bees off of the grubs they were tending too, to be placed into a hive that's brood already had nurse bees clinging to. Now the brood left in the old hive do not have nurse bees attached, but counting on honey collectors to feed and tend to them? Of course people will say they are just fine, but then not understand why their colony is stressed, got infected with some disease, or died over the next year, etc. Anyway....