Moving Bees into a Horizontal Hive and a Top Bar Hive, both with Eco-Floors

Рет қаралды 5,682

3 жыл бұрын

We had two colonies in polystyrene nucs that had come through their second winter (for one I think it was their third) with no interference from beekeepers. They looked lively from the outside and were both foraging well, but it was becoming urgent that we gave them fresh comb and more space.
I wanted to populate several top bar hives, so we decided to put one of the colonies into a horizontal hive that had been out of use for a while, so we will be able to interleave empty top bars between frames to guarantee continuous production of straight, fresh combs.
This video shows how we went about the job, while simultaneously populating one of the top bar hives.
You will find a lot of free stuff on my site at biobees.com including plans for top bar hives and our international natural beekeeping forum.
My books, including The Barefoot Beekeeper and Managing a Top Bar Hive (the workshop manual for balanced beekeeping), are available here - biobees.com/books.php
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Пікірлер: 20

@yaddahaysmarmalite4059 Жыл бұрын

I'll be doing a transference from langstroth to layens this spring. thanks for sharing your ideas.

@laziacoff503 3 жыл бұрын

Lovely presentation.

@timothymitchell8310 3 жыл бұрын

I will PM you after my comments and questions hear. A compost pile works naturally over a long period of time and the. Process is sped up if it’s is turned and watered and you are right it does create significant heat. Why not build your eco floor on the ground with access panels to add or remove materials needed or not. My thinking is that a full compost bin will keep them warm and allow them to move around in their hives and not starve and give them early brood building in the spring. What are your thoughts? It’s good to see you and your new post!

@Liz-M 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Phil, thank you for this demonstration. I hope you don’t mind me making a suggestion re the video. I feel that the video would be more complete if you could add a few seconds showing the colony’s all settled perhaps from the next day. Experienced bee keepers know the outcome but inexperienced/animal lovers may not and I think would benefit from seeing harmony restored.

@BarefootBeekeeper 3 жыл бұрын

I take your point, and yes, it would be nice, but it means I have to go back the next day and that's not always convenient.

@Liz-M 3 жыл бұрын

@@BarefootBeekeeper 👍

@BarefootBeekeeper 3 жыл бұрын

@@Liz-M but in fact I did go back today... Watch this space!

@JimLaddie 3 жыл бұрын

SNAP! I tried using the same tool and like yourself, sharpened the edges but have since settled for my Ulu which is extremely sharp and has pointed ends. Ideal for prying the bars apart and lifting the ends. Anyway: Glad you're back. You got me into this... TBH. Cheers Jim

@69ten 3 жыл бұрын

another video you mean a new bideo tomorrow ? :D yeeey. aah the dream getting a house and buying the land around making shure it has a lot of good flower soil and just planting a tone fo flowers on it , off, so nice :)

@catchandinstallhoneybees.1901 3 жыл бұрын

wow so great work..... i like video and sub....

@stephencook2102 3 жыл бұрын

Another brilliant video keep them coming

@ScouseJack 3 жыл бұрын

14:32 queen cup

@newparksfarm 3 жыл бұрын

Good to see some new videos Phil, I'm not using foundation anymore either. I'm in Cornwall and caught a swarm last June that had really dark bees and have a daughter queen from it that is totally black and so are her drones, (I have not actually ever spotted the queen from the swarm). I don't know enough to say they are native black bees but I think they must have a fair bit of their genetics, I currently have them in a 10 frame box with 2 supers above an excluder and there are no empty cells in the brood box so I am planning on breeding from it again this year, it is likely they superseded as there was no brood last October when I looked. Can you show some of your native black bees in a video please?

@colette8694 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for a great instructional video 👏 and showing us all the details 🐝

@MistressOnyaCox Жыл бұрын

👍🏽🤩💕

@paulettebrewer4197 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Phil ...by the looks of it you are changing to the preferred long hives .. I'm going to try the long Lang but would like to modify the frames to be top bars (closing the gaps in between) what are your thoughts

@mmb_MeAndMyBees 3 жыл бұрын

I have a Long Langstroth Horizontal Hive. It was my former 'log store' box. 😉 Now it has a sloping roof that lifts up. The inner walls are boxed in with Sheep's Wool to insulate it. And, the floor is open mesh. The inner roof are thick planks, with ceramic kitchen handles, to lift each one. And every other board has a 3" hole drilled in it with plexi-glass glued in situ. These act as viewing ports to see the bees, without letting warm air out. One board takes a large Round Feeder, that's easy to refill, by just lifting up the outer metal roof. All of this took DIY skills, a former log box, an old deep freezer (sheet metal wall panel turned metal side up,) to make the roof waterproof ! It has an under chamber at the back (below the mesh floor to a kitchen tray for Varroa Mite checks. And some space for bottles, to fill up the feeder with 1:1. And hold dry smoker fuel, and hive tool etc. Think outside of the Box, literally, to make a (long box) Hive ! 😉 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

@BarefootBeekeeper 3 жыл бұрын

I'm not changing to long hives, I just have a couple for experimental purposes. There are distinct differences between top bar hives and long Langs (or long Nationals, in my case) that go beyond just using/not using frames. I will need to make a video about this, I see...

@stephencook2102 3 жыл бұрын

Hiya Phil I have an empty top bar hive about 1m from my national hive is this a problem and would this potentially attract a swarm