Just a reminder that there's a free lecture on top bar hives and non-chemical beekeeping by master New Mexico beekeeper Les Crowder, tonight, at the Ecology...
I lost one of my two top bar hives this winter...probably due to a combination of insufficient honey stores and an ant invasion. I was cleaning out the hive...
I wish I could have been there to hear Les. Most of the comments I've seen about mold on comb is this: leave it in and the bees will clean it up. In a very...
Keep it in the freezer until you are ready to install bees, no sense letting it get worse. However make sure you install the comb back in the hive to equalize...
Yes he did, a bit. He transports the hives with the bars facing in the direction of travel (so the hives are crosswise in his truck. Last year he lost some...
As I understood it, Les Crowder brought top bar hives from New Mexico to California for almond pollination. I was amazed to hear that. From the sample comb he...
Les uses langs for almond pollination. I don't know what he talked about at the meeting, and he may have used some TBHs as well, but I know he uses mostly...
gee wiz scott you seem pretty sure about mr crowder using langs and not tbh's for almond pollination. i attended his seminar on thursday. being in california...
i noticed a hive with a 6" saw kerf on the side type of entrance had propolized it down to about 5". when i was building the hive i was wondering if that size...
I had one hive do the same thing...it cut the size of the entrance in half...I figured they knew what they were doing and left it alone...its been that way for...
The only hive I had through this winter (a TBH) had a 6 inch entrance propolized down to less than an inch all winter. Even now that it is warm and they are...
I have found it easier to make the comb guide with a small table saw rather than a router. I just run a 1/8" saw cut about 1/4" deep right down the center of...
A good source for free wood for top bars is pallets. Sometimes I get 1 x 2 firring strips if I'm feeling lazy (and a bit wealthy). They're already 1 & 1/2" x...
Hello, There is an interesting thread on the beesource forums, comparing the output of Langstroth hives to top bar hives. Unfortunately, it is also ...
i think the classic troll got a ball rolling. good for him. i really enjoy how the internet can bring up so many views on a single subject. tho i love books...
I didn't care care for the flaming tone of the troller, but the well written, pro TBH responses made it a worth while read. A classic THB vs Langstroth type of...
Hi Folks, Haven't been on for a couple weeks and need to catch up with the discussion...Busy! But wanted to remind everyone that I am teaching this weekend and...
I want EVERYONE there, no exceptions.:) Have a great time. Wish I could be there!!! Go get 'em K. ... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]...
Hi all, I am a newbie in this forum and to TBH's and beekeeping in general. A literal babe in the beehive. I just took a great class on TBHs - but now have one...
When I installed my 4# package last spring I fed with syrup, 1 part cane sugar / 1 part water. I made a boardman type feeder out of a gallon jar but some use...
3 sandwich sized ziplocks will last 4-5 days for most packages. Just as a starting reference. I lay them down from back to front toe to toe, they drink up the...
I on the other hand don't feed here in California, captured swarms or whatever. IT's not like they 'need' it, it'll just encourage them to draw wax out...
I should point out that I feed only new package installations, or feral cutouts which have been seriously effected by the removal. Otherwise, I am with...
hello! im just above placerville with thirty packages in the garage and rain coming down in buckets. all the literature says wait till a nice evening to...
yeah, really. Some dry weather at noon would be nice SOMETIME, please. I'm plagued with ants (which seem to get worse when it rains in Northern California). I...
Yes, I have horrible ant problems too, which makes feeding in the hive even more of a problem. I've heard that cinnamon works, so I'm going to try it, if the...
Try "flowers of sulphur". You can get it at a drug store. Sprinkle it on the ground around your hives out about two or three feet. It works well against...
William W Watkin
watkin3@...
Apr 4, 2006 9:20 pm
427
To take my mind off the Soggy Beekeeper discussion, I looked at some photos I took a couple of weeks ago and put one up on my website. ...
I havne't tried it around the beehive but I use cinnamon oil and rubbing alcohol mixture to spray my house when there's an ant infestation and it works...
