Top bar hives are an ideal choice for hobby beekeepers who strive to maintain their hives as close to nature as possible. These designs are simple to manage and harvest honey from with ease.
It’s straightforward to remove unnecessary comb or propolis, but be mindful not to damage the delicate comb.
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It’s easy to manage
Top bar hive feeders are user-friendly and simple to operate, making them ideal for people with limited mobility who may find other types of feeders more challenging.
Beekeepers typically install package bees or a colony from a split hive or swarm into top bar hives. Newly installed bees need to consume sugar syrup and honey from other colonies in order to help them adjust quickly.
Another essential step in beekeeping is inspecting the colony regularly. Some top bar hives feature viewing windows that let you inspect without disturbing it, which is ideal for keeping bees content while performing a full examination.
Beekeepers must inspect the hive for signs of mites, which can be an issue with top bar hives. Most top bar hives feature a removable bottom board and mesh bottom to aid with environmental regulation and mite monitoring.
It’s easy to harvest honey
Top bar hive feeders attach securely inside the top of your hive to provide easy access for bees to food, helping deter robberies by stronger or more established hives.
Honey is an essential food source for bees. They use it to stay warm in wintertime, as well as supplement their nutrition during spring honey flow season.
Beekeepers also utilize it to feed newly installed hives. A combination of honey from other colonies and sugar syrup is usually given to new hives in order to encourage them to begin drawing comb quickly.
When using a top bar hive, bees often store their honey in one section and brood in another. While this can be an inconvenience during harvesting, it also indicates that the colony is expanding.
It’s easy to remove unnecessary comb or propolis
If you don’t enjoy comb or propolis, top bar hive feeders make it simple to eliminate unnecessary debris. Simply use a paint scraper or your top bar hive tool to cut away any comb from the sides or pry open any propolized bars with ease.
If necessary, replace the comb with a new one. It may help to put some wax in the bottom of the comb before replacing it.
You can add a piece of sticky board to the bottom of the hive below the mesh bottom for environmental regulation and mite monitoring. Doing this helps capture debris that may fall through the mesh and ensures you maintain a low mite count.
In addition to making honey harvesting easier, top bar hive feeders also allow bees to overwinter better than Langstroths or Warres do. This means they’ll have more honey for the winter and be ready to come out in the spring with full bellies.
It’s easy to feed
Top bar hive feeders are easy to feed and maintain, as well as inspect mites for infection and apply treatment if necessary.
Furthermore, external hive-top feeders are easier to refill than internal ones, making them an ideal choice for new beekeepers.
When filling a top bar hive feeder, be sure all upper entrances are closed. Robbing bees entering from the top and fighting can lead to excessive drowning.
Another way to help prevent this is by purchasing top bars with a comb guide. This will prevent bees from building comb on the sides of your hive, which could create an unsafe situation and potentially result in the death of your colony.
One of the most critical parts of feeding your hive is making sure they have enough space to store their supplies for winter. To guarantee this, the beekeeper should check available space regularly.
