Bee Keeping: How to Make a Top Bar Bee Hive

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So we got the garden going and now the orchard is finally in. How do we ensure a great harvest and still continue with adding to our preps? Bee's is how we do it. The cost of conventional bee hives seem outrageous to me so were making our own. Top Bar Bee Hives. I hope you come along as we discover the magic of keeping bees and harvesting our own honey. Step 1 build the hives, step 2 catch a swarm. Contact your local bee keeping group and they might be able to guide you on how or where to catch a swarm or just come along with me as I discover. Blessings! Instructions we used sorta :) http://www.beginningbeekeeping.com/How_to_build_a_top_bar_hive.pdf http://PrepperBroadcasting.com Tuesday's 8pm central time http://youtube.com/user/P4LStorms http://facebook.com/bexarprepper

Comments

what part of Texas do you live?

Thanks for the Video, I so appreciate it. I'm up in cold South Dakota with sub-zero winter temps, so my topbar will end up having a "winter coat" built as well and I will be using some extra insulating methods such as straw wind-break, etc. But its happening this spring! I'm getting my bees in May, so now its time to build the Topbar hive. Will try to keep you informed as to various winterizing methods I find useful. Not finding much info online for truly COLD climates (ie sub-zero). Should be an interesting addition to my little homestead!

You never fail to Amaze Me!😘
I am fascinated everytime I visit ur site!
Best to you and yours, may your blessings be Plentiful.
You'd just mention ur in TEXAS,.. Here I thought 'up North', ha
Never stop sharing,.. I learn So Much.
Your Fascinating &Smart, an Sharp , &Stay well informed. It GREAT!
Barb From Maine😁
I love to brag bout ur Canning Story &More!

you ante no teacher. But good try. :)

Thank you, really inspirational and clear

Really enjoyed your video. You speak very well and the directions are very easy to understand. Thank you for sharing with us!

Freaking Awesome!

Great presentation! I also like your leg design, simple and sturdy. Nice idea about the 1/4 strips in between the topbars. good tip. You might want to add a landing strip in front of the holes to eliminate bee crashes. lol

GREAT PLAN! Would you sell me one?

Thank you! All my hives were stolen!
I am going to try your plan. A Extra large hive may be harder to steal.
Fr. Goad Tucson AZ

Wow! You should've been a teacher because that was perfect.....Thank you!

Hi, I just found this page and it looks great... I have a question for you, the 1x4x17" strips that go in bewteen the top bar have me a little confused. Your parts lists does not have any 1x4's

This was posted almost 5 months ago and I was wondering it there were any other updates or changes to the list that would help aid in making your hive.

Thank you!

Dave

Good Show

Thanks

Thank you for Video about your bees and beehives! Very interesting! :) Welcome to see our unique Ukrainian beehives too! Best spring beekeeping greetings from UKRAINE ! :)

I love your videos. Thank You so much. Are you worried about killer bee's since you live in Texas? And also I have seen places that sell bees for starting hives would this be a good way to do it? We have quite a few honey bees in Michigan but I would not want to be taking them away from some one who had hives in the area for pollinating, or would this not happen? I'm sorry lots of questions Thanks So Much again.

That was awesome! Thank you so much for making the video!

Thanks for the video!!! I have started my top bar bee hive using 2x12 untreated lumber for the main box. I figured in Virginia I would need the thicker wood for insulation to Winter over the honey bees. Glad you showed the package of bees wax with the price on it. I couldn't find but very small amounts of beeswax and it was almost $3 per pack so I am looking for the larger 1 pound pack elsewhere. Someone said I should treat the wood with Pure Flax Seed Oil. I guess they meant outside only because the beeswax is for the inside. Any comments on how to treat the wood? That same person said Lemongrass Oil could be used as a lure. He didn't say where to apply it though. I suppose the Lemongrass Oil is for the entrance holes. Some of the scrap lumber I am using for the top bars have paint on them I will sand off. A few of the top bars were cut from attic boards that have been in the attic for years. I hope sanding the surface of these boards will remove any contaminants that might affect the bees. Even new store bought lumber may have been sprayed with something from the lumber yard or saw mill to protect it from insects. I am not sure if they do this I just suspect since food industries dump toxic chemical preservatives in all processed foods the lumber industry might also treat even the untreated lumber products with some sort of chemicals. Snowing here in Virginia right now so I figure I still have some time to finish the hive before the season starts. Wild caught FREE BEES are SWEET.

I see that you put the entrance holes, for the bees, in the sides of the hive rather the ends. I see other top bars hives made the same way. Wyatt Mangum's design has the holes on one end and some hive builders do it this way also. So why do some do it one way and some the other?

Is this better for over-wintering on the hive?

I will get materials to start

Had to type this out from the end of the video. Thought people might benefit from having it in the comments to save time on a shopping list
     2 2x4 8' pressure treated

     7 1x6 8' pine

     2 1x3 8' pine

     4 1x2 8' pine

     8 3" 3/8" carriage bolts, washers and nuts

     Roll of aluminum vent cover

     1lb Natural bees was

     Butcher block or linseed oil

Although I think since I live up in Seattle I would be a lot better off going with cedar than pine. Up here pine only lasts a year or two.