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I've been keeping this blog for all of my beekeeping years and I am beginning my 19th year of beekeeping in April 2024. Now there are more than 1300 posts on this blog. Please use the search bar below to search the blog for other posts on a subject in which you are interested. You can also click on the "label" at the end of a post and all posts with that label will show up. At the very bottom of this page is a list of all the labels I've used.

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I began this blog to chronicle my beekeeping experiences. I have read lots of beekeeping books, but nothing takes the place of either hands-on experience with an experienced beekeeper or good pictures of the process. I want people to have a clearer picture of what to expect in their beekeeping so I post pictures and write about my beekeeping saga here.Master Beekeeper Enjoy with me as I learn and grow as a beekeeper.

Need help with an Atlanta area swarm? Visit Found a Swarm? Call a Beekeeper. ‪(404) 482-1848‬

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Thursday, March 18, 2010

Working on the Top Bar Hive

In the last week, I've done a lot of work on the top bar hive. I shortened the follower boards (they were about an inch too long). I set the hive up on newspapers in my carport and painted it green. I was going to use yellow, but my son-in-law who is a Georgia fan did not want a hive that looked like Ga Tech in his backyard!



I used paint that was a reject for my dining room and I think the hive looks perfectly lovely! I still need to staple the screened bottom on and will do that next week.




Inside at odd moments while on the phone I have managed to glue the "woodies" into the slots on the top bars. These will serve as starter strips for the bees when they begin to draw wax. I found these "woodies" at Michaels. They are smaller than popsicle sticks and fit into the slot from the circular saw better than the popsicle sticks.



So now all I need is a swarm and the top bar hive will be in business! 

I just found out about a resource:  www.findabeekeeper.com where people can search for someone to collect swarms from their property.  I listed myself there.  Maybe between being on Cindy Bee's swarm list for Metro and being listed on Bud's site, I might get a call and fill this hive!
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9 comments:

  1. Hi Linda, I have ordered a top bar hive - it should be here any day now. What are following boards and how do I use them? I know I will get a couple with my hives, but I have no idea what they are! Thanks for you blog!
    david

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  2. Lookin' Good Linda!

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  3. That is very cool. Next Spring I want to try a top bar hive. I'll be curious to see how this works out for you.

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  4. Anonymous3:41 AM

    A small project, but important for the family life.
    A bee, a tiny being, can influence so much!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous2:47 PM

    Reject "dining room" paint. Is it an indoor paint?

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  6. Yes, it's indoor paint - I've always used whatever I had on hand and my hives do fine through the season....despite being outdoors!

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  7. Anonymous6:52 PM

    Thanks Linda!

    Bud Hanes

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  8. Are those legs strong enough? They're going to have to support an awful lot of weight when that hive is teeming!

    ReplyDelete

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