Top Bar Hive Plans

There are only three critical measurements for your top bar hive.

Top bar hive plans. If you want more detail with backgtound information and more pictures you may like to buy my book balanced beekeeping i. Second it should be small enough for you to lift and move if necessary. Carr and john bradford have a beautifully engineered plan for a top bar hive. Use shims of various widths for the other end of the hive to make a tight seal.

Bees will start building comb down into the box from these top bars. Or do you prefer to buy one. Place a strip of bee foundation inside each of the top bar grooves. Building a top bar hive once you have built your hive i strongly recommend a practical training course before you add bees.

Now let s begin with the first beehive plans. The bees will build their comb onto this foundation which will hang down into the body of the hive. Top bar hives are perfect for small scale beekeeping or hobbyist who doesn t want to lift more than 40lbs. The free plans will enable you to build a working top bar hive using simple tools and readily obtainable timber.

Here s a how to video on building a new top bar beehive using thermally treated poplar. Since each top bar accounts for only half of the bee space required between combs a spacer should be placed between the first bar and the side of the hive. The number of top bars the hive will accommodate varies with the width of the box but as a reference a 42 box will use 28 top bars. 38 langstroth top bar and warre hive plans 1.

Lastly the top bar should be 32 to 33 mm or 1 1 4 inch wide. The top bar hive could be constructed with materials that were readily available. Biobees has published an ebook with photos on building your own tbh. You can also print the complete design plans and parts list which is posted below to build your own hive.

Ventilation detail plans for a top bar honey straining rack designed. This hive style was developed in kenya. Hive plans narrative 360 degree view you can also find the most recent addendum showing hive ventilation here. Design for standardized top bar hives pdf notes to accompany the standardized tbh design pdf other tbh plans.

The colorado top bar beehive. Mar 22 2015 beehive design plans special projects uncategorized woodworking. You can find the newly updated plans released october of 2012 here. New beekeepers did not have to find and purchase special items.

First it should be large enough for your bees. Using wood glue or melted beeswax for a nontoxic option fasten the foundation into the grooves. Each top bar is laid across the hive with one end at the front of the box and the other at the back. How to build a top bar beehive free design plans.