Beekeeping > TBH, Warre, and Other Alternative Hives

Innovation or reinventing the wheel? TBH help requested...

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Zweefer:
Looking to get a top bar hive as I have some members in our association that want to start using them...   Was doing some research, and came across this: The Cathedral Hive 
Anyone with TBH experience want to weigh in?  They make it sound good, but wondering if it is worth it or not?

Thanks!

Perry:
My "town limit" yard is owned by a couple whose son John built one similar, the hexagonal shape, but has regular straight top bars running across the center of it. I sent him a link to this one as the vaulted ceiling adds much more space, something he found problematic with his.
I'll take a picture of it next time I'm there.

riverbee:
zweef we also have a member here that built his own top bar hives, blueblood, and did use them.  hope he sees this thread and chimes in.

if not i will send him a pm...........he's a busy fellar............. ;)

robo:
Can I ask why you are looking at TBHs?

Generally they aren't the best options for colder climates.  If you think about the origin of TBHs,  they come from very warm climates, which are usually resource constrained counties.  It is unfortunate that a lot of proponents of TBH see "more primitive" = "more natural" which is a misnomer.   

Just think about feral bees living in a tree and what their natural tendencies are.    They work in a vertical manner, starting at the top of the cavity in spring and continue through the summer storing honey above and driving the brood nest down.   Come fall,  the cluster is at the bottom of the comb with all the winter stores above them.  As winter progresses,  they slowly consume honey as they work their way up the comb.  In moving in such a manner, they heat they give off pre-warms the closest stores above them.  But most importantly,  they never need to break cluster the get to new stores.  I'll save the insulation values for another discussion,  but I will say most folks have no idea how warm a tree keeps bees.  There is some current research that indicates feral bees in a tree may not have to cluster until ambient get as low as -40. 

Now think of a TBH which forces the bees to move horizontally.  During winter when they run out of stores on the comb they are on,  they need to move horizontally around the empty comb to get to new stores.   In order to make this move, the weather has to allow them to break cluster.

If you want to work with top bar hives and let the bees built their own comb, I would strongly suggest a Warre Hive which is a vertical hive design.   I found horizontal TBH not very practical, unlike my Langstroths, they would grow just so big and then just stall for the rest of the season.  Also not as good wintering.   On the other hand,  I have had very good success with the Warre hive.  Full disclosure, I only have 1 Warre hive,  but it has survived 4-5 years at a time with no treatment or feeding.

neillsayers:
Looks very similar to a frame Dadant described in one of his books. Said the bees liked it but it was a construction and management headache.

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