Honeybees. Update.

New honeycomb under construction.

Inside the top bar hive.

Today I did some hive maintenance.  Separated each bar.  There was some formation of comb across bars.  The main issue is to get them back to one comb on each bar.

I bought a large knife at a yard sale.  That worked nicely for cutting comb from inappropriate bars.

This time I remembered to smoke the bees.  I think that did help a lot to keep them calm. 

There wasn't as much honey as I expected.  Much of the comb looks empty.  Much of the rest contains pollen.

Apiary. Painted Top Bar Hive #2

Kenyan Top Bar Hive #2

Second top bar hive almost ready to set up.  This one had some QA issues - the hive body was slightly too large for the lid.  After putting it together, I had to take it back apart.  Cut the sides about 1/8 inch shorter, chisel the edges to fit, put back together.  Now it works.

Aspects of this design that I like:  The copper roof.  The cross bar legs, more stable appearing, compared to the legs on most top bar kits.  The window.  I look into the hive a lot.  

Tuesday painted a coat of primer. Today painted a coat of outdoor Latex.  When dry I'll un-tape the copper roof and window, install the window cover and roof.  And it will be ready to use.

Not the right time of year to get bees.  That's OK.  It will be fully dry, and then some, and ready for spring.  No rush.  No stress. 

The site needs to be set up.  That will take some more effort.