How to Build a Top Bar Beehive

How to make a top bar bee hive.
Link to plans that I used but modified to build mine. www.soatmon.com...
SOATMON Blog page: www.Soatmon.com
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[@richardd8352]

When I made my hive I put a single hole in the follower board to access a feeder at the end. In the design I followed the bottom was open with a mesh screen and a closable panel . The idea was it allows for increased ventilation and any pests like mites to drop through. I suppose the down side about a fixed underside is anything that drops gathers. Also I treated my pine hive with boiled linseed oil.

[@ClickinChicken]

It's seriously cool to have a viewing window. it's part of the fun!

[@SoatMon]

I agree. Thanks for the comment.

[@normjacques6853]

Well done! Some nice design modifications...Thanks! If I may, let me offer you a friendly piece of advice regarding the use of your table saw (or just about any power tool): NEVER wear gloves when working with a table saw!! Countless horrific injuries occur, every year, as a result of a glove being snagged by a blade (or drill bit, etc.). Before you know what's happening, your hand can get dragged into the blade and....well, I'm sure your imagination can paint the rest of that awful picture for you! The hive is really nice, though! I'm looking into building hives, and I'm exploring Top Bar, Langstroth, and Warre hive designs...and some design variations. Yours is one of the better top bar hives I've seen! Good luck!

[@Twomidgetsonahorse]

Your hive loss was probably due to no mesh screen bottom board. This part is essential for proper ventilation and dropping of mites and hive garbage. You can rectify this by cutting out the majority of the bottom board and affixing 1/8 th inch screening and then adding a flap (hinged) to cover the mesh for the winter months. Also many are finding out too late the window method while nice is really a pain as bees will propalize any area that has light coming in making bar removal next to impossible and you end up with a window that is impossible to see into.

[@angelawoodring962]

❤❤❤ but replace the roof, the hive deserves better. Absolutely ❤

[@SoatMon]

Thanks!

[@johnnybenoit841]

Could you,show how to half your distance when measuring? For example I use this method all the time and it comes out on uneven numbers. Let's say it's 5 and 7/8ths. You divide 2 into 5 which is 2 with the remainder is one,but throw the remainder in the trash. Just remembered 2 is you first answer. Then you take your 7/8ths. You keep the top number which is 7 then you double the bottom number which is 8+8=16.so your half measurement for both sides are to get your center measurement is......2 and...7/16ths. Now even numbers are easy to figure out but boy those uneven numbers wow! I hope this will help your fans.

[@swaddo]

interested in why you put the entrance next to the viewing window? surely you'd want to view from behind the hive so as to be out of the flight path🤔

[@ClickinChicken]

8 quarts Mr. Soat Mon. Just sharing.

[@glennfelpel9785]

Well those 30 minutes just flew by. Very well done demonstration. Do the bees now build their hives on the oak strip you added to the top bars? Or how does that work. Am surely looking forward to seeing more of these hives. Thank you much. By the way I too have just that same Grizzly dado fixture....heavy little thing isn't it. but it works well.

[@SoatMon]

You are the only other person I know that has used that jig, they do a great job. Yes, the bees build the comb on the oak strip. I shot a video yesterday showing the comb they have been building, it should be up soon. Thanks Glenn, you are very kind!

[@chrisroy7085]

Looks nice, but too many critical errors. I would be interested to hear if it worked. As others have mentioned and I will emphatically reiterate, attention to ventilation and light infiltration were critically ignored. If you are genuinely serious about top bar hives I suggest Phil Chandler's videos. Nice craftsmanship though.

[@farukkultur1139]

elinize emeğinize sağlık çok güzel örnek bir çalışma yaptınız İSTANBUL dan selamlar

[@rstlr01]

I currently have two top bars with the side entrances rather then end. Next one I think will be this style minus the window.

[@brendawydeven2934]

Great hive. My top bar hives don't look as nice. Only thing I would change is have the viewing window opposite side of the entrance so bees don't fly at you while your looking in.

[@SoatMon]

Thanks Brenda!

[@brendawydeven2934]

@@SoatMon welcome

[@johnchase4408]

For anyone wondering the Link for the plans is working now.

[@SoatMon]

Thanks!

[@4qnetswimmingclub952]

Bee keeping is my hobby

[@SoatMon]

Excellent!

[@ibrahimabouzeid3270]

The link to the plans is not working, is there any way I can get those plans? thank you

[@richardlubega2149]

That is good type ithink ineed like that one

[@aaronvillegas768]

Good build ...how have bees done in this hive?

[@lalitsingh9235]

Great Job Sir

[@SoatMon]

Thank you!

[@nataliem950]

Very good video but I cannot find a plan you referred in link.

[@SoatMon]

Thank you for pointing that out, you are correct their link is broken. I tried to find it somewhere else but couldn't, hopefully, they will get it fixed. Thanks for watching my video!

[@EmmaRitson]

well thats another cool pastime/interest/video from you. always lots to learn, one of my favorite channels actually.

[@SoatMon]

Wow, thanks Emma, that means a lot to me. Hope you have a great week!

[@kareno8634]

End Height difference, i imagine, is for 'runoff', because they are using Flat Roof. ? With Pitch\ Gable roof - no need. tho - tilt box to rid any water. ? *Yours turned out Nice! THANKS!* - Note: I have yet to build one. Still gathering info, so any thought i have, it's just an idea. Hope i get nerve to start. lol No worries about that roof, only if Bees complain. i have stories about backroom roof - that's for another day. *"Making Wire Hardware" COOL!* I'm there : ) Never quite know how to measure for hardware attachment to fit well.

[@SoatMon]

You're welcome. Thank you for your kind words.

[@gorillaxrich]

Beautiful...

[@SoatMon]

Thanks!

[@ClickinChicken]

fantastic carpentry

[@ClickinChicken]

I dato the whole top bar 19.5" then used wood putty, and sanded it after.

[@puntkomma3303]

What for wood you use

[@SoatMon]

Pine

[@nidalshehadeh6001]

what would be the end result of making it little larger let's say 15 inches instead of 10 inches high and 4 feet long ?

[@SoatMon]

I imagine it would work fine but the added depth would allow for more comb that may be too heavy without any additional support.

[@nidalshehadeh6001]

@@SoatMon Thank you

[@W1ldt1m]

If you make it that tall you have to do a wide glue up to make the parts. A lot more work. Plywood isn't a good material for this as it off gasses and the bees don't like that

[@nidalshehadeh6001]

@@W1ldt1m initially my design was trapezoid' Kenyan bee hive , I ended up with a rectangle Tanzanian beehive, bottom is covered with number 8 hardware cloth that is 8 squares to an inch it is recommended to fight varroa mites , I still have to install a viewing window on it which I haven't had a chance to do so , the minute that I started working on it chronic pain creeped up and I had to pay my neighbor to come and help me out , Southern Pine was my initial choice except it was out of my budget therefore plywood was the logical conclusion , down here in South Florida ... heat humidity and constant wind provide extremely effective ventilation , I don't think it's going to be that much of a problem , down here bees are hardy flying around on cold days , the only thing that might be a problem is the size of the honeycomb it might collapse under its own weight .

[@nidalshehadeh6001]

@@W1ldt1m As my neighbor was assembling it... I had a little chance to reflect on the design and the final product , after seeing how big it is and thinking of the honeycomb size , an idea crossed my mind to converted into a trapezoid by installing two pieces of plywood on the inside of the beehive at 15 degrees , from the outside it would be a rectangle and the inside would be trapezoid , dimensions on the inside will be adjustable , this modification will allow me to control the size of the honeycomb

[@ClickinChicken]

that's cool, the glass is inset so the bees less likely to build on it.

[@SoatMon]

Thanks!

[@AllanClarkeathome]

Hello, I like your top bar hive, but I can not get the plans that you show, the site just dose not work. Have a wonderful day young fella; Allan.

[@SoatMon]

Sorry, the plans that I used did not belong to me so I couldn't post them myself.

[@AndrewAHayes]

that roof needs a bottom board as it will be easier for the bees when winter comes

[@smithynfld]

Good Video.

[@SoatMon]

Thanks!

[@jeffthomas1232]

What would you charge to build one for me?

[@Bakersfieldman]

Window should have gone in the back side

[@LolitasGarden]

How well did those bars lift out of there once there was 5 pounds of honey and bees on them?

[@cheaphomesteading]

Lolita's Garden agree

[@SoatMon]

I don't know because I didn't get that far. The first bees I installed did not have a viable queen and it we too late to try again. I hope to be able to use it this Spring. Thanks for the comment!

[@janedizz4997]

Cheers for this, I have been researching "beehive making instructions" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Tiyia Beehive Basophilic - (just google it ) ? Ive heard some awesome things about it and my buddy got amazing results with it.

[@grantinsley7688]

If you make the cavity smaller, the bees only build to the available space. I put a short dowel into the top bars to support full comb. Currently have 3 of these in my back yard and another couple at my daughters. TBH is more bee friendly.

[@lbbalesdirtracer]

I Wonder what part of the country he live in and wonder to if this bee hives would do good in wv.

[@W1ldt1m]

Top bars are used from new Mexico to Nova Scotia and everywhere in between.

[@banditva8040]

The plans not working

[@ClickinChicken]

Still waiting for bees. Something about Saskacuwan bees colder, hardier. not the Italian bees. cost three bucks extra. Hann Lake, Minnesota. I know it's anti-climatic, like planting a lilac bush or apple tree. "Now what?".

[@SoatMon]

Awesome. I wish you good luck with your bees!

[@williambrancato9773]

Nice video. Did you get some bee's?

[@SoatMon]

Yes. I have other videos of putting the bees in this hive. Had some issues and wound up buying some nucs mid summer. They are now 4 hives that are over wintering. Hopefully they will make until spring. Check out my other bee videos. kzbin.info/aero/PLJ1qhd_JixA23G9hZKTCv_HfpBHLjwMER

[@cheaphomesteading]

William Brancato agree

[@ClickinChicken]

I'm sticking with the flat roof myself, I'll be exhausted by then. LOL I'm the sort of carpenter who takes ten hours to cut one board. same with electrics, but worse! Stare at the book, "I don't get it! "

[@SoatMon]

LOL. Good luck with your bees!

[@ClickinChicken]

@@SoatMon I got job done. check my channel. Thanks for everything!

[@andrewyek]

Hii , why everybody want to use the exact top bar hive design ? i would rather like box type hive hybrid with top bar hive. top bar high with honey comb is hard to take out to check.. it will snap the honey comb off the bar.. hence why not just use the frame from the box hive ? it is so much easier to check, plus we can insert in bee wax foundation.. to save some honey from being used to make wax. 2ndly, why make inverted triangular shape ? why not just straight sides ? hence the size will be like a rectangular. then we can use conventional box frame.. and more space for honey or brood instead of triangular shape at the bottom which reduced the space. do the rest exactly same as the top bar hive.. just both sides uses straight sides.. and use box hive frame. just my curiosity appreciate if you can explain in detail of my questions. . truly andrew

[@SoatMon]

You are correct in your arguments, this is just a different way that is preferred by some. It can cost less to get started but has it's draw backs. I also have langstroth hives for the reasons you suggest.

[@t_g_gamerftw5075]

Well in reality, the top bar is designed to be more natural, and a less expensive hive than the box hive. The Top bar honey comb will only snap off if you turn it on its horizontal plane without any form of support on the back with your hand or leaning it against something. This is because there is no wood on the side or bottom that the comb is connected to. This also leads into the trapezoid shape design, which acts upon the inherent tensile strength fact, which is to say you need a wider base at the top than at the bottom in order to maintain stability and increase the weight added. The pyramids work off the same principles, but with Conpressional forces instead. Basically, since there is no side supports or base support, you must have a wider top than the bottom to make sure it doesn't collapse. Now there are augments also made that due to the fact that the comb is being held down by gravity, and not allowed to rest on the bottom of anything, it is less likely to move on the horizontal plane resulting in comb that joins together, or starts to cave in or the frames getting stuck to the side of the walls, which you do see a lot in your box hives vs not quite as much in top bar hives. there's also the argument that this stimulates the natural way bees live more then box hives, as bees would in the wild live in things like hollow fallen over logs, which naturally would have a sloped edge to it, than a square rectangle edge which is almost never present in nature. And then there are people who swear by the slope edge making bees not as volatile as a result of the more natural settings. From what I've seen, this is to some degree true for all these arguments. In the end the top bar is a cheaper more natural style of beekeeping, and while you could do it in a square style, you would as a result have to have the frames used in langrstroth hives, which means buying or make your own with sides and a base to it, making it more costly and complex to construct yourself.

[@paulblackman3936]

Apart from the facts in the other replies here, there are many other factors which affect hives, like internal temperature, ventilation and moisture control. All of these things are easier for the bees to control with sloping sides. The height of summer the angled sides keeps them away from direct heat. The mesh bottom with this configuration maximises cooling air flow. The top bars are best prepared with a raised central bead, wax production is therefore more evenly laid and is in fact stronger than in "box" hives with straight sides.

[@W1ldt1m]

Frames in a long hive is often done. It's just called a long langstroth. In this hive the sides are sloped because that makes it less likely the bees will attach the comb to it. They will attach comb to vertical surfaces.

[@emmanuelsiakabizi1491]

plus or minus 10 reasons why it is v shaped

[@paulblackman3936]

Your design does not allow enough ventilation. The base should be mesh. Ideally with about a half inch of rough sawdust or fine chips on top of it. If the bees need more ventilation they will remove the chips themselves. With a solid bottom board, any bees you put in there will swarm during the first nectar flow.

[@W1ldt1m]

Or not, depends on which guru you read

[@user-ts5yy1rq4k]

хороший гроб))))))

[@ΜιχαληςΜακριδακης]

Μεταφραση..ελλινικα

[@droverholt]

yes the roof is ugly and hot. make it out of wood and treat it well.

[@GhettoRanger01]

blah, blah, blah