Natural Beekeeping

Top Bar ApiRevolution has begun! Lets make some inexpensive Top Bar Hives and let them be pesticide free on their own natural comb! Che Guebee is a rebel bee fighting for the survival of the Biodiversity we all depend on and which is seriously endangered by deforestation and mono-crop agriculture! What kind of teaching have you got if you exclude nature?

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Re-designed TBH

The deep TBH is redesigned. It doesn't look that fancy anymore but it will be much warmer than the original design. The old roof doesnt fit anymore so I will have to make a new one. The old roof will be donated to one of the twin Drum Top Bar Hives.
 Original hive walls are 25mm. I added one more wall making totall wall thickness of 50mm. The ends remain 25mm since the comb is facing them (comb act like thermal walls)
To the left side I added a vertical wall which will be facing the windy side. There is lots of space behind this wall to fill it with insulating materials ...
 This wall acts like a door which is exposing the window ...
The window was the real reason for me re-designing this hive. The window glass is way too big for this cold swedish climate in my opinion. Most swedsih beeks have hive walls which are 30-50mm thick.
As I mentioned earlier the ends remain 25mm because the back end has a follower board and space behind it which will be filled with insulating material. The front end has the wax combs behind it and will be pointed toward South-East.
Now I have to make a new roof and give the hive new legs. I will varnish all hives in spring with linseed oil and wax mixture.

4 comments:

  1. It is great.
    One of the best solution I ever saw. Good for wintry climante.
    If you'll let me i will copy that ;-)


    Best regards
    GP

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  2. I´m thinking a lot of how to have the hive insulated during winter and not in the summer.
    My priority still is that all the equipment should be in the hive during all the seasons but the cons will be a much more complex construction. I still want the walls to have the oportunity to cool down a bit during spring and summer so the condensation at the long sides will be good and still it shouldnt be to hard to build them. I want a hive that a newbe can build easily.

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    Replies
    1. You can make the side facing south 30mm and the side facing north 50mm. Even in natural hollows walls are never of same tickness.

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