Handling the Bars in my Top-Bar Hive

The problem of cross combed top bar hives is that the bars are difficult or impossible to separate, for inspecion or treatment of the bees without damaging the combs.
The following solution enables a block of bars to be lifted out of the hive for transfer to another hive, or other manuovres you might wish to undertake, without breaking the combs apart.
The two hardwood battens are pre-drilled at 38mm centres and attached to each of the bars in quick succession. My bees did not become unduly disturbed, but I managed to sugar dust the entire colony with sugar from below by lifting out and dusting from underneath before replacing in the hive.

Guidance and advice from my local beekeeper was taken from Peter Hunt without whome I would probably have abandoned the idea of this proceedure. As it was, I am pleased to say I was not stung once but togged in bee suite and armed with a smoker and lemon scented water spray all was well.

Newly scorched top bars

Bars attached together may be transferred en-block to another hive with minimal disturbance of the bees.

My bait hive swarm was recently lifted out in this way and simply dropped into the empty ricipient hive.

The battery drill speeds up the screwing down of the battens and subsequent removal of screws.

Bees Bees and yet more Bees

This apparently healthy colony declined and fizzled out in April but a new one moved in in May unaided.

May is proving to be the time when swarms applenty can be sourced or discovered for free. Fortunately I have a bee-friendly acquaintance happy to accommodate more hives on his bio-neutral farm, which is well secluded in one of those steep sided, cul-de-sac Devon coombes.

Some late evening movements have become necessary to shift hives there from out of Courteney's garden. (Nervous neighbours, troubled by descending swarms, forced a sudden departure).
An extra top bar hive was also acquired from Teignmouth where it had become unwanted and is now believed to be quite likely to issue swarms. Cross combed and overcrowded, it is going to need close monitering. Warmer weather forecasted for the next few weeks makes this older style top bar hive even more likely to let go half its compliment of honey bees.
Another friend has discovered bees holed up in a plastic tub normally used for composting grass and hopefully I shall be able to add them to an existing colony that is not yet expanded from its initial swarm. This operation will involve placing a couple of queen excluders into the hive and using a separator of damp paper so each group may introduce themselves to one another in a more gradual manner. (They nibble through the paper).  However, those bees happened to be Bumble Bees and issued from several different vent holes in the green plastic compost bin that was 3/4 full of grass clippings. More defensive than honey bees, charging at those who dared approach to within about fifteen feet.
I think that five hives to look after will prove more than enough to cope with.

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Success with a bait hive.

Beginners luck you might say. It was exhilerating to find a swarm this afternoon having deployed the empty box just this morning.
Scout  bees were seen to be entering almost immediately my work was done, hoisting the box up  into a tree, about fifteen feet off the ground.
I plan to leave them undisturbed for a few days before removing to a more permanant location about two miles away.

A few drops of lure scent was used at the entrance holes. The first fine day for a week and after some heavy overnight rainfall. A time when nectar flow will likely be very good. I had heard that swarming has begun quite early this year, so chose to make haste and was well rewarded. We have a small commercial apiary in the grounds of Powderham Castle about half a mile away. Whether this swarm sprang from there or was from a feral colony we may never know.

A version of my horizontal top bar hive containing twelve hooped bars of standard width.

Well secured to the tree

By late afternoon a full swarm had entered inside. 

Three weeks later and another swarm is bagged from the same tree. Roughly the size of a rugby ball and installed into one end of a top bar hive that already has a small colony at the other end. Separated by two queen excluders and eight empty bars.
If Phil Chandlers suggestion for combining two swarms in the one top bar hive works, I shall be quite delighted, but first they the have to go through the tricky stage of getting to know one another through a barrier of paper separator.

The transfer is made without too much disturbance of the hanging cluster of bees by use of the battens as described in my later post.