My apologies if I’m posting in the wrong place. I’ve been in forums before but there is something about the layout here that confuses me. I was looking at the Top Bar forum, but then I lost it.
Anyway… my son built me a cathedral hive. For those not familiar with it, it looks like a top bar hive with another top bar flipped over on top of it. So it is a hexagon instead of a trapezoid. I was looking forward to getting bees, but I was relying on catching a swarm which didn’t happen this year due to a harsh winter. Last week, someone gave us bees. Yeah! The transportation didn’t go as planned and the bees are more than a little traumatized, so we have no intentions of moving them from their Langstroth hive until they swarm next spring.
We no more got home with the bees when I met someone who knew about flow hives. Next spring we will be using the cathedral hive, but the following year, I would like to see about using a hybrid: a shorten cathedral hive for the brood, and the flow hive system for the honey.
I would like to ask ymcg about his topbar-flow combo. I’m not sure that is how I would do it, but I do want to know how he felt about it and what he would do different with the next one.
Anyone using the cathedral hive along with a flow hive?
Hi Sally, I’m not using a cathedral hive, though a friend does nearby. I’ll see if he’s interested in Flow Supering it, as its in our spring right now, perfect timing. Here’s a pic of his:
My Top Bar adaption never worked, out mostly due to the colony never building up strongly, they never even finished building comb in the top bar itself. I’d better post and update on that in the other thread. Thanks @Rodderick for tagging me
BackYardHive.com - CATHEDRAL HIVE
By Karen Sadenwater Top Bar Hive beekeeping supplies and hive management information. Top Bar Hive natural beekeeping classes, swarm… | |
In case you hadn’t seen these yet. This is what I am referring to.
Have a “Cate” day!
Sally Stember, playwright and authorClick here to go to my website.
