Handy Helper for Happy Hives

Hey Bee Friends! 🌼 Got a buzz-worthy tip for you to make your top bar hive adventures smoother! It’s all about this handy tool – the Bee Down Strip.

So, you know how top bar hive bars, without that beespace between them, can cause a bit of a buzz (and not the good kind) when pushed back together? Smoke and gentle bee-handling sort of work, but why not make it even easier?

Adam Collins shared this gem on BeeSource, and I’m passing it on:

I learned this from IBRed (Riley N from Modesto CA):

To use it, you move your bars close together, until you’re down to the width of a bee – almost beginning to squish. Then you gently set your bdown strip in that space, on top of the bees. The strip moves them down under the bar, as you’ve effectively divided that space to a point where it’s too small for them – but you haven’t injured them.

Then you squeeze your bars together against the bdown strip, keeping them from coming back up into the space. Once you’ve got it pinched, you pull it up out and finish pressing the bars together. Presto.

Bee down strips:

• Wwork consistently.
• Nneed less smoke.
• Need no brush.
• Don’t irritate bees.
• Are quick.

How nifty is that? It’s a simple solution, but there’s always room for a bit of creative flair. A bdown strip:

• Can be made of various materials.
• Add a handhold for easy use.
• Could be tapered vertically, horizontally, or both ways.
• Is removed vertically, horizontally, or rotated around an end.

And if you don’t have a purpose-made bdown strip, thin top bar spacers work like a charm!

Give it a try, and let me know how your hive likes this sweet little trick. ✨

-Happy beekeeping, D 🐝🤠