Dive into the World of Tanzanian Top Bar Hives!
Hey Bee Buddies! ✨ Exciting news for all hive enthusiasts—let’s talk about Tanzanian Top Bar Hives!
Ever since I ventured into building Kenyan top bar hives, my hive-building priorities have evolved. Here’s the buzz:
New Criteria
- No need for queen or nuc raising at the far end.
- Prefer harvesting honey at several, frequent intervals.
- Loving the idea of sloped sides that don’t mess with comb attachments.
- Must-have: Compatibility with Langstroth frames.
- Added bonus: Spacer cleats securely fastened to end pieces.
Construction Magic
- Picture this: The Tanzanian top bar hive is two boards high by four boards wide.
- Glue together four 6′ boards for the cover and bottom, two for the sides, and two for the ends and a follower board.
- A clever rabbit cut along the top of each side provides perfect frame rests.
- Don’t forget the staggered lifting cleats for easy stacking and moving.
- Wood strips come to the rescue in the rabbit when using this hive exclusively as a tbh.
Move the broodnest to the hive’s center, and let honey storage bookend the buzzworthy space!
Top Bars
Craft your top bars at 19 7/8″ x 1 1/4″ x 1″. Add a touch of luxury by cutting a saw kerf down the top bar’s center and filling it with molten beeswax.
The Fabulous Cover
Made of the finest lumber, the cover flaunts several cleats set back from the edge for efficient stacking.
Two Box Combo—The Bee’s Knees?
Picture this: Two standard Langstroth boxes nestled snugly between the spacer cleats. With frames, it functions like a two-box combo hive. But wait, there’s more! When used with top bars, it outshines the two-box combo hive.
That’s the Tanzanian Top Bar Hive magic, my friends! 🪙🏡
-Buzzing with excitement, M 🐝🤠
