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Top Bar BeekeepingTop bar beekeeping is a great, low-cost way to keep bees, especially if you want to harvest extra beeswax for making candles, lotions and lip balms. If you're more interested in keeping bees for the wax than you are for the honey, this is definitely a good choice for your backyard beekeeping.Beeswax is a valuable commodity, both for an all-natural way to make lotions to sell, and also for the best smelling, all natural drip-less candles available. If you are looking for a home business opportunity, all-natural beeswax products, along with in-comb honey are items that sell well.  This is a hive homesteader Mike Edmonson built for about $40. Learn more by visiting Farmer Ed.com. Low in CostPlus you can build one of these hives for considerably less than what it costs to buy a traditional beehive. (You can get plans for one here). These hives can be made out of any wood, including plywood, for about $40. And unlike the traditional Langstroth hive, it doesn't require the purchase of frames and foundation - the bees make their own comb.The only critical aspect of a top bar hive is the width of the top bars. They must be about 1 and 3/8 inches wide or slightly wider, the distance bees prefer when building their combs. Also, make your top bars 19 inches in length. Why 19 Inches?With good care, your bees will multiply in numbers, and periodically you will need to divide your bees. Later on, if you want extra honey you could invest in a traditional Langstroth hive. If your top bars are 19 inches in length, they will fit easily into the traditional hive, making the transfer of comb and brood far easier. (You can learn more about beekeeping with this helpful e-book.) Other Points to RememberBees tend to build their brood nest near the entrance of the hive, so for ease of harvesting without needing a queen excluder, put the entrance to the hive at one end of the hive. Also, encourage your bees to build their comb in the right place by placing a 1/2-inch strip of wax foundation along the length of each top bar.That way, your bees will build their combs the way nature intended. In the wild, bees attach comb to the ceiling or to the walls of their home, but not the flooring. That's the beauty of top bar beekeeping. Because the walls slope inward toward the bottom, the bees treat the walls like they would the floor and won't attach as much comb to the walls. This makes the comb far easier to pull out. AdvantagesWith top bar beekeeping, you don't need an expensive extractor to harvest your honey. Instead, you cut the comb off the top-bar, leaving approximately 1/2-inch of comb on the bar to encourage your bees to rebuild their comb in the right way.The hives are much easier and less expensive to build, plus you don't need to purchase extra foundations or frames. There is no heavy lifting involved as there would be with a traditional hive, and you get far more beeswax for candles and other projects with a Kenya beehive. DisadvantagesWith top bar beekeeping, you get far less honey. Bees will use eight pounds of honey to make one pound of comb. That means at the end of the year, you will only get about 10-20 pounds of honey per hive, as opposed to 80-100 pounds of honey with the traditional Langstroth hive.You can find a great resource for beekeeping, along with plans or even ready-made beehives by clicking here. Plus, you can learn all about beekeeping with this helpful ebook. More Helpful Information on Keeping BeesA great source of beekeeping supplies, information and ready-made beehives can be found by clicking here.Learn more about beekeeping with this e-book. Want to learn how to stop the progression of Africanized or "killer" bees? Become a beekeeper! Learn how. Build your own backyard beehive. Here's how. If you're ready to have your own source of the most healthful, nutritious honey available, consider becoming a homestead beekeeper. Here's how. A beekeeper can make money selling honey as well as a self-reliant source of food. Here are other ways you can earn income off your land. Harvest beeswax to make your own bath products. Learn how. Your own harvested beeswax can also be used to make your own candles. Sell honey and other products at craft fairs. Here's how. Bees are not only a way to a far improved homesteading garden, they are also industrious, highly organized insects. Learn about the different members of the bee colony. Without the right equipment, beekeeping can be an extremely unpleasant task. Here is a list of the important Beekeeping equipment you need to get started. The right location for your bees is as important as the equipment you have on hand. Here are some tips on finding the right location for your colony of bees. Once you are an experienced homesteading beekeeper, you might want to increase your bee population by catching swarms. Learn how. Do you think you're ready to start beekeeping, but you don't know where to begin? Here are some tips on getting started. Is spring around the corner? These beekeeping basics will ensure your bees will survive the end of winter and produce plenty of honey for your this spring and summer. Read more. To keep bees you need the right housing to keep them happy and healthy. Learn more. Colony collapse disorder is a serious problem, causing hundreds of thousands of bees each year to simply vanish. Fortunately, we homesteaders can ensure bees will survive for years to come. Learn more. Learn a low-cost way of building your own hive for in-comb honey. Learn more. Bees normally will do just fine in the winter, but a little extra help on your part will ensure a strong, healthy hive. Learn more. |
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