TBH death

[BjornBee]

Well, I lost my newest TBH. 

Not for the lack of stores. Maybe a small cluster. 


I admit, I had used a very "hands-off" approach to this hive. They had plenty of honey stored. But just died in cluster, which did not seem that small.

I hope better results for others.

[kathyp]

i have not done a TBH so this may be a stupid questions, but isn't there to much room in those things for cold winters?  i always wondered about that.

[G3farms]

Do you think it is harder for the cluster to move to honey stores in the winter in a TBH since it is laid out in a horizontal fashion instead of a vertical one?

[nella]

BjornBee, Did you do a mite check on the TBH hive? If you did can you post the results.

[BjornBee]

i have not done a TBH so this may be a stupid questions, but isn't there to much room in those things for cold winters?  i always wondered about that.

Good question.

While I do believe bees use the trapped heat in the upper chamber of a hive to raise brood in late winter/early spring, I don't think it would (or should) make a difference in pure survival or from a point of being detrimental. Many hives at this point of the season are in the lower half of the brood chamber, and do just fine. I do think that the benefit for brood rearing and NOT having a trapped heat area later in winter is a detriment to bees.

[BjornBee]

Do you think it is harder for the cluster to move to honey stores in the winter in a TBH since it is laid out in a horizontal fashion instead of a vertical one?

Yes.

They tend to work into one side. And if the clusters starts in the middle of the hive, and have the honey stores split on either side of the cluster, they will work themselves into a corner. Something TBH beekeeper need to guard against. I have mentioned this and some of the pro and con issues here.... http://www.bjornapiaries.com/topbarbeekeeping.html

I

[BjornBee]

BjornBee, Did you do a mite check on the TBH hive? If you did can you post the results.

This particular hive has a pullout IPM board and screen. And while I had checked periodically through the summer, I did not notice any numbers that would of caused concern. I didn't keep any mite count numbers on this hive.