Hi Mark, I have two horizontal hives, one Top Bar Hive and the other a Long Hive, I would recommend a book written by Phil Chandler, Managing the Topbar Hive, it's one of the balanced beekeeping books by him. And also Balanced beekeeping.
been out to check the hives due to strong wind and also check the fondant and all seem fine.
I've got some on top of a very exposed hill, well these wont blow over as i've strapped them together and put a great big block of concrete on top, not pretty but it'll stop em going anywhere!
There in three section carrier's, a super full of them with fresh foundation but after a fortnight hardly any bees have gone into them never mind draw the comb out!
My thoughts are that the queen wouldn't want to lay in the sections anyway, and it would get the bees up into it to draw out the foundations sections. When you do Heather honey you don't put the qx in. The brood box is 14x12 so like a brood and a half!
another project
I was looking for another project, a man always needs a project, especially when he's in the dog house and needs to escape to the workshop !!!!!
Vaping
Glad youve said that about vaping as I was thinking of doing it that way but wasnt sure it would work, all my hives are on Jenk's under entrances
There doesn't seem to be much here in Cheshire for the bees at the mo, I looked in mine today and some are well short of stores. Maybe some ivy later looks like back to Aldi for more sugar !
and looks like winter preparations with MAQS strips all round any time now .
Dave