This design uses a top bar not a frame.
Kenya top bar hive dimensions.
The space is fixed and thus limited.
The top bars are usually 1 inches to 1 inches 32 35 mm wide depending on local conditions and the type of bee to be housed.
The depth of the bar and the length of the bar can be whatever the beekeeper wants but usually between 17 and 20.
Vital stats for the kenya top bar hive size.
Kenya top bar hive 2 of 2 dimensions from peace corps scale 1 8 scale 1 8 front 11 1 4 7 3 4 19 116 6d 63 4d side 26 6d 35 13 3 4 37 1 2 23 top 36 3 8 x 23 x 37 1 2 plywood top cover with metal 1 1 2 plywood metal make 3 backs and cut 3 4 off the bottom of one for front and cut 3 4 off the top of one for divider.
Constructing a kenya top bar hive.
These are the leg posts of the stand.
Many beekeepers will use top bars that have a small comb guide hanging down.
Top bars and roof.
38 inches x 24 inches x 31 1 4 inches.
The number of top bars the hive will accommodate varies with the width of the box but as a reference a 42 box will use 28 top bars.
The depth of the top bar hive should be 12 or less.
It doesn t have side bars a bottom bar or full sheets of.
You can use whatever timber tthat is cheap and available locally.
Two of these are the short sides of the stand and the other two are the wide struts for the top.
If you buy one 6 metre length of 35mm x 90mm untreated pine timber studs you can cut it into 500mm lengths and rip each length into 3 top bars.
Top bar hives are low tech old style configurations of hives.
Attach each follower board to a top bar 5mm from one edge of the top bar.
You can t add supers or additional hive bodies.
Build 31 top bars 35mm wide x 500mm long.
Pine cyprus grevillia robusta can be nailed together so.
Fitting the queen excluder.
As well as htbh such as the kenyan and tanzanian there are also vtbh vertical such as the warre.
Otherwise known as a ktbh or htbh horizontal.
Combs can be handled individually.
Each top bar is laid across the hive with one end at the front of the box and the other at the back.
Rabbet 5 1 2 x 3 4 deep along one end of each post this rabbet accommodates the long sides of the stand.