Seasonal Dynamics

Small cell bees were transferred into my first top bar hive.

Nest Function and Form

In late winter/early spring, the bees are located on the broodnest core near the hive entrance. Most of their food is above and behind them. They will raise a little patch of brood in this small core area. Smaller spring bees are reared on the smaller cell sized comb in the broodnest core. Any over wintered broodnest pests are detected and actively purged or cleansed there.

As capped honey and pollen are consumed out of the larger sized cells surrounding the core, the broodnest expands. Larger summer bees are reared in the larger sized worker comb surrounding the core. Later, drone cells on the broodnest's periphery, are liberated as broodnest expansion approaches its natural limit. Drones raised there mate with virgin queens when colonies swarm about a month later.

When broodnest expansion reaches its natural limits and environmental conditions are right, bees swarm regardless of hive volume. The bees pack the broodnest with fresh nectar or diluted honey. They'll relocated it from the honey storage area if outside sources are lacking. Backfilling the broodnest restricts brood rearing in the core area. And it provides a ready fuel source for the swarm. Queen cups are built and sealed along comb margins. Then the colony swarms.

After the swarm departs, the fewer remaining bees can easily takes care of the reduced amount of brood. And the clean, empty cells inside the broodnest provide space for a second round of rapid broodnest expansion. It's fueled by any surplus food in the honey storage area. When these bees hatch, resources are replenished as the bees mature and the late summer/fall flows arrive. Drone cells and larger worker size cells are filled and capped above the core area. The core area is packed. And if additional resource are available, the honey storage area is filled and extended.

Packing the broodnest again restricts brood rearing to the core area. There, broodnest pests are detected and removed. The cluster size shrinks. And young bees with less brood to rear fatten up for winter.

Mite tray debris. Notice the bite marks.
And the bee pupa parts.

Hive Environment

When bees build a broodnest their way, it's easier for them to control the hive environment. A swarm prefers a cavity without any top ventilation.

Our standard hives are drafty when compared to a top bar hive. Extra ventilation is often added by drilling holes in the supers, using screened bottom boards, installing ventilated covers and even solar powered exhaust fans. Maybe all that extra, drafty airspace makes it harder for bees to control their environment, rather than help them to control it.

Much less open airspace is available in a top bar hive when compared to standard equipment. Bees construct fewer communication holes. Only a single, tight bee space separates the comb from the hive walls. I've noticed the same tight construction in feral hive photos. And I've often wondered how those bees could ventilate and cool their colony.

Yet, my top bar hive bees spent less effort controlling the hive environment. On a given day, fewer top bar hive bees fan when compared to my standard hives or my long hives. And they spend less time fanning.

Brood

I'm convinced the queen does better on natural comb. Maybe she orients better by using structural clues in a natural broodnest. Or maybe when the hive environment is easier to control, she performs better. The queen quickly fills all worker sized comb with brood regardless of its location. She moves more freely throughout the entire hive than she does when in standard equipment.

I've shaken bees with a failing queen into a top bar hive and the queen layed abundant, solid brood.

Seasonal Dynamics

Bees vary in size throughout the season. This size variation is controlled mainly by genetics and is influenced by nutrition, cell size, and the bee's age. Bees are smallest during early spring, larger at midsummer, smaller again in late fall and increase in size over the winter.

Comparing the broodnest structure with the broodnest form and function, the average cell size used to rear worker brood mirror the natural change in average bee size. Smaller spring and fall bees are raised in the broodnest core area with its smaller cell size. That's seasonally smaller bees in smaller sized cells.

Larger mid-summer bees are raised in the larger cell size areas directly above the broodnest. That's larger mid-summer bees in larger cell size comb.

Bees actively detect and remove diseased and mite infested pupa from brood in the broodnest core. When brood rearing is confined there, in the early spring and late summer, the colony effectively rids itself of pests with the least amount of effort and loss. Over 95% of the natural mite fall shows bite marks during these periods.

This is why small cell works so well. It's a better approximation to a natural broodnest at those critical times. And that's why natural comb is so much better than small cell.