Natural Beekeeping

Your questions answered- September Q & A

Each month as part of our online natural beekeeping course, we have a live Q&A where course participants can come and ask me any questions. 

I thought it would be valuable to share my answers from last week’s Q&A.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your approach, these insights should help you work more harmoniously with your bees.

Here are the questions and answers. If you have further questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Recommended Number of Hive Entrance Holes

Question: What is the recommended size and number of entrance holes for a Kenyan Top Bar Hive?

My preference is to have three entrance holes, each about 25mm in diameter. This design comes from Phil Chandler’s observations and measurements of wild tree-living colonies. Phil discovered that if you were to combine the volume of these three holes, they’d create one larger entrance that matches what bees naturally prefer in the wild.

The beauty of having three separate holes rather than one large entrance is traffic management. Anyone who’s watched a busy hive knows that bees can create quite the traffic jam at the entrance during peak foraging times. Three holes allow for better flow and reduce congestion.

These multiple entrances also give you management options. During winter when the colony contracts, or if you notice robbing by other colonies or wasps, you can block one or two holes with corks or grass. I always tell people to save their champagne corks – they’re perfect for this job! You can whittle them down to fit snugly in the holes.

The key is having that flexibility. Start with all three open in spring and summer when the colony is active, then adjust based on what your bees need and the seasonal conditions.

Recommended Hive Entrance Position

Question: Is it better to have entrance holes at the front or at the ends of the hive?

I’m a firm believer in center entrances on the front of the hive. Here’s why: when I need to inspect the brood area, I can simply move my follower boards and shift a few honey bars, and I’m already where mum is laying her eggs. The queen naturally keeps her brood near the entrance to better manage temperature control.

With end entrances, getting to the brood becomes a real chore. You’ve got to move all the honey stores out of the way first, bar by bar, before you can reach the brood area. It’s just more work and more disturbance for the bees.

I’ve used end entrances before – they’re certainly workable. In fact, some designs like Natalie’s modified version use end entrances for creating splits. She’ll use the center follower board to divide the hive into two colonies when needed. But for general management and ease of inspection, I’ll take a center entrance every time.

The bees also seem to prefer it. When you give them entrance options at both ends, they’ll typically choose the left-hand side (standing behind the hive) because it’s the warmest side. They’ll put their brood there and store honey on the cooler, southern end. Understanding this natural preference helps us work with them rather than against them.

Use Foundation Strips to Avoid Cross Combing

Question: Should I use icy pole sticks or beeswax foundation strips in the top bars?

Definitely use beeswax foundation strips, about 3 to 4 centimeters deep. This has been one of the biggest improvements in how I teach natural beekeeping. Those plans I’ve been sharing still mention icy pole sticks, but Osti and I are updating them – we’ve just been flat out with the online course and other projects.

The beeswax strips make an enormous difference in comb quality. The bees follow that foundation beautifully, and we hardly ever get cross-combing anymore. It’s completely changed the experience for new beekeepers who used to struggle with messy, crossed-up comb.

When I first started promoting icy pole sticks, they seemed like a simple, accessible solution. But beeswax strips are so much more effective at guiding the bees to build straight, manageable comb. The difference in hive management afterward is night and day.

I secure these strips by standing them on edge in the groove cut in the center of each top bar, then use a lit beeswax candle to drip melted wax along both edges where the strip meets the wood. This bonds the foundation to the bar and gives the bees the perfect starting point for their comb building.

Refreshing Swarm Trap Oil

Question: How often should I refresh lemongrass oil in a swarm trap?

Every two weeks, I add about four drops of lemongrass oil to fresh tissues in the swarm trap. This maintains that attractive scent that draws scout bees to investigate your trap.

The method I use involves placing the tissue with lemongrass oil inside a partially open Ziploc bag. Don’t seal it completely – leave it open so the aroma slowly oozes out over time. The bag prevents the oil from evaporating too quickly while still allowing enough scent to escape.

I also like to put a drop on my finger and smear it around the entrance holes. And here’s a trick I learned from Michael and the lads in England and Ireland: if you have any propolis scraped from your hives, soften it up with your fingers and place small blobs around the entrance. They use this technique with their log hives in the forest, and since I started doing it, my swarm-catching success has improved dramatically.

Block up two of the three entrance holes to concentrate the scent, and place about 20 top bars between two follower boards inside your trap. Bees have an incredible ability to detect scents – they can smell honey from a kilometer away – so even a small amount of lemongrass oil will get their attention.

Moving your beehive

Question: Can I move my hive about three meters overnight if I plug the entrances?

No, three meters is too far for a single move. The maximum I recommend moving a hive at once is about a metre at a time — and you don’t need to plug the entrances at all.

Here’s my method: move the hive just one meter maximum in any single move. The returning forager bees will quickly realize their home has shifted and adjust to the new location – they’ll see it, smell the familiar pheromones, and adapt straight away.

Wait a couple of days, then move it another meter. Let them settle into that position before making your final move. This gradual approach prevents the confusion that happens when you move too far at once.

If you move three meters in one go, those returning foragers won’t be able to home in on their colony. They’ll search where the hive used to be and may not find it. You’ll lose foragers and stress the entire colony unnecessarily.

The beauty of this gradual method is its simplicity – no need for plugging entrances or moving at special times. You can do it any time of day with someone to help you lift the hive. The bees handle the transition much better this way.

Securing Foundation Strips

Question: How do I secure beeswax foundation strips into the top bars?

This is straightforward once you know the technique. Your top bar should have a groove cut down the center – about the width of a saw blade, so 3-4mm wide.

Stand the beeswax foundation strip on edge in this groove. Then take a lit beeswax candle and carefully drip melted wax along both edges where the foundation strip meets the wood. This creates a strong bond that holds the strip in place while the bees begin building their comb.

Do this on all your top bars – it’s really important for getting consistent, straight comb. The foundation gives the bees a clear guide for where to build, and when secured properly, it won’t shift or fall as they work on it.

This method replaces the old technique of dipping icy pole sticks in molten wax. The foundation strips are much more effective at preventing cross-combing and creating the straight, manageable comb that makes hive management so much easier.

Splitting a Langstroth Hive

Question: If I have a strong Langstroth hive in spring but am not confident to do a split, can I add another brood box on top?

You can add another box on top, but let me offer a better solution that Barry mentioned during our session: nadiring. This means putting an empty box underneath your existing brood box.

When you nadir, the bees naturally draw comb down into the empty space below, and the brood area expands downward. This works much better than adding a box on top because it follows the bees’ natural tendency to expand their brood nest downward.

If you do add a box on top, the bees might move up and build comb there, but they’ll often fill it with honey rather than expanding the brood area. That’s not necessarily bad – it gives them something to do and somewhere to store their harvest – but it won’t relieve the population pressure that might lead to swarming.

The nadiring approach addresses what you’re really trying to achieve: giving the colony more room to expand their brood area and keep themselves busy building comb. This can help prevent swarming while you gain the confidence to try splits in future seasons.

Remember, the goal is to work with the bees’ natural instincts rather than against them. They want to expand downward, so give them that opportunity.

Setting a Swarm Trap

Question: How do I catch swarms using a swarm trap?

Use either a mini Kenyan top bar hive or your full-sized hive as a swarm trap. The setup is simple but effective when done right.

Place a tissue with lemongrass oil inside a partially open Ziploc bag inside your trap. The bag slows the evaporation so the scent lasts longer. Block two of the three entrance holes to concentrate the aroma coming from the single opening.

Set up about 20 top bars between two follower boards inside the trap. Scout bees need to see that there’s appropriate space for their colony to establish itself.

Location matters enormously. Thomas Seeley’s book “Honey Bee Democracy” explains this beautifully – I highly recommend getting your library to order it so others can benefit too. Bees have specific preferences for cavity size, height above ground, and entrance characteristics.

The success rate isn’t guaranteed, but it’s well worth trying. I’ve had swarms move in almost immediately after setting up a trap, while others take weeks or never get occupied. The key is understanding that you’re essentially advertising a property to house-hunting scout bees.

This method works because it mimics what bees naturally seek when swarming. Combined with the propolis technique I mentioned earlier, your success rate can improve significantly.

When to Start a New Colony

Question:What is the best time of year to start a new colony?

Spring is absolutely the best time – September to November here in Australia. This aligns with when bees naturally reproduce and when food sources are most abundant.

Think about it from the bees’ perspective: they’ve survived winter, the population is building up, flowers are blooming, and there’s plenty of time before the next winter to establish themselves, build comb, and store honey reserves.

I have put swarms caught in December or January into hives, and they can succeed if the eucalypts in your area are flowering at that time. Our Australian eucalypts flower at various times throughout the year, so timing matters for your specific location.

But catching swarms later in summer is riskier. The colony has less time to build up their numbers and honey stores before winter. In autumn and winter, it’s generally not worth attempting – there usually aren’t drones around for new virgin queens to mate with in the southern parts of Australia.

The golden rule: catch them as early in spring as possible. This gives the new colony the maximum time to establish themselves and prepare for the challenges ahead. Even experienced beekeepers prefer spring swarms because everything is working in the bees’ favor at that time of year.

How Often Should You Inspect Your Hive

Question: How often should I inspect my Kenyan top bar hive during the active season?

During spring and summer, I typically inspect once a week to once every 10 days. But let me clarify what I mean by “inspection” – it’s not a full tear-down of the hive.

Most of the time, I’m simply moving the follower board to check if the bees have built comb on the last top bar I added. If they have, I’ll add another bar or two, depending on what I see. That’s it – quick, minimal disturbance.

The frequency really depends on what’s happening in your environment. If the eucalypts are in heavy flower and I can see the bees bringing in lots of nectar and pollen, I might check more often because they could need space quickly.

It’s all about observation and understanding your local conditions. Are the trees flowering? Are bees bringing in pollen? How much activity is there at the entrance? These external signs tell you more about when to inspect than any fixed schedule.

Sometimes I’ve added two top bars on each side, come back a week later to find they’ve built comb on all of them, and I need to add more immediately. Other times, they haven’t touched the new bars, telling me they’re not in expansion mode.

The key is reading the signs and responding to what the bees actually need, not following a rigid schedule that might not match their natural rhythm.

Recognising Swarm Cells

Question: How do I recognize swarm cells in my hive?

Swarm cells look like peanuts hanging off the bottom or edges of your comb. That’s the best visual description I can give you – they’re distinctly peanut-shaped and much larger than regular brood cells.

You’ll typically find them hanging from the bottom edge of the comb or sometimes along the sides. They’re quite obvious once you know what to look for – much bigger than the regular hexagonal cells and hanging down rather than built into the comb structure.

I always tell new beekeepers to do a Google search for “honeybee swarm cells” – you’ll get millions of photographs showing exactly what they look like. Seeing multiple images really helps you recognize them in your own hive.

Finding swarm cells isn’t necessarily bad news. In natural beekeeping, we actually use them as opportunities for making splits. When I find swarm cells, I know the colony is ready to reproduce, and I can work with that natural impulse rather than trying to suppress it.

The important thing is recognizing them early enough to decide how you want to manage the situation. You can do a split to prevent the actual swarm, or you might choose to let them swarm and catch them in nearby traps.

Cycling Old Brood Combe

Question: How do I manage old dark brood comb in a Kenyan top bar hive?

Start thinking about replacing old brood comb after about four years. Old brood comb holds pathogens and toxins that can make your bees sicker over time, so gradual replacement is important for colony health.

The best time to start is at the end of winter when it begins warming up. Add empty top bars into the brood area – either in the middle or working from one end. I prefer working from the left-hand side (standing behind the hive) and gradually pushing the brood area across to the honey end.

When you add a new bar in the middle, make sure you’re not creating a separation that will leave a cold spot in the brood area. Look for combs that might have had honey that the bees have eaten out, or newer comb without drone-sized cells, and place your new bars strategically.

This process takes time – usually two or three seasons to complete. The old comb gradually gets pushed to the edges where bees fill it with honey, and you can eventually harvest it out. Crush it, extract the honey, and melt down the wax for other uses.

Don’t rush this process. The gradual approach maintains the integrity of the brood area while slowly improving the overall health of your hive. It’s another example of working with the bees’ natural tendencies rather than forcing dramatic changes.

Oiling your Hive

Question: What natural oils are recommended for treating and protecting wooden hives?

I recommend Organ Oil outdoor furniture range, which you can find at Mitre 10. It’s a mixture of tung nut oil, citrus oil, and beeswax – all natural ingredients that protect the wood without harmful chemicals.

This oil has a strong scent when first applied, so treat your hive well before introducing bees – give it at least a couple of weeks for the smell to dissipate. Never oil any internal surfaces, just the exterior wood.

Linseed oil is another option that I used for years. It works well but requires careful heating before application, and there’s a fire risk if you overheat it. Also, linseed oil will turn your hive quite dark, eventually going almost black, which some people don’t like aesthetically.

The key principle is using natural products that protect the wood while being safe for the bees. Avoid any chemical treatments or conventional wood stains that might off-gas harmful substances into the hive environment.

Remember, the bees will be living in this box for years, and they’re incredibly sensitive to chemical compounds. Anything we put on the exterior can potentially affect the colony, so natural oils are always the better choice.

Bees in Netted Orchards

Question: How do bees cope with netted orchards? Should hives be placed inside or outside?

Bees are remarkably good at finding their way in and out of netted areas. I’ve seen them work both inside and outside netted orchards successfully.

My preference is placing hives inside the orchard. This ensures your crops get thoroughly pollinated because the bees are right there with your fruit trees. They’ll still get out when they need to – bees are persistent and clever about finding openings.

If there’s an easier food source outside the netting, bees placed outside might choose that over your orchard crops. By placing them inside, you’re encouraging them to work your trees first before seeking other sources.

The netting doesn’t trap them – I’ve never seen bees struggle to exit a netted area. They’ll find the gaps, work their way under edges, or use whatever openings exist. It’s actually quite impressive how adaptable they are.

From a pollination perspective, having the bees contained with your crops creates ideal conditions. They’ll thoroughly work every tree before venturing elsewhere, which is exactly what you want for fruit production.

The Purpose of Splits

Question: What is the purpose of doing splits in beekeeping?

Splits serve multiple purposes in natural beekeeping, and they’re particularly relevant now with Varroa management.

First, splits prevent swarming by creating a brood break. When you do a split correctly, you’re essentially giving the colony what they were planning to do naturally – reproduce by dividing.

Second, splits increase your colony numbers. One strong hive becomes two colonies, which is valuable whether you want more hives for yourself or bees to share with other beekeepers.

But here’s the crucial part for Varroa management: splits create a significant break in the brood cycle. Varroa mites need to lay their eggs in brood cells just as the bee larvae are about to pupate. When you interrupt this cycle with a split, you limit the mites’ ability to reproduce.

In natural beekeeping, we only do splits when swarm cells are present. This is different from conventional beekeeping where splits might be done throughout spring and summer regardless of the colony’s natural intentions.

With Varroa spreading across Australia, splits become even more important. They help us work with survivor genetics and create brood breaks that naturally manage mite populations. It’s another example of how natural beekeeping practices align with what bees need for long-term health and survival.

Want to dive deeper into natural beekeeping? Join our online course where we explore these concepts in detail, or catch our regular Q&A sessions where we tackle the challenges facing beekeepers across Australia.