Top Bar Nucs - is there a market?

[kalama_beek]

I've been kicking around the idea of attempting to sell treatment free top bar nucs. I don't have it all worked out yet, but the thought is that I'd get dimensions of the buyer's follower board and build a nuc to that size, then populate it from my treatment free survivors in the spring. Think it would work? I've talked to only a couple of TBH'ers recently, but both of them asked to get on "my list" when I decide to do it. Maybe I'll run a trial with them next spring to see if it's viable and how much work it might be for the return on investment. Any other thoughts/considerations that I should take into account? I'm posing the question here because it would have to be local pickup. I may post on the Top Bar subforum also.

[Mycroft Jones]

I'd buy from you, if you can get them across the border to Canada.

[Michael Bush]

I have discussed the idea with other bee producers. I think the simple method would be to run a few top bar hives with long bars and narrow boxes. So the comb will fit the narrowest top bar hive and the bar is long enough for the widest top bar hive. Then you can just cut the bars to fit their hive. Let it hang out enough on both sides so that you can manage any slope no matter now steep or shallow... Otherwise, I think your method should be for THEM to provide the nuc and you put bees in it the summer before and sell it in the spring...