First, don't forget to click on the "beekeeping" category from the list on the left.  It has a lot of archival information from my first season keeping bees.

The bees are flying, but there isn't much nectar in nature this time of year (plenty of pollen around).  The nectar is the carbs, and the pollen is the protein in the bee diet.  You need to feed the bees some sugar if you expect them to build in numbers quickly.

So here is how I feed the bees in my top bar hive (click here and scroll to the bottom).  Notice how simple and inexpensive the hobby can be if you aren't tethered to traditional equipment.  Hint:  Buy the big jars of Prego or even bigger jars of pickles so you can open the hive less often.  Unfortunately, plastic jars aren't rigid enough to hold the vacuum.

You will read a lot of crazy recipes for making bee food.  They try to get to a perfect ratio of sugar to water.  I'm not really sure why.  I mean it does need to be about just right, but after that, you are OK as long as you are in the right neighborhood.  So to save time and sanity, try this.

Get a 1 gallon container with a lid.
Add one five-pound bag of sugar.
Fill half to two-thirds with hot tap water.
Cap and shake vigorously until your arm is tired.
Fill to the rest of the way with hot tap water.
Cap and shake some more.

If you park the container in the sun for a few days, the sugar will dissolve even better, so I usually make syrup when I'm out, not when I need it.

How to light your smoker:  I have no idea.  I don't use one.  Maybe this season, I'm told.

I have also found some simple tools that make the work easier:
A serrated bread knife like this:



Mine cost me nothing.  I had one in a drawer.  I may replace it with a sharper one I saw at Marden's for a dollar or two.

I also use a painter's tool like this one:

Again, very expensive.  This one lists for $1.99 if you don't already own one in your garage.  I'm eying one that's like a whole $5 and has a cushion grip.

It's not that these replace unbearably expensive traditional beekeeping tools, just that the top bar tools are likely to be lying around your house and that being able to make a feeder by rummaging around in your recycling container is way quicker and easier than waiting for one to come in the mail.

Like I said on my web site: Top bar beekeeping isn't for everyone, but it is the best, most economical method for back-yard hobbyists.