Beekeeping: The Advantages of Choosing the Top Bar Hive

Traditionally in the United States, beekeepers have used the Langstroth hive. This hive is an expensive and complicated piece of equipment involving several boxes called supers. Many special pieces of equipment are necessary to manage your bees and your honey supply while using the Langstroth hives. The start up expense is enough to keep some prospective beekeepers from entering the hobby.

There is an alternative though. The Top Bar Hive has been successfully used in developing countries for centuries to keep bee colonies for their honey. The hive is a simple box with 20 to 30 bars resting across the top which is then covered by a lid. The bees suspend their combs from the bars. There is no frame to hold the comb, all the work is done by the bees. This type of hive is easy to build with a few simple supplies. Even recycled lumber can be used to construct your top frame hive.

What are the advantages of a Top Bar hive over the Langstroth, other than the lower price? The Top Bar hive makes it easier to take care of your bees. You can easily check on them with less disassembling than is required with the Langstroth hive. Simply pull up each bar and examine your bees. The bees are disturbed less, and because the task is easier, you are more likely to check more often finding problems quicker. This leads to healthier bees. It is also safer for the beekeeper. Because the bees are disturbed less, they are less likely to sting.

Another advantage is that harvesting the honey with a Top Bar hive is very simple! Simply remove the bars containing the honeycomb. Drain the honey or use a simple press to extract it. There is plenty of useful beeswax to harvest too, and the bees are disturbed very little. No special or expensive equipment is necessary and no bees need to be killed. After you are done harvesting, the bars can be reused year after year. Most people find honey from Top Bar hives to be tastier than honey from Langstroth hives. Comb bound honey as harvested from Top Bar hives, especially when pressed, is generally accepted as the tastiest honey.

Top Bar hives can be maintained in a similar manner as traditional hives. There is a danger that the hive will become honey bound, filled with honey before the queen is done laying her eggs. If this is occurs, it is important to supply the hive with some extra bars so that more comb can be added to meet the queen's egg laying needs. Other than that traditional method may be used.

The only disadvantage to keeping your bees in Top Bar hives is a slightly lower output of honey per bee. This should not be significant and is offset by having healthier bees, better honey, and lots more beeswax.