# Top Bar Hives?



## TriWinkle (Oct 2, 2011)

Anyone here using them? I've read a few articles that indicate they may be a cheaper way of beginning to keep bees...And although I'm not always about the cheap...it would be a good way to learn if in fact I really do like to keep bees, before making a huge investment.

Additionally, my understanding is it is easier on the back (less heavy lifting)...but I'm not even a novice at beekeeping so I figured I'd come in here and ask y'all for your thoughts.

Thanks for the help!!


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## siletz (Oct 5, 2010)

We had a top bar hive for 2 years before some hornets moved into the hive and killed the bees. Being our first hive, we found info pretty hard to find. One book we found helpful was http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1886532141/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00 It takes more frequent visits to the hive than the traditional does, and I'm not sure we had great success with ours, but we plan to try again this next spring.


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## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

See previous thread:
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/livestock-forums/beekeeping/422913-top-bar.html


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

:hair " my understanding is it is easier on the back (less heavy lifting.)" :hair

I love the above comment. I wonder why people would thnk wax and honey weigh less in a top bar hive?


 Al


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## siletz (Oct 5, 2010)

alleyyooper said:


> :hair " my understanding is it is easier on the back (less heavy lifting.)" :hair
> 
> I love the above comment. I wonder why people would thnk wax and honey weigh less in a top bar hive?
> 
> ...



Al:
I have not had a traditional hive, but my understanding is that there are times when you might want to take off the top box with it's frames and such to inspect a lower box. Since the top bar hive is only "one story" high, you never lift anything heavier than a single frame. Is this wrong?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

So why wouldn't some one use their head and remove some frames to make the top box lighter to lift off?


 Al


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## BjornBee (Jan 17, 2011)

This might help:
http://www.bjornapiaries.com/topbarbeekeeping.html

While there are lighter 8 frame hives, and especially if you go with all mediums, for langstroth, the ability to inspect a TBH is much less lifting. 

I know plenty of beekeepers who do not like removing frames from multiple boxes, to do an inspection since this takes a long time, and may create robbing situations. And some beekeepers just by the maginitude of removing half the frames of 4 or 5 boxes in a langstroth with supers, is a huge task. Many times to inspect the brood chamber, taking off complete boxes is nice, but might not be for some beekeepers. If I had to inspect all my hives by removing frames for each box as I move lower, I just might be asking these same questions. They are legit questions, and the replies are questionable.

While TBH are not what some hype, it is a beekeeping option. And inspecting a TBH one frame at a time is certainly a benefit.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

From what I gather, and just my own observations here... Seems those with successful top bar hives are from the south. I don't think they'd do so well up here where it freezes for long periods of time. I'd love to hear from folks that have done top bar hives successfully here in the colder regions.


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## Judy in IN (Nov 28, 2003)

I tried a top bar hive a couple of years ago. My hive was on the east side of a garage, so half sun half shade. I put a nice, gentle swarm in the hive. A couple of weeks later they left. I opened the hive to find that all of those fresh (tender) beeswax foundations had fallen down into the bottom of the hive. Temps were around 84 degrees. So there was not enough support for the new foundation.

I went back to Langs. I take a wheelbarrow to the yard, with a short piece of countertop on top. I use an empty deep super to transfer frames from the hive I'm working with. No heavy lifting. 

If I'm harvesting honey, I'll bring a child's wagon along with one of those big grey storage containers. I put the frames into the containers and pull them to the house.


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## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Hmm. I ran 2 top bar hives both in full sun until about 2:00. I live in SC where temps are in the 90's for extended periods and never had the comb collapse. Is it possible the comb collapsed AFTER your bees absconded due to lack of air conditioning (provided by the bees).

Both of my hives did really well the first year. By the end of the second year they had both died out. I blame this on myself being a "lazy" beekeeper. I have lots of irons in the fire on my homestead and I just kind of hoped the bees would do their thing with my occasional inspections. I did not monitor or treat for any pests. I think if I had treated for mites and installed some beetle traps the outcome would have been different.

I liked the TBH. It was a neat, low cost (if you can build your own hive) way to keep bees. A bit more labor intensive with set up and upkeep. I will be starting two more hives this spring. One will go in the TBH, and the other will go in a traditional Lang.

BTW one of my hives i used this plan the other I built to accept medium depth frames (tanzanian style) which made it easier to transfer a nuke.


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## johng (Feb 14, 2009)

Building your own top bar hive may be a cheaper way to try beekeeping. But, if you are going to buy your top bar hive they seem pretty expensive to me. I hear a lot of new people talking about starting with top bars for the same reasons you stated. But, in my opinion it would be easier to try a top bar hive after you have raised bees in a regular hive first. Here are a few reasons I think so.
1. It can be challenging to get the bees to build straight comb on the top bars. They can make a mess inside a top bar hive pretty quick. It would be harder for a new beek to fix the mess.
2. It can be harder to overwinter in a top bar. 
3. You don't have drawn comb with a top bar hive, so swarm control can be harder.
4. Making splits can be more challenging 
5. Finding a mentor that can give advise maybe harder with a top bar hive. 
6. Top bar hives can be a lot of different sizes, so frames may not fit from one hive to another, so giving resources from one hive to another could be more challenging. If you make your own, make sure you make them all the same way. 

Now I'm not trying to talk you out of a top bar hive. Just trying to give you some problems you may run into.


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## Judy in IN (Nov 28, 2003)

It's possible that the foundation collapsed after the bees left, but I put it next to the garage so that I could check it every day. 

I've still got the hive, but no more interest. I can insulate my Langs pretty easily. Moving them is a lot easier too. 

I hated losing that nice swarm.


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## sdharlow (Jan 27, 2012)

Considering that top bar hives are also known as Kenyan Top Bar hives, and the heat in Kenya is MUCH more intense than it is even here in the South, I somehow doubt that constant 84 degree temperatures were the reason for the foundation failure. Anyone truly wanting to get a great start with Top Bars, needs to read Top-Bar Beekeeping by Les Crowder.


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## sdharlow (Jan 27, 2012)

johng said:


> 6. Top bar hives can be a lot of different sizes, so frames may not fit from one hive to another, so giving resources from one hive to another could be more challenging. If you make your own, make sure you make them all the same way.


Top-Bars do NOT use frames. Only a Top Bar, thus the name. Only Langstroths use frames. So "fitting" frames, is not an issue.


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## siletz (Oct 5, 2010)

sdharlow said:


> Anyone truly wanting to get a great start with Top Bars, needs to read Top-Bar Beekeeping by Les Crowder.


Thanks for the tip on the book. I'll go look at it, as I'm wanting to try again with another hive this spring.


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