by Melanie Kirby
In our neck of the woods, there is a growing trend to house bees in top bar hives. For those who are unfamiliar- a top bar hive is a single level, horizontal system which does not have side comb supports as do vertical Langstroth frames. My interpretation of both systems spans over a dozen years whereby I first learned on one, came to appreciate the other and have come to terms with working and keeping bees in both systems. I have also come to develop my own system (with respect to efficiency and conscientious beekeeping management) whereby I utilize the “best” of both systems to incorporate and adapt the diversity of each into a usable, workable and standardized method.