# A delightful review of Top Bar Hives



## Talking With Bees (Jul 7, 2012)

Good afternoon.

An Alaskan beekeeper has just written a rather lovely review of Top Bar Hives on my blog if you are interested.

Do you guys agree with his thoughts?


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## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

I do not agree with his main point about weight. Lifting a deep and lifting a single topbar are not analogous. In the same way you don't have to lift an entire topbar hive, there's no reason why you should be required to lift an entire deep. Anybody can move a deep one frame at a time into another deep or just by themselves and the heaviest thing you'll have to lift is a frame of honey which probably weighs more than an empty box.

I also don't agree that a topbar hive will always produce more wax than another hive. It's the same as saying another hive will always produce more honey. It is not always so. Much depends on the product sought and methods employed. I won't employ hypothetical situations because they're just that, hypothetical. What I will say is that a goal of other hives is to remove the wax production burden so that the bees make more honey. As far as the end product (crushed or chunk comb in the case of the TBH) either type of hive can be operated to produce the same product.


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## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

Very nice and thoughtful review. It is impressing that they are in Alaska! Pro and contra for TBHs are endless. My personal position on this is that more approaches in beekeeping is better. Removing frames one-by-one in Lang as suggested above - sounds strange to me and time-consuming. Imagine, if I have 6 boxes and I need to see what is in the bottom one, I need to move one-by-one 50 frames? TB has obvious advantage of easy inspection. Sergey


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## jrbbees (Apr 4, 2010)

cerezha said:


> Removing frames one-by-one in Lang as suggested above - sounds strange to me and time-consuming. Imagine, if I have 6 boxes and I need to see what is in the bottom one, Sergey


Sergey, Now imagine back surgery after you could not walk for 4 months. It is that or give up beekeeping.


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## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

jrbbees said:


> Sergey, Now imagine back surgery after you could not walk for 4 months. It is that or give up beekeeping.


 Yes
This is exact point - in TBH, there is no need to lift up anything. Install TBH on legs at comfortable height and enjoy back-surgery-less beekeeping! It was a point in review discussed in this thread. Sergey


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## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

jrbbees said:


> Sergey, Now imagine back surgery after you could not walk for 4 months. It is that or give up beekeeping.


 Yes
This is exact point - in TBH, there is no need to lift up anything but single top bar at the time. Install TBH on legs at comfortable height and enjoy back-surgery-less beekeeping! It was a point in review discussed in this thread. Sergey


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## Talking With Bees (Jul 7, 2012)

Thanks for your comments, I have added them as a comment at the end of the review. Very helpful. I ike them!


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