Top Bar vs. Langstroth?
I have been back and forth with some hard core Langstroth fans and I would like to remind everyone that the Langstroth hive is a commercial design invented in Victorian times (1851 or thereabouts) for the purpose of making beekeeping profitable, while the top bar hive is a wonderfully simple design which has come to us from our forebears and continues to be the best design for gardeners looking for better pollination or for hobbyists who enjoy spending time interacting with their bees.
“Is a horizontal hive unnatural?” No, honeybees are quite adaptable and will often choose a horizontal space for their hive in the wild. I’ve seen them.
“Is the comb fragile and liable to fall off the bar when you are handling it?” Well, yeah, that’s why you need to be careful!
“Are top bar hives hard to manage?” Commercial honey sellers want to spend as little time with each hive as possible. Gardeners and hobbyists love to see what’s going on with the girls. Their time isn’t counted in dollars. Frequent inspections are made easy by the top bar design.
“Don’t people claim that top bars are better for bees?” Yes, but there is no scientific proof, it is only an opinion. My opinion is that the easier it is for the keeper to monitor hive conditions, the better the chance your colony will survive the many perils it faces.
“Is the honey of top bars better?” I wouldn’t be surprised. Top bar honey comb is made new with each batch. Garden Hive beeswax is white. Langstroth users only remove the wax cell caps to get the honey out. They use the same wax over and over, accumulating dust, debris and other things you may not want to eat. Again, a matter of opinion, not scientifically proven fact as far as I know.
“But what about swarming?” The Langstroth’s bees will swarm if the hives are not competently managed. So will the Garden Hive’s.
“It’s harder for a beginner to learn.” I don’t think so. We all know a top bar requires more attention than a Langstroth, but it would seem to me that the more time one spends with a subject the more one learns. Doesn’t practice make perfect?
“Aren’t top bars smaller?” Yep, the Langstroth is designed to hold a lot of honey and a big colony. The Garden Hive is designed to be decorative and easy for almost anyone to manage. Kids, old folks, those with bad backs can manage this hive. As the top bar colony expands and begins to outgrow its space, the hive can be rather easily divided and the new colony set up in another hive, or released into the wild. Not every one finds this to be an absurd idea.
“Why are the bees gentler in a Garden Hive? “ Well, gentleness is a relative term and has many components. The breed or even the individual behaviour characteristics of your colony may be aggressive or not. Gentleness also depends on the skill of the keeper. Gentleness can vary with the weather or the time of day. Gentleness depends on how much the bees are being disturbed and for how long. It is in this last category that I maintain the Garden Hive shows an advantage. How much stress does it cause the colony to gently open the observation door? How much to pull, harvest and replace one bar of honey comb? On the other hand, how much disturbance to dismantle the Langstroth hive and then reassemble it? Does it really matter that much? Um, yes, unless you enjoy being in a full bee suit with clouds of stinging bees all about as you try to work your hive. Oh, and be sure your smoker is working correctly. But, perhaps I exaggerate.
“But won’t I need a $15 queen excluder? What about a $90 electric capping knife? Won’t I need a $450 hand cranked honey extractor? (The electric one is a little pricey at $1,200.) And which type of foundation should I choose? “ I feel your pain but you don’t need any of that with a top bar. If you want all the accessories (and who wouldn’t with such an array of professional looking equipment!) the Langstroth suppliers will be happy to take your money.
In sum, the Garden Hive or any modern top bar is the best hive for gardeners and hobby beekeepers. The Langstroth hive is the best hive for a commercially minded beekeeper who hopes to realize a financial gain from his sizeable investment. Whatever hive you choose, thank you. At the end of the day, it’s all about the bees.
