As I continue to learn about beekeeping I am drawn to the Kenyan Top Bar Hive. It was designed as a cheap, simple and more natural alternative to the classic Langstroth Hive. Like most choices there are both pros and cons to each side. I see two main advantages to the TBH. The first is that they are really easy to construct and also cheap to make. The second advantage is that it allows the bees to draw out their own comb in the manner that bees prefer. The more natural method of comb creation allows for the bees to choose what size of comb they need.
However there are some disadvantages also to the TBH. The largest disadvantage is that in order to harvest the honey, you have to cut the comb off the top bars. This means that each time you harvest the honey the bees have to invest the energy to create new comb. So at the end of the year you end up with less honey, but you do get more wax. The second problem with TBH is that they are not as standardized as Langstroth Hives so it be more difficult to work with other beekeepers if you need to exchange equipment. However you either build all of your own hives or get all of your hives from the same source you will not have any problems within your own apiary.
It will be a while before I have to make a final decision (maybe). I will try talking Tami into letting me keep bees as soon as we get a house. I may even try sooner if I find someone who does not mind sharing a corner of their property.
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