So this is the Top-bar
A top-bar hive is a single-story frame-less beehive in which the comb hangs from removable bars. Top-bar hives are rectangular in shape and are typically more than twice as wide as multi-story framed hives known as langstroth hives. Top-bar hives are usually not portable, and allow for beekeeping methods that interfere very little with the colony. Top-bar hives are popular with some beekeepers who believe it is a more natural form of beekeeping. The most popular style of Top-bar have is the "Kenyan", the Kenyan hive was actually developed in Canada,
Hive Management: It is recommended that new or recycled empty bars be placed at each side of the brood chamber just before spring build–up as it is easier for the bees to make new comb than to move honey stores to make room for new brood. This will also ensure the maintenance of a well built honey barrier between the brood and higher grade stores. To prevent the buildup of old comb in the brood chamber it may be advantageous to add new bars only on the entrance side of the brood chamber just past the pollen stores. This will cause a collection of older honey in re-used comb, which may be removed and used to produce a somewhat lesser quality of honey, as it will have additional flavors from the propolis used to strengthen and protect the brood comb. Such honey may be especially appropriate for making mead and root beer, as additional flavors will predominate. The progressive removal of brood comb appears, as noted above, consistent with control of AFB. The use of follower boards to selectively control the amount of interior space available to the bees can be helpful, particularly in young hives or when dealing with newly captured swarms. (Follower boards are adjustable solid panels, which effectively reduce the size of the interior space within the hive box that is actually accessible to the bees.)
Queen Exclusion: Natural queen exclusion occurs more frequently in top-bar hives, because the brood nest is separated from the honey section by at least a full bar of honey comb, and not just a few centimeters of honey as may be the case in a multi-story framed hive. And the more honey is gathered, the further the brood nest becomes from newly created comb.
However, some commercial top-bar beekeepers have found that artificial queen excluders are sometimes necessary to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey section of the hive. Another way to augment the natural method of using a honey barrier for queen exclusion is to separate the brood nest from the honey section by a couple of empty, comb-less bars.
Hive Inspection: A top-bar hive is inspected by lifting the bars of comb individually. Inspection can be started at any one of the bars, and can be completed over several sessions. Inspection of the combs can be carried out with far less disturbance to the bees than is the case with multi-story hives, since only a small amount of the hive is exposed at any one time. Some hives incorporate a viewing glass window in the side of the hive that allows for observation without opening the hive itself, since in theory the combs do not get attached to the sloping sides. The top-bars rest freely on the hive walls without spacers, which means that the top-bars can be slid easily along the length of the hive during the inspection, without altering the sequence of the combs, and non-inspected bars need not be lifted out of the way to gain access to other bars.
The comb should never be held flat, since there is a risk that the combs might break off the bars, due to the fact that that comb is not created in frames, and supported by wires.
Harvesting Honey: The most popular method of harvesting honey from a top-bar hive is by cutting the comb from the top-bar, crushing the comb and straining the honey. This results in honey with a higher pollen content than honey that is extracted by flinging out without crushing the comb. Honey can also be harvested from top-bar comb as cut comb. Owing to the fact that crushing and straining is the most common method for honey harvesting in this type of hive, wax harvesting as a by-product is common in top-bar hive beekeeping.
Hive Management: It is recommended that new or recycled empty bars be placed at each side of the brood chamber just before spring build–up as it is easier for the bees to make new comb than to move honey stores to make room for new brood. This will also ensure the maintenance of a well built honey barrier between the brood and higher grade stores. To prevent the buildup of old comb in the brood chamber it may be advantageous to add new bars only on the entrance side of the brood chamber just past the pollen stores. This will cause a collection of older honey in re-used comb, which may be removed and used to produce a somewhat lesser quality of honey, as it will have additional flavors from the propolis used to strengthen and protect the brood comb. Such honey may be especially appropriate for making mead and root beer, as additional flavors will predominate. The progressive removal of brood comb appears, as noted above, consistent with control of AFB. The use of follower boards to selectively control the amount of interior space available to the bees can be helpful, particularly in young hives or when dealing with newly captured swarms. (Follower boards are adjustable solid panels, which effectively reduce the size of the interior space within the hive box that is actually accessible to the bees.)
Queen Exclusion: Natural queen exclusion occurs more frequently in top-bar hives, because the brood nest is separated from the honey section by at least a full bar of honey comb, and not just a few centimeters of honey as may be the case in a multi-story framed hive. And the more honey is gathered, the further the brood nest becomes from newly created comb.
However, some commercial top-bar beekeepers have found that artificial queen excluders are sometimes necessary to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey section of the hive. Another way to augment the natural method of using a honey barrier for queen exclusion is to separate the brood nest from the honey section by a couple of empty, comb-less bars.
Hive Inspection: A top-bar hive is inspected by lifting the bars of comb individually. Inspection can be started at any one of the bars, and can be completed over several sessions. Inspection of the combs can be carried out with far less disturbance to the bees than is the case with multi-story hives, since only a small amount of the hive is exposed at any one time. Some hives incorporate a viewing glass window in the side of the hive that allows for observation without opening the hive itself, since in theory the combs do not get attached to the sloping sides. The top-bars rest freely on the hive walls without spacers, which means that the top-bars can be slid easily along the length of the hive during the inspection, without altering the sequence of the combs, and non-inspected bars need not be lifted out of the way to gain access to other bars.
The comb should never be held flat, since there is a risk that the combs might break off the bars, due to the fact that that comb is not created in frames, and supported by wires.
Harvesting Honey: The most popular method of harvesting honey from a top-bar hive is by cutting the comb from the top-bar, crushing the comb and straining the honey. This results in honey with a higher pollen content than honey that is extracted by flinging out without crushing the comb. Honey can also be harvested from top-bar comb as cut comb. Owing to the fact that crushing and straining is the most common method for honey harvesting in this type of hive, wax harvesting as a by-product is common in top-bar hive beekeeping.