Why a Top Bar Hive?
It just makes sense.
It’s Good For Bees!
The most important thing to understand about Top Bar Beekeeping is that a top bar hive allows bees to make their own natural honeycomb. The pre-printed, one-size-fits-all wax “foundation” used in conventional hives is not part of keeping bees in top bar hives. Natural beeswax honeycomb in the hive offers several advantages:
Bees Make Honeycomb That is the Right Size.
The bees in a Gold Star Honeybees Top Bar Hive make all their honeycomb from virgin wax, and they make it the size they need it to be. Honeycomb is made one size. Brood comb is made a different size. And different bees are different sizes… Drones are big, workers are small! Bees know what they need. A top bar hive lets them do what they need to do, where they need to do it, because bees know that One Size Does Not Fit All!
Bees Make Honeycomb in Their Natural Shape.
The trapezoidal shape of this slope-sided top bar hive allows bees to make their comb in the shape they need it to be. Using catenary curve, or hanging chain theory, the bees make the comb in a parabolic shape that they would in nature.
Natural Honeycomb is Clean and Green.
Because the bees make their own wax in a top bar hive, you know it has not been recycled from used beeswax that may have been treated with poisonous chemicals and miticides. Even after being melted down and remade into fresh "new" foundation, the wax used in conventional beehives has been found to contain detectable levels of these chemicals. That’s not good for the bees, and it’s not good for you, either, if you eat honey taken from a hive treated in that way.
Minimal Disruption Reduces Stress for Your Honeybees.
The Gold Star Top Bar Hive includes a 36” long observation window in the side of the hive. This is good for bees because it reduces their stress—the beekeeper doesn't need to open the hive every time they want to know what is going on inside— they can simply open the shutter and look through the window. When it is time to look inside, top bar beekeepers can remove one bar at a time to inspect it—without disrupting the whole hive.
It’s Good For The Planet!
The Gold Star Top Bar Hive is made from solid pine grown in the Pine Tree State of Maine. We don't use any plywood or other laminated products. The gabled roof is painted for longevity, using Mythic brand paint, a non-toxic, VOC-free exterior enamel that does not off-gas any carcinogenic substances. (Manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet information on Mythic paint can be found here and the Technical Data sheet can be found here.)
The glass observation window is held in place using Safecoat’s multi-purpose, "not-toxic" caulking compound. It does not off-gas like most other glazing and caulking products. (Manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet information on Safecoat caulk can be found here and the Technical Data sheet can be found here.)
It’s Good For The Beekeeper!
The Gold Star Top Bar Hive is Easy to Assemble. Our professionally-crafted hive comes complete, with all woodenware and hardware included. It contains detailed assembly instructions, a complete parts and hardware list, and photos of each step. It requires only a Phillips head screwdriver, a staple gun, a pencil, and a couple of hours to assemble it.
The Gold Star Top Bar Hive is Ergonomically Friendly.
The Gold Star Top Bar Hive stands on wide-based legs at counter-height. That means that the beekeeper doesn't have to do any heavy lifting—ever. Its height also helps protect the inside of the hive from invasions of mice, skunks, and other bee-loving rodents.
Gold Star Honeybees Tech Support.
Gold Star Honeybees provides friendly and responsive “Tech Support” should you have any questions that aren’t answered in the assembly instructions, or by watching the videos on our video page. We are available by email, or by telephone at 207-449-1121. Please contact us. We’ll be happy to help!
Gold Star Top Bar Hive Kits for Sale
Because it's not about the honey, Honey - it's about the Bees!