Readers.  Please bear with a little history.  All this interest on the list
for top bar hives has set me thinking. How strange that a hive designed
especially for third world, poverty stricken people should suddenly find
such favour in  rich countries such as the U.S.A. and Canada.
The ancient Greeks discovered that a hive with tapering sides, matching the
natural curve of combs built by bees, gave combs that were rarely attached
to the sides and were thus removable.  Somehow this knowledge disappeared
and we had to wait till L L Langstroth before removable combs again appeared
on the scene.
In the 1960s Peter Paterson, a Kenyan beekeeper, joined the Bee Department
of the Hampshire College of Agriculture.  His aim was to develop a simple
cheap hive for third world development, which could be made locally and did
not need expensive frames, foundation, extractor, etc..  Working with Jack
Tredwell, the County Beekeeper,  they devised what became known as the
Kenyan Top Bar Hive.  As a frequent visitor to the department I saw much of
the work.  At the time no one considered it as an alternative to the
multi-storied hive.  It was to be a cheap, saw, hammer and nails hive, for
poor people, single storied, to take around thirty combs.  The only
important dimension was the width of the top bars, which were solid and
formed a sealed top.  They tried centre and end entrances and settled for
the end as the queen tended to keep the brood near the entrance.  No
excluder was used.  I have a vague recollection that a Canadian beekeeper
named Townsend ?? took the plans back to Ontario.
Since then this hive has moved far from Kenya and is found all over the
world.  I do not think it is a commercial proposition as far as bulk honey
is concerned but when old age and a creaking back creep up on us it might be
a good alternative.  Pressed honey from the comb is the best there is and
there will be a constant supply of pure wax and the washings from the
crushed comb will make mead or honey beer.  What more could a hobbiest
beekeeper want from life.
A kind contributor to the list recently gave us a number of web sites.  I
see that two of them mention the KTBH and are reprints of articles which can
be found in the ABJ, July and August 1989.   Sid P.
_________________________________________________________________
Sid Pullinger                    Email :  [log in to unmask]
36, Grange Rd                Compuserve:  [log in to unmask]
Alresford
Hants SO24 9HF
England