Hi Bob You mention your interest in top bar hives: I can give you some positive and negative apsects of these: +ve Cheap More natural for bees to live in - ie not trying to constrain bees into a shape that is good for transport, but not for them. One can make entrance holes right down the side consisting of cork size holes near the top of the hive box - as the hive grows these can be opened. Bees can guard a hole much better, and can ventilate such a hive very effectively. When working such a hive it is easy to smoke the bees away from the are where you are working - if you have africanised bees this has advantages in sting control. Low cost. -ve In a bad year your honey production will be considerably down compared to a commercial hive - the reson - in bad years bees will struggle to draw combs all year, hence by harvesting after ones first flow they don't have anymore space to fill. With a comercial hive one is recylcing honey storage space - meaining that each time bees invest in wax they don't have to do so again and can instead concentrate on producing honey. It has been shown that large unfilled areas of comb act as a nectar gathering stimulus. Difficult to move the hive - it you load such a hive into your vehicle and drive along with it, a sharp bumb or breaking action causes the combs to swing and can cause them to snap/pressure bees. This is due to the un-strenghtened nature of the combs. Hope this helps Keep well Garth Garth Cambray Camdini Apiaries 15 Park Road Grahamstown Apis mellifera capensis 6139 South Africa Time = Honey If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space!!