The modern reinvention of top bar hives was viewed as an alternative to 
the more expensive and "high tech" design with frames.  The concept was 
that it would be a more appropriate technology in situations where 
initial hive costs needed to be kept low and labor was cheap.  In such 
situation low income farmers could afford to collect honey as a source 
of income with low capital investment and high labor input per colony.

The current interest by hobbyists in the "First World" in using them as 
alternatives to Langstroth equipment by hobbyists is very odd.  Even 
more odd is the concept that somehow a frameless horizontal hive is 
closer to the natural configuration of colonies and affords them some 
kind of advantage over pests and diseases.

 

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