Big gain ... but depends on your perspective.

Top bar hives are not for large producers and were never intended to be.

At the end of the day the biggest gain is that you do not need to buy an
extractor in order to harvest honey.  It is crush and strain if you want
liquid or comb honey if you want to keep it simple. This saving is a
very big consideration in agricultural countries where an extractor
(centrifuge) costs about a months family income for a farming family.
They can keep a number of top bar hives. They cannot afford to keep a
system with frames that needs additional equipment to extract.

Top bar hives are easy to inspect.  You do need a long knife but that is
not an issue.  Indeed since you do not have to bend any they are a
pleasure to inspect.

Top bar hives are cheaper to run in that you need minimal wax (if any)
to start off the bars and you do not need wire.  So you save on
materials and labor.

Top bar hives are cheap to make ...  sort of.  You can get away with
using a range of materials, you do not need top quality lumber, cutting
has to be only approximate so if you are not making yourself you can use
less skilled labor.

I guess things are different in the States ... they usually are ...


On 09/03/2013 08:33 PM, Lionel Evans wrote:


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