What Are Top-Bar Hives?
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Understanding Top Bar Beekeeping
Natural methods for sustainable hive management
This method prioritizes natural colony development by utilizing horizontal hives that mimic tree cavities. By eliminating complex equipment and heavy lifting, this approach simplifies hive management while fostering healthier bee populations. The design encourages bees to build comb according to their biological needs, resulting in a sustainable and intuitive practice that benefits both the environment and the keeper.
Meet Les Crowder - Professional Top Bar Beekeeper
A top-bar hive is a style of beehive that lets bees build their own natural comb from removable wooden bars instead of pre-made frames and plastic foundation. The hive is worked one bar of comb at a time, making inspections simpler, less disruptive to the colony, and easier on the beekeeper.
Top-bar hives have been used for thousands of years in ancient Greece and Africa. The plans shared by Regenerative Beekeepers of America are based on the work of Les Crowder, whose decades of observation, innovation, and commitment to bee health inspired countless modern top-bar beekeepers.
Our hope is that these free plans help more people build healthy homes for bees, steward the land well, and experience the joy of regenerative beekeeping.
Top-bar hives have been used for thousands of years in ancient Greece and Africa. The plans shared by Regenerative Beekeepers of America are based on the work of Les Crowder, whose decades of observation, innovation, and commitment to bee health inspired countless modern top-bar beekeepers.
Our hope is that these free plans help more people build healthy homes for bees, steward the land well, and experience the joy of regenerative beekeeping.
Supplies to Build your own Les Crowder Top Bar Hive
Required
- Circular saw or miter saw (a table saw is recommended for ripping top bars and bevels)
- Table saw (recommended)
- Power drill/driver
- Drill bits for pilot holes
- ¾" paddle bit (for entrance holes)
- Tape measure
- Carpenter's pencil
- Speed square or carpenter's square
- Clamps (helpful during assembly)
- Tin snips (if trimming corrugated roofing)
- Hammer (if using nails instead of screws)
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Work gloves
- Wood glue
- Caulk
- Paint or stain
- Sandpaper or a palm sander for smoothing edges
- (2) 2" × 10" × 10' untreated boards - this gives you two 4-ft sides, and one middle divider or end piece
- (3) 2" × 4" × 8' pressure-treated boards (for legs and optional hinged roof supports)
- 28 × 3" deck screws (T25 recommended)
- 20 × 2½" deck screws (T25 recommended)
- 4 × 1½" roofing screws (only if building the hinged roof)
- 2 strap hinges (optional hinged roof)
- Corrugated metal roofing (approximately 27" × 60")
- Nylon rope, paracord, or ratchet strap (recommended for securing the roof)
- 4 disc entrance reducers (optional)
- Bamboo skewers (for comb guides)
- Titebond III wood glue
- Exterior acrylic latex caulk (for the center divider if building a double hive)
- Exterior paint, stain, or wood sealer (outside surfaces only)
A Little History
People often think top-bar hives are a new idea, but they're actually one of the oldest ways humans have managed bees.
The ancient Greeks used removable top bars thousands of years ago, allowing comb to be lifted from clay and woven hives without destroying the entire colony. Centuries later, traditional log hives and top-bar-style hives remained common across much of Africa because they were inexpensive, practical, and could be built from local materials. In the 1970s, Canadian bee researchers Dr. Maurice V. Smith and Dr. Gordon Townsend from the University of Guelph developed what became known as the Kenya Top-Bar Hive to bridge the gap between traditional fixed-comb hives and more expensive framed hives. Although it became famous through work in Kenya, its design drew inspiration from much older Greek top-bar hives and was refined through international research and extension work.
Top-bar beekeeping slowly found its way to North America through educators, researchers, and beekeepers looking for simpler, lower-cost ways to keep bees. One of the people most responsible for bringing it into the modern conversation is Les Crowder, whose decades of experience in New Mexico and Texas helped demonstrate that top-bar hives could be productive, practical, and deeply enjoyable. His book, Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health, outlines his top bar design plans, and inspires beekeepers to look at bees differently.
Les built his first top bar hive in 1979. He says the bees began keeping him more than 50 years ago. "I began looking for ways to raise bees without antibiotics in my teenage years and have been breeding honey bees for disease and parasite resistance since then. I also began early on to search for ways to regularly renew the combs in beehives because research indicated that old cocoon laden combs become havens for pathogenic fungi and bacteria that stress the bees' resistance to disease."
Les once managed more than 200 top bar colonies for one farm—indicating this hive model can be scaled beyond small scale backyard beekeeping. He continues to manage treatment free colonies and teach beekeepers how we can all rise together. Check out Les' book!
The ancient Greeks used removable top bars thousands of years ago, allowing comb to be lifted from clay and woven hives without destroying the entire colony. Centuries later, traditional log hives and top-bar-style hives remained common across much of Africa because they were inexpensive, practical, and could be built from local materials. In the 1970s, Canadian bee researchers Dr. Maurice V. Smith and Dr. Gordon Townsend from the University of Guelph developed what became known as the Kenya Top-Bar Hive to bridge the gap between traditional fixed-comb hives and more expensive framed hives. Although it became famous through work in Kenya, its design drew inspiration from much older Greek top-bar hives and was refined through international research and extension work.
Top-bar beekeeping slowly found its way to North America through educators, researchers, and beekeepers looking for simpler, lower-cost ways to keep bees. One of the people most responsible for bringing it into the modern conversation is Les Crowder, whose decades of experience in New Mexico and Texas helped demonstrate that top-bar hives could be productive, practical, and deeply enjoyable. His book, Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health, outlines his top bar design plans, and inspires beekeepers to look at bees differently.
Les built his first top bar hive in 1979. He says the bees began keeping him more than 50 years ago. "I began looking for ways to raise bees without antibiotics in my teenage years and have been breeding honey bees for disease and parasite resistance since then. I also began early on to search for ways to regularly renew the combs in beehives because research indicated that old cocoon laden combs become havens for pathogenic fungi and bacteria that stress the bees' resistance to disease."
Les once managed more than 200 top bar colonies for one farm—indicating this hive model can be scaled beyond small scale backyard beekeeping. He continues to manage treatment free colonies and teach beekeepers how we can all rise together. Check out Les' book!
The Advantage of the Crowder Hive
Discover the thoughtful design of the Les Crowder top bar hive. Its features are crafted for ease of management and a thriving bee colony. Top Bars are Good for Bees.
While every hive style has strengths, a well-designed top-bar hive offers one of the simplest and most natural ways to keep bees—especially for backyard beekeepers, homesteads, and anyone who wants to work with the bees in a regenerative style. Some points that are well supported:
While every hive style has strengths, a well-designed top-bar hive offers one of the simplest and most natural ways to keep bees—especially for backyard beekeepers, homesteads, and anyone who wants to work with the bees in a regenerative style. Some points that are well supported:
- Ergonomic Design
- The structure allows for comfortable inspections at waist height, eliminating the need for heavy lifting.
- No heavy supers need to be removed, making inspections gentler for both bees and beekeepers.
- Sustainable Management
- Encourages natural comb building, promoting colony health and reducing reliance on artificial foundations. Bees draw their own comb rather than relying on manufactured foundation.
- Colonies can regulate brood nest size naturally.
- Individual combs are inspected one at a time, which exposes less brood and retains more of the hive's temperature and organization.
- Old comb can be rotated out naturally as part of good hive management, something Les Crowder has emphasized for many years because old comb accumulates pesticides, pathogens, and cocoon debris.
- Simplified Maintenance
- Streamlined components allow for intuitive hive operations and efficient colony monitoring.
- Top-bar hives fit beautifully into an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. They make it easier to observe brood, rotate old comb, and work with natural bee behavior.
Why Top Bar Beekeeping Suits You
Experience beekeeping that's lighter on your back and your wallet. Top bar hives offer a more natural environment for bees and a less demanding approach for you.
- Reduced Initial InvestmentMinimize startup expenses by utilizing simple, cost-effective construction materials that eliminate the need for expensive frames and heavy equipment.
- Ergonomic DesignProtect your physical well-being with a waist-high hive structure that removes the need for lifting heavy supers, ensuring a strain-free experience.
- Natural Hive EnvironmentPromote colony health by allowing bees to build their own natural comb, mirroring the conditions found in their wild habitat.
