The Kenyan Top Bar Hive

Key Features and Benefits

When it comes to choosing a hive, natural beekeepers look for one that truly supports their bees’ health and well-being while staying simple to manage.

The Kenyan Top Bar Hive is a favorite among natural beekeepers for these exact reasons. Designed to reflect the way bees naturally build their homes in the wild, this hive provides a sustainable, low-maintenance environment that minimizes disturbance for the bees and makes life easier for the beekeeper.

In this post, we’ll dive into the key features of the Kenyan Top Bar Hive and see how it can help nurture a thriving, resilient bee colony.

Horizontal Design

Horizontal hives let the bees build combs the way they want. They’re closer to the way bees naturally build, and they’re easier on the beekeeper, too.

— Phil Chandler, The Barefoot Beekeeper

The Horizontal Design of the Kenyan Top Bar Hive spreads the hive out sideways, making it easier for beekeepers to manage without having to lift and stack heavy boxes full of honey.

This layout mimics the natural way bees build their nests is a horizontal tree branch. By aligning with the bees’ natural behaviour, the horizontal design helps maintain a healthy and productive colony.

It also makes inspecting the beehive simpler and less disruptive for both the bees and the beekeeper, ensuring that the bees can thrive in a comfortable environment.

Single Room Structure

Bees are naturally inclined to build in one open cavity, just like they would in a hollow tree. It’s better to let them organize their home as they see fit.

— Dr. Leo Sharashkin, Keeping Bees With a Smile

The Single Room Structure of the Kenyan Top Bar Hive mimics the natural cavities or hollows that bees occupy in the wild, providing a familiar and comfortable environment for the colony.

This one-room design allows bees to naturally separate the brood area, where they raise their young, from the honey storage area, just as they would in the wild.

The streamlined setup minimizes disturbances, helping the colony remain strong and resilient throughout the year while supporting the bees’ natural behaviour and instincts.

Elevated

Hives elevated off the ground are easier to access and keep the bees safer from pests and moisture issues.

— Ross Conrad, Natural Beekeeping: Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture

It allows beekeepers to inspect the colony and harvest honey without strenuous  bending and lifting, reducing physical strain and improving accessibility.

The Kenyan Top Bar Hive sits on four legs — elevating it approx. 1 metre off the ground — reducing moisture-related issues that can compromise the health of the bee colony.

This thoughtful design supports both the well-being of the bees and makes life easier for the beekeeper.

Frameless

Bees should be given freedom to create their combs as they see fit. Frames impose a structure that doesn’t align with their instincts.

— Les Crowder, Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health

The Frameless design of the Kenyan Top Bar Hive allows bees to build their combs naturally without the constraints of rigid four sided frames normally used in conventional langstroth hives.

The bees use wooden top bars to build natural honeycomb off, the cells of which can vary in size and shape so the colony can make smaller or larger bees based on the colony’s needs throughout the seasons — rather than be restricted by the standard sized embossed pattern of the industrial wax foundation sheets.

This freedom encourages bees to behave more naturally and adaptively, promoting a healthier and more resilient hive.

For beekeepers, a frameless hive simplifies the setup and maintenance process, making it easier to inspect and harvest honey. Without the presence of frames, pests such as small hive beetle, find it harder to hide and establish themselves within the hive, making pest control more effective and straightforward.

Seasonally Adjustable

Working with bees in a way that lets them adapt their space to the seasons supports their natural rhythms and health.

— Jacqueline Freeman, Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World

The Kenyan Top Bar Hive allows beekeepers to adjust the number of top bars according to the size of the bee colony throughout the year.

During spring and summer, when the colony is expanding and requires more space, additional top bars can be added between two movable follower boards (false walls) to accommodate the growing population and increased honey production.

In the cooler months, empty combs and excess honeycombs are removed, and the follower boards are shifted back toward the brood area to reduce the cavity size, helping the colony regulate temperature more effectively over winter.

This flexibility ensures that the hive can adapt to the bees’ changing needs, supporting their health and productivity in every season.

Sustainable & Low-Maintenance

You can build the Kenyan Top Bar Hive using any natural timber, allowing flexibility based on available materials.

Natural materials, low intervention, and simple designs are the heart of natural beekeeping. A hive should let bees thrive without constant attention.

— Sam Comfort, Anarchy Apiaries

Beekeeping Naturally’s Kenyan Top Bar Hives are made from Australian-sourced, sustainably harvested Cypress Macrocarpa — a timber that weathers very well, offers excellent insulation, and is naturally termite-resistant. This timber provides the perfect balance of durability while keeping the hive lightweight and well insulated

The simple design requires minimal upkeep, enabling beekeepers to focus more on caring for their bees rather than maintaining the hive.