Introduction
Old kind of bee haves known for ages had been forgotten overwhelmed by vertical multi segmental type of hives developed about 2 hundreds years ago. This suppressed and stopped the process of improvements and modernization of old types of hives.
Some changes are observed since about 20 years ago particularly in North America, and there is growing interest toward more natural, - horizontal types of hives.
In this process of changes the name Top Bar Hive (TBH) has been already well known as
well as its sub-kinds, Kenyan Top Bar Hive (KTBH) (slopped side walls) and
Tanzanian Top Bar Hive (TTBH) (vertical side walls).
The TTBH is more popular within traditional backyard beekeepers to simplify transition from multisegmental
vertical hives to TBH.
This kind of hive in the area of Poland are known for many ages as "Leżak" as a natural gradual transition from hives build by carving a cavity high in a trunk of live large trees. In later times such cut off log with cavity was placed on some kind of platform also high on branches of large tree. The next idea was to put it on a ground in vertical position, and then, finally, in horizontal position. Such hive has been known as “Leżak”, or “Ul Poziomy” (Horizontal Hive), a hive in vertical position as “Stojak”. Top Bar also was known as “Snoza”, however not in as exactly defined dimensions and shape as it is now.
Beekeeping in that ancient time was well known profession (Bartnik) with its vast typical professional nomenclature still in use in large of its part in Polish language in its original form. Also there are plenty of normal words in contemporary literary language etymologically related to old language of Polish beekeeping including the name of Czerwiec as the name of month June.
Present availability of huge kinds of excellent materials, tools, access to “how to….”, not available at that ancient time, recent catastrophic dieing bees in large regions, and a trend to less abused and more organic beekeeping speeds up a process of search for new forms of beekeeping. Simplicity of construction and taking care of such hives including honey harvesting, and low costs, attracts a new social spectrum of interested persons from hobbyists, backyard beekeepers, garden beekeepers, to small beekeeping farms.
It will take at least several more years before some kind of standardization will start to be established and beekeepers get used to different kind of beekeeping and different techniques.
All presented here material is confined to horizontal, frameless, modern hives getting known in western countries as Kenyan Top Bar Hives, (KTBH) and experimentations related to this type only, in garden/backyard environment. Hopefully it will be useful for hobbyists and natural beekeeping enthusiasts not oriented for mass honey production.
Internal links in Polish text marked with British flag are excerpts or English version of the Polish original. This is incomplete now, but will be supplemented progressively.
I count on your tolerance for my imperfect English as for a foreigner. Letters pointing out my errors are welcomed.
