Starting Beekeeping with Top Bar Hives

Decide whether "To treat or not to treat." This is the single most important question to answer for a beekeeper, and it may take a long time to reach a conclusion, but learn both schools of thought, read books, watch YouTube videos, talk to experienced beekeepers.

Next, decide what equipment to use:

• If you decide you are going to treat, then I suggest modern Langstroth hives. You can still treat with TBHs, but it is easier and more convenient with Langstroth hives.
• If you decide not to treat, then you are fine with both Langstroth hives and TBHs.
• If you are good at woodworking, then I strongly suggest to go with TBHs. In the long run, your equipment expenses will be minimal. Beside, being able to build all the necessary equipments on your own feels so ensuring.
• For the Langstroth hives, use only medium boxes and medium frames. Mixing up with deeps and shallows will bring nothing but trouble at the end.

Here are few pointers to help you understand further details:

• Les Crowder Why do we choose to work with Topbar hives? 
• Michael Bush's "Top Bar Hives" blog post: 
• BeeThinking provides nice overview of TBHs.
• Couple of YouTube videos that show how you are going to deal with bees on TBHs:
• Learning TBH Beekeeping - Comb managment 1/2
• THB split and cross comb removal tutorial
• Installing the First Package of Bees in a Top-Bar Hive

At this point, if you decide "Not to treat" and use TBH, then learn more about Les Crowder, who is a strong proponent of no-treatment beekeeping and TBHs.

• Buy his book: Top-Bar Beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health.
• Watch Les Crowder Top Bar Beekeeping. 
• Take a beekeeping class: Top Bar Beekeeping with Les Crowder.
• Build your TBHs according to Les Crowder's plan: http://www.fortheloveofbees.com/topbar-hives/
• Search "how to build top bar hive" on YouTube, but follow Les' plan!

I have built my own THBs according to Les' plan. If you are interested in pre-built assembled (Les Crowder's) THBs, check with me, I try to have few extra THBs ready and available all the time.

If you want to buy TBHs on internet, here are few options:

• Mann Lake TBH. Don't forget to buy the top bars and the follower board.
• BeeThinking TBH.
• Back Yard Hive.