Ok, so they are cute as hell…the bees. I mean anyone who could look at all of those photos and not think they were adorable would probably kick a puppy too. But having cute bees flying around inside my house, seemed inappropriate, so my next project was to search for lodging. We have all seen the dome shaped hive with one or two contented bees that decorates sugar bowls and honey jars. I was curious and eager to see what type of cottage my little critters might call home.

I returned to the internet (since it was easier than getting dressed and going to the library) where I found a plethora of information. I did not find miniature cherry colored bungalows or rustic log cabins, but I did discover that beekeeping dates back to the Egyptians where honey was considered the “elixir of the gods.” And although in those primitive days, hives were indeed domes of straw, honeybees also lived in dead trees, under rock ledges and occasionally in the walls of someone’s home. In 1852, an American clergyman (L.L. Langstroth) who had been studying bees his entire life, designed what is still today, considered the classic beekeeping system. This system typically combines three sets of boxes, each filled with 8-10 foundation filled frames, neatly stacked, one on top of the other.( Hmmmm, sounds like a condo not a cabana) Although the most popular form of housing, I further learned that these boxes needed to be periodically managed and that once filled with honey and bees, could weigh as much as 50 lbs. each. As if that weren’t daunting enough, should the bees flourish, (and why shouldn’t they?) more boxes could be added on top and this vertical skyscraper might expand to upwards of 100,000 bees…or more!

I was totally unprepared for this. Bees are cute, but 100,000 of them? Even a mere 50,000? I weigh less than a two month old baby horse. The idea of reaching over my head or lifting, on multiple occasions, boxes filled with anxious honeybees weighing half a much as myself seemed ill-conceived. I had not changed my mind, however I recognized a yellow caution light. I bought books. Many books; to peruse at my leisure, soak in information, gaze at pictures and see if I could read between the lines and ferret out an alternative.

During my studies, I stumbled on the term “top-bar hive” and two names, Michael Bush and W.A. Mangum, were given brief mention in my homegrown library. I returned to the internet for more details. These two gentlemen appeared to be a new breed. By this I mean that their research and ideas were a mere 50 years old, not 150. They were proposing sustainable beekeeping with an environmental perspective, not commercial. Their design and management system, while incorporating many of Langstroth’s principles, was also innovative. As opposed to a 4 or 5 foot stack of boxes, a top-bar hive is a single 4 or 5 foot horizontal box. Rather than 24-40 frames filled with artificial foundation, a TBH has 28-32 empty wooden bars that lay placidly across the top of the box, encouraging the bees to construct their own pure wax comb. There is no bending of knees, straining of backs, or dropping of boxes by the keeper with this system. “BRILLIANT.”…was the only word that came to mind. So I bought another book. “Top-Bar Beekeeping:Wisdom and Pleasure Combined.” Reading this book put roses on my cheeks and a smile on my face.

The housing issue became a moot point. It really had been an easy-peasy decision once I held the proper information in my hands. And with guidance from my new guru WAM, (as Dr. Mangum refers to himself) the second of my beekeeping quandaries was resolved and my learning about to become richer, like the roux for a savory gumbo…