Top-Bar Beekeeping

Pragmatic & Precise yet Scintillating & Soulful

Posted by Kirstie in Sonoma County on 14th Mar 2013

I am deVOURing Les Crowder's book 'Top-Bar Beekeeping'!! So juicy good!

In his gorgeously formatted thin volume, which contains numerous un-staged yet beautiful and informative images, Crowder covers all of the relevant aspects of sound top-bar beekeeping, and without chemical treatments. As a scientist, I appreciate his precision, and as a beekeeper, I am grateful that he has taken time out from his family and his hives to share the benefit of his 40 years of knowledge. He has passed on his grandfather's lineage in soulful style!

I've harvested from a Langstroth hive, and while researching for a starter hive for our new farm, I was looking for a hive that would require less unstacking and re-stacking, and one with lighter elements as well, so that young and elderly people can work with it.

My concern was that I wouldn't know how to maintain the hives, since with all of that linear space in there, I wasn't sure what was supposed to go where, and when!! For this concern, Crowder offers pragmatic instructions, simply explained in terms of the bees needs, along with easy-to-read color-coded pictures of the inside of the hive. And so much more!

It's an easy-to-read book that is information-packed, and I'm triumphant having found it! A few pages in, I knew I was in good hands and ordered my first hive. The next one I will build myself, using his blueprint that I found online. :@)

I wish somebody could write a book like this for the other types of hives, too!