The Garden Hive

The Garden Hive is a hand-crafted top bar honeybee hive, created especially for home gardeners and honey lovers. Bill Rawleigh, who has been in the woodworking business for 40 years, has especially designed the Garden Hive and personally builds each one. He uses solid cypress for the stand, solid poplar interior parts and solid brass hardware. No chemicals or plastics are used other than the water-based waterproof roof coating.

In recent years, the top bar hive has grown in popularity. While it is easy to maintain and harvest, its smaller comb capacity means the beekeeper has to check the bars more frequently. Its smaller size makes it ideal for small farms, orchards, or those who have a garden and want to keep bees. The basic difference between a top bar hive and the familiar Langstroth hive is that while the Langstroth is essentially vertical in design, with the honey storage at the top of the stack and the brood nest at the bottom, a top bar hive is horizontal with the brood nest at the front of the hive and the honey stores to the rear. It gets its name from the wooden bars located along the top of the long hive. The bars are spaced horizontally behind the brood in the front. The bees build combs suspended from these top bars and fill them with honey. You may choose to install the included observation window to be able to monitor the activity of the bees. The honey production can be checked with minimal disturbance to the bees, since the bees are in front and the bars with the combs are in the back. A bar can be lifted out, keeping it horizontal, and if the comb is large enough, simply empty it into a clean pail that you immediately cover. Replace the bar so the bees can make more honey.

Not only are bees not bothered by this method of honey collection, but you do not have to have extractors to get the honey out of the comb. Each time you take the entire comb. 

The Garden Hive comes with stand, veil, feeder, hive tool and glass observation window with solid brass fittings.  Also, there is an owner’s manual. All you have to do is buy the bees to go into the Garden Hive! Usually one package of bees, weighing 3-5 pounds, is the right quantity. You may consider a package called a “nuc,” which contains a queen who is already laying eggs.

Dimensions: 42” long x 16”wide x 16” tall (not counting stand).

If your total order includes other items, FedEx Ground shipping charges may be applied to ship the other items. You may want to place a separate order for items that need Overnight or 2nd day shipping.

Be aware that your order may arrive in 2 or more shipments depending upon what you have ordered. For example, beneficial insects may arrive a few days ahead of other products based upon the shipping method that was selected or required for particular items in your order.

Contact Customer Services if you have any questions about shipping rates or policies. Or read our Shipping Info & Policies.