Foundationless vs. topbar beekeeping
by Ruhl Bee on 06/05/13
Top-bar beekeepers like the idea of letting the bees build comb cells to the size and location they want, instead of being forced to conform to a starting foundation. If you want to step into top-bar beekeeping, but are hesitating, try foundationless beekeeping. If offers a good bridge between Langstroth and top-bar beekeeping. Like a top-bar hive, the foundationless hive has no foundation, but has a starter strip of wax on the underside of the top bar to guide the bees comb building activity. However, unlike a top-bar hive, it does use a frame. As the bees draw out the comb, they inevitably attach it to parts of the frame, providing great support. The frame also "isolates" the comb from the box, so inspections are not fraught with the tedium and damage-risk of having to cut the top-barcomb away from the box.
