Shipped orders placed by Sunday evening are typically prepared early in the week and ship on Friday.
Ignore any mentions of "no shipping" - just add to your cart, make sure to enter the shipping address, and check out.
Shipping & Pricing Notice: Due to substantial increases in freight rates for oversized shipments, our single-hive pricing has been adjusted to reflect higher transportation costs.
Ordering a pallet of 6 hives offers significant savings per hive. Consider sharing a pallet of 6 with other local beekeepers to take advantage of much lower freight costs per hive
Amish-Handcrafted Double Horizontal Top-Bar Hive — Made in the USA
Beautifully handcrafted. Exceptionally sturdy. Naturally better suited to the bees—and easier on the beekeeper's back and budget.
This is not your typical thin-walled Top-Bar hive of non-standardized dimensions. Designed for standardization by Nathalie B. and handcrafted by Amish woodworkers using heavy-duty, sustainably sourced solid pine, Bee Mindful Horizontal Top-Bar Hives combine exceptional craftsmanship, excellent insulation, thoughtful design, and practical simplicity.
With approximately 1.7-inch-thick solid wood walls—more than twice the thickness of typical ¾-inch hive construction—these hives provide superior insulation and thermal buffering, helping colonies maintain more stable internal conditions during hot summers and cold winters.
Designed by Master Craftsman Beekeeper Nathalie B., these hives are built to last, affordable to maintain, and compatible with Bee Mindful's standardized Top-Bar hives and NUCs.
What Makes Our Hives Special?
Heavy-duty, extra-thick construction: Nearly 2-inch-thick solid pine walls for durability, insulation, and thermal stability.
Amish craftsmanship: Expertly handcrafted from locally milled, kiln-dried lumber, using traditional woodworking methods.
Rough-sawn interior surfaces: Encourage bees to deposit propolis, supporting their natural propolis envelope and colony-level defenses.
Standardized dimensions: Interchangeable top bars and compatible components across Bee Mindful's standardized hive and NUC designs anywhere in the world.
Shallow, 30° sloping sides: Encourage natural comb construction while reducing comb size and the risk of unwanted attachments.
Two hives in one: Accommodates two separate colonies with the included removable center partition, or one large colony without it.
No heavy lifting of stacked boxes: Inspect and harvest individual combs without moving heavy honey supers.
Less equipment, less expense: No foundation, plastic, expensive frames, stacked supers, or bulky extractors needed. Honey can be harvested as cut comb or through simple crush-and-strain methods, while older combs can also be used for liquid honey extraction with an extractor starting slow.
Beautiful, practical design: A thoughtfully engineered hive that is as attractive as it is functional.
Ideal for backyard beekeepers, hobbyists, homesteaders, and small-scale or sideliner operations, including those seeking a more accessible, less physically demanding approach to beekeeping.
Versatile & Easy to Manage
Our Horizontal Top-Bar Hives support natural comb construction, straightforward inspections, and harvesting of beautiful comb honey, liquid honey, and valuable beeswax.
For beekeepers transitioning from Langstroth equipment, our FLEX Hive adapters offer additional possibilities for introducing existing colonies into horizontal hives.
Learn about easy hive conversions.
Supporting Amish Craftsmanship & Accessible Beekeeping
We offer these hives at cost to support the Amish community that builds them and to make high-quality Horizontal Top-Bar hives accessible to beekeepers who prefer not to—or cannot—build their own.
Prefer to build your own? We also share our hive designs through free DIY plans at Bee-Mindful.com/plans.
Shipping & Pricing
Important shipping notice: Due to substantial increases in carrier freight rates for oversized shipments, single-hive pricing has been adjusted to reflect current transportation costs.
Save significantly by ordering a pallet of 6 hives! Consider splitting a pallet with other local beekeepers to benefit from much lower shipping costs per hive.
Local pickup may also offer considerable savings. Contact us for current pickup options in the Austin, Texas area. Interested in pickup near Alma Center, Wisconsin? Let us know as we explore that option.
A minimum of two weeks' advance notice is required before shipment.
Getting Started With Bees?
We also offer locally adapted Treatment-Free bees for pickup in Driftwood, Texas:
Questions? Come See Our Hives!
Visit our teaching apiary to see Horizontal Top-Bar hives in action and discover how simple, affordable, and enjoyable natural beekeeping can be.
Call or text (512) 699-0605 to arrange a visit or ask questions.
Bee Mindful — Beekeeping That's Better for the Bees and the Beekeeper's Back and Budget.
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