Shipping is included, ignore any mentions of "no shipping" - just add to your cart, enter the shipping address, and check out.
Note that we do not make a profit on these hives. We just want to support a lovely Amish community, while getting this style of hive into the hands of everyone who wants them but for whatever reason cannot build them from our free easy DIY plans at www.Bee-Mindful.com/plans. Their shipping alone costs close to $200 per hive due to their total weight!
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BBBBBB:
- Beekeeping that's Better for the Bees and the Beekeepers' Back and Budget
- Best for Backyard beekeepers, Hobbyists and small scale to sideliner beekeepers (Langstroth boxes are best for commercial beekeeping operations and moving boxes to pollination contracts)
What makes our hives special:
- Our hives are twice to three times thicker, sturdier, and more insulated than most other top-bar hives on the market, allowing the bees to lower their energy requirements and stress levels, and making them ideal for extreme weather (heat or cold).
- They are also drop-dead gorgeous and of higher quality than most top-bar hives sold by major bee supply companies.
- We source these hives from a wonderful Amish community we support and sponsor, in alignment with our community outreach principles (Together We Rise, as Les always says!).
- The wood is milled onsite and kiln-dried. It is more insulating, thicker and lighter than regular 2in lumber, and the hives and bars feature a rough interior, for a immune system boost (encourages propolization).
- These Les-Is-More hives (they follow our plans) are carefully and expertly handcrafted by our Amish friend and woodworker, using traditional techniques and belt driven saws.
- Les-Is More hives feature a 30 degree angle and shallow depth, for better structural integrity and less collapse/attachment
- Our FLEX Hives allow for easy Langstroth adapting/conversion, for the best of both worlds or to start your hive with existing large or NUC Langstroth colonies (see our explanations at www.Bee-Mindful.com/post/easy-hive-conversion) instead of with only packages or swarms
More info on Amish lifestyle:
- The Amish lead a lifestyle that intentionally separates them from many aspects of modern society.
- Their daily existence revolves around the principles of humility, hard work, and a deep sense of faith.
- The pace of life is deliberate, emphasizing family and community bonds over individual pursuits, as well as a commitment to simplicity and traditional values.
- They live frugally from the land in close-knit agricultural communities, where families work together on farms and rely on manual labor and horse-drawn equipment, avoiding the use of electricity and most modern technologies.
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Advantages
- These striking Horizontal Hives allow for a more natural and mindful approach to beekeeping, and bountiful harvests of liquid honey, comb honey and beeswax.
- They make for calmer, healthier bees and happier beekeepers than in commercial Langstroth boxes, and leverage the natural instinct and biology of the bees over commercial practices.
- There is no heavy lifting (max 8lbs, compared to 90-100lbs in Langs)
- There is no need to store multiple boxes of supers and drawn comb in the winter, or bulky extractors
- No expensive frames needed (Langstroth frames are 10x more expensive than bars, and Layens frames are 20x more expensive!)
- They can host 2 normal size colonies, OR 1 extra large colony (thanks to the removable center partition)
- Easier beekeeping for all, including for people with disabilities, children and retirees
CHECK OUT OUR SHOP FOR MATCHING (local pickup only in Driftwood, TX):
- Top-Bar NUCs at Bee-Mindful.com/product-page/tbh-nucs (starting at $360) - higher chances of success
- Packages at Bee-Mindful.com/product-page/russian-packages (starting at $170)
MAKE YOUR OWN USING OUR FREE PLANS:
- We believe so much in these hives that, if you are handy, you may build them yourself using our free plans at Bee-Mindful.com/product-page/plans
- If you prefer, you may buy them fully assembled or in kits here.
Not sure?
Come and visit with us at the address below and we can show you how they work in person on our demo hives every Friday 11am-6pm or by appointment at (512) 699-0605, or just text&call us with your questions.
SHIPPED - FLEX Horizontal Top-Bar Hives, Amish hand-crafted
$400.00 Regular Price
$370.00Sale Price
NOTE:
Shipping is included, ignore any mentions of "no shipping" - just add to your cart, enter the shipping address, and check out.
Your hive will come semi-assembled with bars and legs packed in the box (the trough and roof will be assembled for you, all you will need to do is attach the legs)
HIVE CONSTRUCTION:
- These artisan hives are mindfully and lovingly hand-crafted and assembled to order
- They are made out of sturdy 2" untreated pine lumber for maximum insulation and protection of your bees, as well as durability (better thermal mass, no chimney effect, no exposed joints).
- The hinged raised wooden roof offers rain protection and maximum air flow over the bars in the Summer, as well as addition of insulation material in the Winter - which makes them the best insulated hives we know (2" lumber is twice as insulating as the 1" grade wood used for Langstroth or other top-bar hives, 50% more insulating than 1" cedar, and the airflow over the bars keeps the bees cooler in the Summer), but also the easiest and lightest to work with, even one handed!
- 4ft long - Heavy Duty 3-in-1 Double Horizontal Top-Bar Hive (20” bars) with lightweight raised wooden roof - we call them Les-Is-More Flex Hives because they are so versatile, can host 1 or 2 colonies, and can be used in Langstroth conversions!
3 DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS:
- Features 1 & 2: A pre-installed removable partition so you may raise either 2 separate colonies to increase the size of your apiary faster OR adjust to one big colony for increased honey production. Each side has separate entrances that can be corked up as needed.
- Feature 3: The ability to easily convert Langstroth NUCs into Top-Bar Hive colonies during periods of expansion thanks to legs that sit UNDER the hive
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
- Bars are the recommended standard of 20" long (17" or shorter bar models make for deeper and narrower combs that tend to collapse and/or attach to the side walls a lot more, and do not allow for optimal nest configuration)
- Les-Is More hives feature a 30degree angle and shallow depth, for better structural integrity and less collapse/attachment (thanks to a higher center of gravity and a longer connection to the bar).
- Entrance holes may be closed with wine corks or with entrance disc reducers.
- To populate your Top-Bar Hives, we recommend purchasing Top-Bar NUCs of the same dimensions OR a Package of bees. You may also populate these with Langstroth NUCs after a quick conversion, see our blog post for instructions at https://www.bee-mindful.com/post/easy-hive-conversion
- NEW: these unique Top-Bar Hives offer the possibility of an Easy-Peasy Langstroth NUC & frames conversion during the Spring: just pop a Langstroth NUCs onto the end piece used as a shelf, opening it up to the top-bar hive cavity, and letting the colony expand horizontally into the Top-Bar Hive by building new combs naturally onto the top-bars. You may also permanently attach a Langstroth box to that effect.