The BackYard hive is hand crafted with care to provide you with the best possible

home for your bees.  It includes precision-milled top bars, an important feature

that helps encourage the bees to construct perfectly parallel combs.  Another

special feature is the glass observation window that is built in to the side of

every BackYard hive.  This window allows you to watch the progress of your

hive without having to open the top every time you want to take a look. 

To learn more about the features of the BackYard hive, click on the

'more details' link below.

Price: $295.00
Size: 36” L x  14 1/2” W x 9” H

More Details... 

Add to Cart:  Within US | Canada & Mexico | International

The Golden Mean BackYard Hive

 The Golden Mean Hive has a larger volume than the Original BackYardHive, it is deeper yet shorter in length. After accidentally creating some hives in Golden Proportion several years ago and watching year after year how much honey these hives produced, we figured we should take a deeper look as to why this may be occurring. We then studied the width of the honeycomb the bees drew out and we measured the width of the bee. All these measurements were coming out in Golden Proportion. The top bars are based on the size of the bees and our observation of how far apart the bees build their combs. Then PHI was used to build the dimensions of the hive.

We love this hive as it produces more honey! And with the larger volume colder climtes can benefit as it can hold more bees and honey to overwinter.

We used the pentagon to derive angles because the pentagon is the geometric representation of the golden mean ratio PHI. Length of the hive is PHI times width : i.e. the length of the hive is in PHI ratio to the width.

The same great craftsmanship is used: milled hardwood top bars, observation window, falseback and entrance reducer.
The only difference between the Golden Mean Hive and the Original BackYardHive is the volume.
The wood is from lodge pole pine from beetle kill wood, we're taking a bad scenario and turning it into
something positive! 

Price: $350.00
Size: 28 ½” L x 18” W x 10” H

  
Add to Cart:  Within US |Canada & Mexico  | International  

Getting Started in Beekeeping with The Top Bar Hive

BackYardHive.com's video "Getting Started In Beekeeping with the Topbar Hive"  gives you experience-tested techniques and step-by-step instructions to successfully start and manage your very own beehive. This DVD video includes 6 complete chapters that take you from set-up to harvesting and processing your honey. Run time of the video is 15 minutes.

So, instead of wading through hundreds of pages on the Internet, reading a book, or taking a local beekeeping class, you can  pop a DVD into your player and get answers to your questions rapidly and easily. Instead of continuing to wonder if beekeeping is right for you, you can step into the fascinating world of backyard beekeeping.

Price: $14.99

More Details...

Add to Cart: Within US  |  International

Note: International DVD is NTSC format only,

we are working on getting a PAL version. We will post on

the website when it is available in the PAL version

 (NTSC = viewable in North America and South America)

Top Bar Hive Plans -Build it Yourself!

 NEW! Now more detailed hive plans created by a professional architect, Corwin's father, Jack!
We offer Top Bar Hive plans for both our Golden Mean hive and the Original  BackYardHive. The plans provide all of the measurements, specifications, and materials you will need.  Of, course, we can't supply the time, tools, and expertise, but if you are ready to tackle the project, these plans will help.

We offer 3 ways to get the plans:

The Plans only
The Plans & all the Hardware you will need
The Plans, hardware & full set of top bars, the triangle top bars are the hardest part of the hive to create yet offer one of the greatest benefits for you and the bees.

Prices:    Golden Mean Top Bar Hive -

             Hive Plans Only: $9.95   Within US | International
 
             Hive Plans & Hardware: $16.95   Within US | International  

             Hive Plans, Hardware & 18 Top Bars: $84.95    Within US | International  

Prices:    Original BackYard Hive -

             Hive Plans Only: $9.95   Within US | International 
 
             Hive Plans & Hardware: $16.95   Within US | International 

             Hive Plans, Hardware & 24 Top Bars: $95.99    Within US | International  

 Pre-Built Top Bars for Your Self-Built Hive

NEW! If you choose to build your own hive based on our Top Bar Hive Plans (listed Above)  we suggest that you purchase these pre-made top bars.  They are offered as a package with the Plans (above). Or if you choose to purchase just a few bars they are listed below.

Our Top Bars are a "triangle" top bar, which allow the bees more surface area to attach their comb and  as a result they draw straighter, more stable combs. The top bars are milled from hardwood. We have had excellent success with the bees drawing absolute straight comb on these new top bars that they are the only top bars we offer.

Packages of top bars can be purchased with the Top Bar Hive Plans above.
Or you can order the top bars in singles.

Bar Dimensions: 1 3/8" width


Prices:    Original BackYard Hive (14 1/2" bars)

              Single Bar: $3.50   Within US | International
 
                                              

                 Golden Mean (17 3/4" bars):

                              Single Bar: $4.00  Within US | International

                       

Foundationless Langstroth Frames

New! Foundationless Frames - Whether you have the traditional Langstroth hives or want to add a super to your Golden Mean top bar hive, these frames require no wax foundation. The frames are custom made Langstroth frames and have a triangle wedge on top where the bees will draw out their comb.  

 These frames fit a medium super and are 6 1/4 frames.

Prices:

10 Frames,   ($3.75/each), $37.50,  Within US | International
50 Frames,   ($3.50/each) $175.00,  Within US | International
100 Frames,  ($3.25/each) $325.00, Within US | International
500 Frames,  ($3.00/each) $1500.00, Within US | International

1000 Frames, ($2.85/each), $2850.00,  Within US | International

(note: shipping charges for large quantites may be less and will be
refunded to your credit card or Paypal account)

Top Bar Super for your Golden Mean top bar hive
Currently Unavailable -New Design COMING SOON

A Langstroth super for your Golden Mean top bar hive. If you would like to harvest more honey from your hive add a super. This is an experiment that Corwin is working with. Most bees adapt to going up into the super to fill it with honey comb, he has had a few hives where the bees have not filled it with honey comb. If you're willing to experiment too this super is for you.

NOTE: We are re-designeing the super, check back soon for the
new design.

The Rustic Roof for your Top Bar Hive

Currently Unavailable -New Design COMING SOON

NEW! This Rustic Roof offers great protection from the elements and insulates your hive in the summer and winter. The roof fits over the normal lid of the Original BackYardHive or Golden Mean Hive.

 NOTE: We are currently redesinging a new roof. Please email Lacey if you are interested
in purchasing a new roof when they are available. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Price: Fully Assembled - $65.00 for either size hive:

Fully Assembled -Original BackYardHive Rustic Roof
Fully Assembled -Golden Mean Rustic Roof

BackYardHive Top Bar Tool

 We've created a new hive tool for the top bar! Finally a sturdy tool

to scrap off comb and pry top bars loose all in one tool. Plus it looks
good! We figured that the top bar hive deserved a tool with a little

class. We were feeling left out since there are so many tools

to buy for the traditional hives we wanted a tool for the top bar hives!

It's made of forged steel and brass.

Pry top bars apart with the forged end.
 
Scrap comb and brace comb off the sides of the hive.

 Price: $32.00

 Add to Cart:  Within US | International

Beeswax - 100% Pure

Add to Add to Cart: Within US  |  International

Delicious Raw Honey 

This multi-floral raw honey is harvested from Colorado Top Bar hives. It comes in a hand blown glass jar with a honey dipper. Handcrafted by a local artist this jar can be reused and replace that little plastic squeeze bear on your kitchen table.

This will be some of the best honey you have ever tasted!


12 oz of Honey in a hand blown glass jar & stir stick

Price: $29.95   
Add to Cart:  Within US   |  International

Empty Honey Jar (no honey included) to fill with your own honey, stir stick included

Price: $19.95   
Add to Cart:  Within US    |  International

Beekeeping Protective Gear

 These hooded bee suits and jackets are a lighter weight fabric but still offer the needed protection.
The veil is self supporting, two way zipper on hood veil, 2 layers of fabric on the hood, elastic writs and ankles all zippers are heavy duty.

Sizes tend towards men's sizes but you want the bee suit to

be roomie so go a size larger than you normally wear.

Prices:

Full Bee Suit $98.95   Within US   International
Half Bee Suit (Jacket) $68.95  Within US   International

Towards Saving the Honeybee

by Gunther Hauk

A book from a pioneer in the field of beekeeping addresses the current plight of the honeybee and that noble creature’s reaction to the past 100 years of hive mechanization and human manipulation. Hauk, a biodynamic gardener and beekeeper for over 25 years, approaches the bee “as a sick patient who has been trying for years to signal to us the deep crises of its diminishing life forces and its increasing inability to resonate with the environment.” Toward Saving the Honeybee presents the bee colony as a complex and delicate organism, with a life and vital functions far beyond the production of honey. Construction of the hive, colony hierarchy, swarming, as well as foul brood, mites and disease are all discussed in the context of the hive as a whole. Softcover, 80 pages

Price: $18.95   
Add to Cart:  Within US   | 

Meshing to Strain Honeycomb

When harvesting your honeycomb use this meshing to strain the honey,
seperating the comb from the honey so you are left with a delicious

jar of honey! See our article "A Simple Harvest" to see this technique.

Price: $3.99 1’x 1’ square (fits a half gallon "Ball" jar, as seen above)

 Add to Cart:  Within US   | International

Price: $5.99 2’x 2’ square (fits a 5 gallon bucket)

Add to Cart:  Within US   | International