Editing Horizontal top-bar hive (section)

===Design===
Although guidebooks for use in Africa often give precise dimensions for the Kenyan hive, and encourage beekeepers to keep their equipment of uniform and thus interchangeable sizes, one of the main selling points of the KTBH among proponents from English speaking countries is the fact that it can be made to practically any size and shape, as long as the top bars have an appropriate width.

The angle of the sloped sides is most commonly recommended to be 30 degrees. The width of the top bars is the sum of comb thickness and one measure of beespace. This helps ensure that bees build exactly one comb per top bar. Most top-bar hive plans freely available on the internet show hives of roughly 1 meter (3') long and between 30&nbsp;cm (12") and 50&nbsp;cm (20") wide and high.

In English speaking countries, the top-bar hive is usually mounted on a set of legs that lift the hive to a height that is comfortable for beekeepers. In African countries, the height of the hive is often also determined by the type of animal the hive is meant to be protected from.

====Top bars====

A top-bar hive has bars from which the [[honey bee]]s attach and hang [[beeswax|wax]] [[Honeycomb|comb]], an array of [[hexagon]]al (six sided) cells.

A beekeeper can make top bars from any plain wood. The top bars are usually {{cvt|1+1/4|to|1+3/8|in}} wide, depending on local conditions and the type of bee to be housed. Combs can be handled individually. The depth of the bar and the length of the bar can be whatever the beekeeper wants, but usually between {{cvt|17|and|20|in}}. If the top bar hive is deeper than {{cvt|12|in}}, the weight of the comb filled with honey tends to cause it to fall off the bar into the bottom of the hive. The bees will lose access to this during the winter cluster in the hanging combs, thus increasing their likelihood of starving.

It is important to give the bees a clear starting point to build comb on each top bar. Some TBH beekeepers fashion their top bars with a V-shaped bottom to guide the comb building. Alternatively, some use a table saw to cut two closely spaced slots along the long axis of each new top bar. Either type of guide, wax line or grooves, gives bees a place to hold on to with their hooked feet. This allows a substantial "drape" of bees to form, which is the beginning of comb building.

====Entrance====

Top hives have entrances that are a small slot or a number of holes of an inch in diameter or thereabouts, which more closely mimics what honey bees prefer in nest cavities.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://articles.extension.org/pages/21753/the-bee-nest-basic-bee-biology-for-beekeepers |title = The Bee Nest (Basic Bee Biology for Beekeepers) – eXtension}}</ref>

The brood nest will be established nearest the entrance. If the entrance is at the narrow end of the hive, the honey storage will be deep in the hive beyond the brood nest combs. Typically inspections will then begin with either the beginning of the brood nest at the front, or with the end of the honey storage at the rear. If the entrance is placed in the center of the long wall, the brood nest will be at the center, and the honey storage will be on either side. As it is not possible to safely remove a bar from the middle of the occupied combs, due to possible side attachments, this means the inspection can begin on either side of the honey storage and there are fewer before the brood nest is reached.

The entrance should not be placed high on the hive as this will allow the escape of winter heat (but see <ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.bushfarms.com/beestopbarhives.htm |title = Beekeeping in top bar hives, Michael Bush}}</ref>) for an alternative perspective).

The bees will be able to keep a top bar hive cool enough with only three holes of {{convert|1|in}} diameter. They do so by both lining up to fan cool air into the hive and exhaust warm air, and by evaporation<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2098161-bees-spew-water-at-their-hive-mates-when-the-temperature-rises/|title=Bees spew water at their hive-mates when the temperature rises}}</ref> – essentially air-conditioning the hive. It is possible to have too small of an entrance, such as a {{convert|4|in|adj=on}} slot of only {{convert|3/8|to|1/2|in}}, and this did result in combs falling from the bars in the heat. It also resulted in much traffic back up at the entrance.

It is suggested that bees in a Kenyan hive will have much less tendency to adhere comb to the sides of the hive. Once adhered comb is freed from the side (leaving a beespace) the bees tend to not rejoin the comb, so this is not a significant problem for either hive. It is important in either type that end access or some free space without comb is available so adhered comb may be freed.