Bienenkiste (German Top-Bar Box)
Lexikon
The Bienenkiste is a single-chamber horizontal box developed by Mellifera e.V.
The Bienenkiste is a single-chamber horizontal box developed by Mellifera e.V. and modeled on the Carniolan farmer's hive. It measures roughly 1000 by 435 by 210 millimeters inside and is built by beekeepers themselves using an open construction guide.
Work is done in what is called mobile fixed-comb beekeeping. All comb hangs from top bars, but in normal operation the brood combs are not moved. For inspection, the box is tilted sideways, which allows queen cells and colony strength to be assessed without taking the brood nest apart.
Harvesting is done by cutting out the comb in the rear half, farthest from the entrance, where the bees store their honey. The honey is obtained by pressing.
Important for disease prevention: a feed ring sample can be taken by cutting out a piece of comb in the brood nest, and sanitation of foulbrood via an artificial swarm is also possible. The effort is greater than with a modern box hive, but it can be done. In this system, varroa monitoring is preferably done with the powdered sugar method; a varroa floor is optional.