HELLO: I just returned this evening from a 2 Day seminar in Cabool, Missouri covering/concerning, "Natural Beekeeping In Horizontal Hives". These hives are more attuned to the bees life in the wild than are the vertical hives. We learned that they bees are much calmer, maybe because even with the top off the hive, most of the bees are still under cover as the frames can be pulled out one at a time, and without having to lift 2, 3, or 4 supers off of your 2 brood boxes. These hives are larger, yes, however, once the setting of the hive, the heaviest lifting is a frame full of honey. With the vertical hives you're lifting maybe a 20 to 60 lb box after box to get down to check the brood area. Check it out at - horizontalhive.com - as it is truly amazing! This 2 day seminar was well worth the time, the money, and my drive from Indiana, a 1,100 mile trip.