That's interesting about the mites, because another one of the reasons I had chosen the KTB hive as my #1 option is that the Beekeeping for Dummies book by Howard Blackiston said that the Kenya Top Bar hives will produce some of the healthiest colonies. The reason being that since the hive is in as natural a state as any hive can be, the colonies are thus usually healthier and more well-equipped to defend against varroa and tracheal mites, as well other as other pests like wax moths.
