In the management of a topbar hive (TBH), an essential step is the application of starter strips on the top bars, from which the bees will build their combs. These starter strips guide the bees to build their combs nicely down from the top bars. This will allow the beekeeper to pull up each top bar with comb without breaking any combs.  The starter strip will also make the junction between the comb and the top bar stronger and as a result, the combs will break less easily. There are different ways to make starter strips, depending on the length of the top bar, which is determined by the model of the hive, locally available material, and the availability of time of the beekeeper. The procedure to make starter strips described here has been inspired by the articles on the blog "1 ruche et 3 pintades" of Claire Clément, a beekeeper in Senegal, and the contributions from participants of the discussion "Comment fabriquer des amorces de cire pour la conduite de ruches à barrettes" (how to make starter strips for topbar hives) on the TECA platform between March and September 2018.