Johann Thür in his book
Bienenzucht: Naturgerecht einfach und erfolgsicher (1946), translated as
Beekeeping: Natural, Simple and Successful, discussed the importance of the retention of nest scent and heat (Nestduftwärmebindung) for bee health and productivity. Thür cautioned that the element of life, the retention of nest scent and heat, is fundamentally destroyed by the heat dissipating and draughty framed comb that is open on all sides.
Thür’s concept of "Nestduftwärmebindung" is supported by contemporary research which indicates bees are able to regulate hive temperature to kill pathogens by using their flight muscles to raise temperatures. (Milius, S., "The whole beehive gets a fever", Science News, May 27, 2000)
Thür explained the benefits of Johann Christ’s frameless vertical top-bar hive stating, "In the centre are the bees forming a winter cluster richly surrounded, above and at the sides, by their own stores which remain digestible through a gentle inflow of heat from the nest and which form a protective cushion of warmth for the bees; the honeycombs thickly drawn out so as to make the reduced gaps between them easier to keep warm; the combs fixed to the walls at the sides and top, forming cul-de-sacs to keep hold of, to retain the germ-free nest scent and heat that is essential for life."
He further touted Christ’s hive as requiring few manipulations and, in the cheapest and simplest way, a superior, successful and totally natural method of beekeeping, free from disturbing interventions and providing the most harmonious situation for bee existence. Thür considered the Christ method, which is almost identical in concept to the Warré method of nadiring, inserting empty hive boxes underneath the existing hive boxes and harvesting the topmost hive boxes, as allowing a constant automatic renewal of comb and superior to any other natural comb hive.