Anyone played with a Beehaus ?

[BKF Admin]

Has anyone done a manipulation yet on an Omlet Beehaus ?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Saw some idiot on the promotional video,pretending to be a beekeeper, doing some manipulating,frames tight up together,no space,7 frames when there should be only five.

 

[BKF Admin]

The owners of Omlet are members of this forum so I would of thought they may join in the chats at some point.

 

[OXFORDBEE]

How do you move a Beehaus in a crisis when you've got two colonies in it and loads of supers on top.

Will it fit in a car or do you need a removal van/trailer/weightlifter to help shift it?

 

[BKF Admin]

Oxford I think they are going to be selling Fairy dust,you just sprinkle a little around the hive and wave a stick.

Thank you very much,I am here everynight from 6pm this week

 

[oliver90owner]

Oxfordbee,

I am quite confident that you do not move a commercial brood with several supers on top. You remove the supers first!

I have a couple of Dartington's (along with 14 x12 Nationals and others). Yes, they are big and heavy but can be transported. The legs are fixed such that they can be moved so the body can be lifted and carried by two people (even, most full brood bodies are likely to be exceeding the H&SE guidlines for lifting by one person).

Like any hive, one should have spare capacity (anyone told them this?). One colony will fit in the 'honey boxes' listed as part of a Dartington (but sadly not included with the new plastic offering).

The body will fit in a reasonably sized car.

So I would not anticipate any problems. The support legs may well have been designed for transporting the hive. If not, (a design fault or shortfall), I am sure the company could suppy a suitable carry-cradle for a hundred quid or so.

BTW where do you think they are going to move them to? Do you think that the purchasers will even be considering this sort of scenario? They could always call Rentokill in an emergency!!

Lets face it WBCs are little different when considering moving in a hurry.

Regards, RAB

 

[taff..]

Jeez, I didn't realise how bloomin big they are, surely they are just plastic TBH's with foundation???

 

[GingerNut]

Jeez, I didn't realise how bloomin big they are, surely they are just plastic TBH's with foundation???

And that's without the supers

 

[admin2]

Jeez, I didn't realise how bloomin big they are, surely they are just plastic TBH's with foundation???

No,they are plastic Dartington hives, a TBH does not have supers on top or frames of foundation.

 

[Melbourne12]

I must admit that we thought seriously about ordering one for delivery this weekend, but there's no stock. We were quoted "three weeks or more" lead time, which could be end of the season.

 

[JCBrum]

They are plastic Dartingtons, aren't they ??

Dartingtons and TBH's both have their particular sort of followers I understand, but have yet to be considered mainstream.

I'm sure some of the construction and manufacturing methods employed in the Beehaus have merit, particularly for those who favour plastic or polystyrene hives.

On balance I think a single hive, that you can actually lift, is generally more use than two joined together, or a very heavy big hive.

I expect to see the best points used to improve plastic/poly hives generally, which is the way I think the 'avant guard' of beekeeping will go.

 

[taff..]

No,they are plastic Dartington hives, a TBH does not have supers on top or frames of foundation.

are you sure? That looks like a TBH with a TBH super on top to me

http://www.rogueruby.com/beepix.html


edit - I've never hear of dartington's before, thanks for enlightening me

 

[admin2]

That looks like TBH with a TBH nuc on top ?

 

[taff..]

That looks like TBH with a TBH nuc on top ?

In the link, the title of the photo is 'KTBS with Super'

 

[OXFORDBEE]

>>I am quite confident that you do not move a commercial brood with several supers on top. You remove the supers first!<<
No .. you try and get the bees onto two empty supers so you can shift them. Even then the deep box can be quite heavy.

>>I have a couple of Dartington's (along with 14 x12 Nationals and others). Yes, they are big and heavy but can be transported. The legs are fixed such that they can be moved so the body can be lifted and carried by two people (even, most full brood bodies are likely to be exceeding the H&SE guidlines for lifting by one person).<<
I was concerned that if there were two colonies in the hive then things could get awkward, especially if the bees have supers on.

>>Like any hive, one should have spare capacity (anyone told them this?).<<
My concern too...

>>One colony will fit in the 'honey boxes' listed as part of a Dartington (but sadly not included with the new plastic offering).<<
Could you explain a bit more about this please..

>>BTW where do you think they are going to move them to? Do you think that the purchasers will even be considering this sort of scenario? They could always call Rentokill in an emergency!!<<
Human nature is not to trash £300 + worth of bees... but you are right, in a small garden when problems occur you might be stuck...

>>Lets face it WBCs are little different when considering moving in a hurry.<<
Ah.. now that's a good one because I know a bee farmer who ran 400+ of these hives! I do agree with you though, WBC's are more awkward to move at short notice.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. My concern is: due to highly efficient marketing, people are being encouraged to keep bees in a hive that cannot be easily moved if problems occur.

 

[oliver90owner]

No .. you try and get the bees onto two empty supers so you can shift them. Even then the deep box can be quite heavy.

Sorry, when I said move I really meant 'lift'

I was concerned that if there were two colonies in the hive then things could get awkward, especially if the bees have supers on.

Ways and means. Depends on where they are too! Behind the average new build with a postge stamp garden could prove very interesting for a newbie to bees.

>>One colony will fit in the 'honey boxes' listed as part of a Dartington (but sadly not included with the new plastic offering).<<
Could you explain a bit more about this please..

The original plans for the dartiington hive include a couple 'carry boxes'. Just deep 1/2 supers. A dartington alternative to a nuc hive as well. My point was that the new beehaus buyer might not have enough kit available to mount an easy 'move site' operation.

Human nature is not to trash £300 + worth of bees... but you are right, in a small garden when problems occur you might be stuck...

Middle of a city/town, no access to an 'out of the way of the public' rural apiary, perhaps not part of an association. all sorts of scenario are possible. Hopefuly none crop up but do all the potential purchasers think about the worst scenarios?

bee farmer who ran 400+

Yikes - 400 WBCs! Old days in the country, no bother. probably he had means to pick up a hive in one piece, if necessary!

Thanks for taking the time to reply. My concern is: due to highly efficient marketing, people are being encouraged to keep bees in a hive that cannot be easily moved if problems occur.

Fact is, we don't know them all yet. I am inclined to agree that there could well be problems in a few cases. These potential problems may have been covered with the design, but who knows, as yet? Time will tell.

Best regards, RAB

 

[JCBrum]

It seems to me these fears being expressed about moving beehaus hives are somewhat irrelevant.

Most people who are attracted to the beehaus are likely to be single site users, and probably in an urban environment. They are not likely to have anywhere else available to employ it.

If serious problems occur, such as unnacceptable stinging, or serious disease, then disposal of the bees is the most likely solution. A tin of fly spray would probably do it.

Following disposal of the bees, moving or disposing of the hive is then easy.
(being polythene, it doesn't bio-degrade, so selling or giving it away is the only option, unless you plant flowers in it.)

One needs to be able to consider the situation through the eyes of the users for which Omlet has designed their product and it's marketing.

I suspect cynical old "know-it-all" beekeepers, and fanatical users of other hive systems, just will not be able to see things beyond their own sphere of experience.

 

[BKF Admin]

I suspect cynical old "know-it-all" beekeepers, and fanatical users of other hive systems, just will not be able to see things beyond their own sphere of experience.

I think thats the major crux jc.

If you use a hive system thats not mainstream you have to develop a thick skin,just ask the TBH boys and girls.

 

[JCBrum]

It does occur to me that when I was a lad, "nice old cars" all had proper veneered wooden dashboards.

Now they are almost universally made from self-skinning foam-filled polyurethane, which is thought satisfactory by all 'normal' people.

I rather think we are seeing the dawning of 'plastic' beehives, which will see the demise of 'wood' sooner than we envisage at the moment.

A very good case can be made from the advantages of 'plastic/poly' hives, and I suspect, only design refinement and cost/availability is really holding them back.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

.

I rather think we are seeing the dawning of 'plastic' beehives, which will see the demise of 'wood' sooner than we envisage at the moment.

And also the bio-degradable plastic is very close!

Matter can not be created or destroyed, therfore everything we ever need is allready on the earth...we just do not know how to use it!

Imagine if a nuclear submarine was taken back in time only ~150 year, they would think it was an alien vessel.

Times move on