Beehaus

[rdixon520]

Hi Everyone,

I'm curious to know any problems which people have had using Omlet's Beehaus and also why people have turned away from using one.

Thanks

 

[ugcheleuce]

I'm curious to know any problems which people have had using Omlet's Beehaus and also why people have turned away from using one.

In "2013, James Dearsley, From A to Bee, My First Year as a Beginner Beekeeper" the author has a beehaus and reports his experiences (mostly positive).

"2010, Gene Kritsky, The quest for the perfect hive" also mentions it, and says that it is too expensive for commercial beekeepers.

I seem to recall from earlier threads that the earlier versions of the beehaus was not well-made, did not have tight-fitting components (so the bees escaped from everywhere) and had internal walls that warped.

 

[domino]

Personally I'm much more tempted by trying poly hives than I am beehaus. If I'm looking for something a bit more propriety than wooden boxes.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Quite a few people on the Omlet forum have them. You could try there though most seem to be reluctant to keep a thread going.

 

[panders]

I have a beehaus and made the decision to get one as my first hive having looked at all the options. My decision making was based on:

the resale value(pretty good if it doesn't work out for me to continue beekeeping)
Potential to expand into 2 colonies in 1 hive (somewhat justified the cost as 2 jumbo nationals would not have been much cheaper)
The realisation that good insulation is essential to keep bees going in winter and seemingly the beehaus is well insulated.
My back: the height suited me!

So far I have had no problems as suggested by some users and I think its a case of what you know and are familiar with. I agree that the Omlet forum does not seem to be an active one and when you need advice its not always available. I do wish that this was a more active thread too but I think us Beehaus users still have a minority presence on here and come into some criticism for using plastic! I am the only beehaus owner in my BKA!

 

[madasafish]

I do wish that this was a more active thread too but I think us Beehaus users still have a minority presence on here and come into some criticism for using plastic! I am the only beehaus owner in my BKA!

Beehaus prices start at £499. For which price you can buy 2 full poly hives plus frames.

Unsurprisingly in North Staffs there are no owners that I know of.

 

[Tom Bick]

I know of one person who loves the hive and the her bees seem to do ok. I also know of a few others that were given one or bought one and they have all given up on it. I am not a fan and also have to look at a sad empty green one when I visit a couple of my hives on a shared site.

 

[panders]

Beehaus prices start at £499. For which price you can buy 2 full poly hives plus frames.

My local supplier sells complete Jumbo Polys with frames for £201 currently so yes you can buy two for less than the Beehaus, but do they retain any resale value which for a beginner like me remained s factor to consider in case it all went horribly wrong! This might not be a concern for others.

I wonder if most of those who have abandoned the beehaus are those who have other hive types too and struggle with the switch? Don't know the answer just wondering.

We're not through winter yet but my bees seem to be doing OK!

 

[madasafish]

Retain value?

Near 50% depreciation in 18 months.. selling at £300..

http://tinyurl.com/pzbvp8m

 

[thorn]

Retain value?

Near 50% depreciation in 18 months.. selling at £300..

http://tinyurl.com/pzbvp8m

Looking back at some of the Ebay prices, one went last year for £297 (a four year old one), and another for £262 (age unknown). There are two on offer at the moment. £300 is the highest bid so far for the newer looking one, with 17 days left. The other one is presently at £150 with 5 days left, again, a four year old. They're both green, and it's worth looking to see how much the older one has weathered. It's not the shiny green it once was.
Red cedar certainly looks better after a few years, though I do worry about the effect of rain over the years. At least plastic should resist repeated wettings.

 

[Minxpinx]

I have one and I'm generally happy with it. The only problem I've had is that the central divider board isn't bee tight.

 

[Tom Bick]

Looking back at some of the Ebay prices, one went last year for £297 (a four year old one), and another for £262 (age unknown). There are two on offer at the moment. £300 is the highest bid so far for the newer looking one, with 17 days left. The other one is presently at £150 with 5 days left, again, a four year old. They're both green, and it's worth looking to see how much the older one has weathered. It's not the shiny green it once was.
Red cedar certainly looks better after a few years, though I do worry about the effect of rain over the years. At least plastic should resist repeated wettings.

I don't know but the one I have to look at was from eBay last year and I think they paid about 300 for it, it's far from shiny and looking a bit bleached from the sun in places. To me it's a sad looking thing and only brings down the apiary. The cedar hives on the other hand are only improving with age.

 

[panders]

Retain value?

Near 50% depreciation in 18 months.. selling at £300..

http://tinyurl.com/pzbvp8m

Perhaps retain value is the wrong phrase, but I'd surely get more back than selling used polys which might be trickier to clean? I think a loss of just £200 on starting up a new hobby is certainly something I could swallow.

 

[coventry bee boy]

hi any chance of some photographs of it in use please and some advice on the use of it ours is arriving today?

 

[Minxpinx]

Good luck! It comes with a useful book which covers how to use it etc. I'm happy to try and answer any specific queries. I got mine last year - Unfortunantly my bees didn't make it through the winter, not because of the hive though!

I would suggest you get a copy of Robin Dartington's book on long deep hives.

 

[pargyle]

hi any chance of some photographs of it in use please and some advice on the use of it ours is arriving today?

You can use it in just the same way as a 'normal' hive ... I have a Long Deep Hive which is basically the same as a Dartington ... the Dartington LDH was a timber hive upon which the Beehaus was designed (with input for Roger Dartington I believe).

So ... worry less about using the hive ... it's just a box to keep bees in ... and learn to keep bees. All the things that bees do apply even though it's a plastic hive in a long deep configuration.

The ability of the Beehaus/LDH to run two colonies is a bit over egged in my estimation ... it's OK as a temporary measure but I'm not convinced that it's a long term beekeeping solution. If this is your first year with bees just keep one colony in it and learn. (And be ready with enough equipment for a second hive ....).

A fellow beekeeper with a Beehaus as his first hive last year had a great deal of trouble keeping the bees in it ...He obtained a swarm and shook them into his Beehaus and every time he put them in they actually swarmed again ... leaving NO bees behind. He caught the swarms and put them back in and they deserted the hive four times over a 10 day period... they eventually decided to stay. Not sure how they have done over winter.

 

[lesley245]

Year 3

I have had my beehaus for 3 years (also have National 12 x 14 too) and have found it to be very good. You will appreciate working at a suitable height, and once you get used to working from the side, it will be fine!

The large frames allow a good build up of brood and adding supers is easy.
I have not had problems with any part not being bee tight, or with the legs, which have caused some people concern. I am not overly impressed with the flimsy queen excluders which have to overlap to fit, and the blank boards which tend to slide down in the front.

Despite what people say about this design, it does not matter much about the type of hive, only the quality of the bees in it and management of the colony.

Enjoy your bees!!

 

[Easy Beesy]

Good: height, brood frame size, small supers, bees like it, great insulation

Bad: rubbish q excluders (sag), not easy to move, slugs love it over winter, cannot swap parts so hard to clean, full brood frame heavy to hold, not all components lock together well, plastic holds mould over winter, straps perish after a couple of seasons, twisting to remove frames = difficult if you're short!

 

[Sunjunkie]

My beehaus

I recently sold my beehaus on eBay for £400 with a small resident nuc colony having kept bees in it with some success for 4 years. The Beehaus came to me following an unsuccessful rooftop beekeeping experiment. At ground level I faired much better.

I've moved onto Paynes Polyhives & now have 3 of these plus 4 cedar Nationals. I have found that the bees in the Polyhives build up quicker & fly earlier than their neighbours in the cedar hives. Could be a coincidence, just my observation.

The Beehaus (2nd generation), needed a little 'help' to keep the bees in. I used a supply of green scourer pads cut to size & glued to the gaps under the centre board. I also had to be very carefull when closing up to keep it bee tight. This can be fiddly & it is way too easy to squash bees with the modular crown boards & super boxes.

The 14 x 12 frames give plenty of brood & stores space but are VERY heavy when full of stores & because you stand to one side & twist to reach across to lift the frames, a full inspection will leave anyone with a lower back weakness reaching for the Ibuprofen! This was ultimately what did it for me, although the height is great, the twist & lift takes its toll!

I also struggled to get the bees to draw comb in the supers, eventually resorting to drawn comb from a nearby hive. The girls just didn't seem to like the small upstairs cubicles with or without a QE.

The overlaping QE's are also a bit of a nuisance & If you decide to buy a Beehaus I would definately suggest that you purchase a spare set as filling the QE gaps with wax while sticking it to the top of the frames, is a favourite hobby!

 

[Worldsend]

First item on sale at Meon Valley Beekeeping Auction this year -only attracted few bids and was sold for Ten Pounds