Free Beehaus anyone

[MuswellMetro]

see this thread

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8542698.stm

can it be true, two day course and free bees and beehaus from the CooP

perhaps Omlet cant sell them? or is it just a publicity stunt

 

[Peebels]

I don't think you get a beehaus? The sites in manchester recieved training, national hives and a few nucs each, but not beehaus's in general!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Sounds like a brilliant idea,think i may enlist on one of these courses,all free kit,an omlet beehaus, plus bee's.
Wonder if they pay travelling expenses?

 

[Peebels]

Unfortunately I am just a couple of miles out of the area. Although the down side would be the fact that the hives are joint owned, so it depends who your mucking in with!

The fella that runs the courses is Paul Peacock and his wife Diana (of 'home farmer'). They are both really lovelly people and it was one of his intro session delivered through omlet that got me interested!

 

[Brosville]

It's yet again very astute marketing from the purveyors of the the plastic portaloos - they're probably knocking them out for production cost of about a fiver apiece, so lobbing a stack of them at schemes like this costs them clutter all, but will get loads more free publicity from the BBC, and if it all goes to plan gets "Hearty Humble" getting orgasmic over the garish psychedelic monstrosities, therefore ensuring gazillions get sold (and landfill sites all round the country groan, knowing full well where most will end up in short order......)
Would I want one? No thanks, very happy with my entirely superior timber Top Bars and Warrés, and really wouldn't want to have a total taste-bypass (on purely aesthetic grounds) to want to clutter my lawns with superannuated beer-coolers in kiddy colours..........

 

[Hivemaker.]

Bros
you are a po8...lol.

 

[Tom Bick]

I am involved with a community gardening program on a big site aimed at urban gardening and veg vocational skills and I am placing hives on that site as part of the education this would have being a good opportunity to get the coop involved but not now

 

[Black Comb]

It's a shame they've tied themselves in to one particular company with an exclusive product and even more of a shame that the product it purveys, whilst usable and interesting, has not stood the test of time and is nowhere near as popular as hives that are proven and available from multi-sources at cheaper prices.

 

[Somerford]

but you could also say that the competitors didn't move quickly enough to get in there...or perhaps they are making to many pots of money already selling their wares to everyone else at high prices ?!

regards

S

 

[Brosville]

It also conveys the idea that beekeeping is expensive - whatever you may think of "the top bar brigade" there's no denying that TBHs can be knocked up for peanuts, by people with minimal woodworking skills (if I can do it........), which allows far more people to keep bees than if using overpriced trendy plastic boxes..........

 

[Brosville]

I am pleased to report that I have just had an email interchange with someone within "Plan Bee" - this was part of their reply -

"I assure you that we are not using the omlet hive and that this has been misreported. We purchased one for the Manchester apiary as part of the urban beekeepers pilot project to see what it was like. All those who received hives as part of the Manchester course where given wooden hives"

looks like a BBC cockup!

 

[Peebels]

I did say that, i have seen em, they are very much made out of wood!

 

[Peacock]

Beehaus and the COOP

I'm afraid it was completely wrong.

People get 10 weeks of training, plus a mentor. And to get bees you have to have an allotment in Manchester - it's a scheme where we are putting bees on to Manchester allotments, though we have made a small apiary at Wythenshawe Park and will be doing the same in other parks.

The people close to Wythenshawe Park have arranged themselves into a Bee Club.

If you want to come along to the training sessions, and live in Manchester - it's free and we don't mind people coming along - but I'm afraid the bees and kit are specifically for Manchester Allotments. There is another program in London and possibly Inverness. They may be run differently.

Finally, the hives are wood - just about wood at that. we did buy a beehaus - to test.

I am thinking of using one in a situation where school kids can peer into the hive. Almost using it like a Dartington, but not quite. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks Peebles for those kind words...

 

[MuswellMetro]

I am pleased to report that I have just had an email interchange with someone within "Plan Bee" - this was part of their reply -

"I assure you that we are not using the omlet hive and that this has been misreported. We purchased one for the Manchester apiary as part of the urban beekeepers pilot project to see what it was like. All those who received hives as part of the Manchester course where given wooden hives"

looks like a BBC cockup!

good investigation /Brosville

i assume omlet must have spun it to the BBC and a lazy reporter just re wrote the lead to the story

MM

 

[BKF Admin]

That seems to be the norm nowadays,put out a press release and it is copied verbatim without anything being checked.

Maybe the BBC are cutting back in the researchers department?

 

[Finman]

Up to these days top bar hives have saved the world and now it will super modern plastic Omlet.

Top bar hives has been low price but Omlet is free.... Good marketing...not fair but make good feelings...

Some save the world with natural flower seeds and in USA with planting a sunflower.

But the engine which drive these projects is "The sky is falling".

 

[Finman]

Have you thought that beeyards are just moving to China like car factories and papermills? Too high labour costs in West.

 

[mbc]

The chinese dont need bees for pollination, I have seen pictures of farm workers on stilts pollinating apple blosom with feathers

 

[oliver90owner]

chinese dont need bees for pollination

They most certainly do!!

It's been reported that at least one of their 'top fruit' regions has been so contaminated with pesticides that there are no insects and no birds either.

I think it was said the region is similar in area to the Brtish Isles.

Hand pollination has been costed out for the UK apple crop and would cost about £525 per tonne.

Regards, RAB

 

[Finman]

.
Finnish apples are expencive too even if they are mostly pollinated by bumble bees.