- Joined
- Mar 30, 2011
- Messages
- 35,891
- Reaction score
- 15,706
- Location
- Glanaman,Carmarthenshire,Wales
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- Too many - but not nearly enough
The stand next to Bees Abroad at the tradex this year was Hyde hives so I had plenty of time to look at their products and have a natter - they're obviously aiming for the 'high end' of the market (beekeepers who are more concerned about the container than the bees within) but fair play to them, the quality and finish of the hives was top rate, I had glimpsed one of their products last year but had more time to have a good look last Saturday - it's a good idea and for the beekeeper who for whatever reason finds humping supers a serious or even impossible chore and is not too concerned with the honey production aspect. It's a nice piece of kit and a better alternative than a Kenyan top bar hive.
Unlike the Dartington it uses National deeps rather than jumbos (although being a bespoke item it can be in whatever format you desire) and is not designed to take supers but honey is harvested off the far end much the same as a KTBH, having an entrance each end you can pop a divider in to split the colony for artificial swarm and is basically the length of three brood boxes.
I forgot to take a photograph of the other bit of kit they had which was a bit longer and was a battery of eight nucs for queen rearing.
Lifting the roof is a cinch as it's on a hydraulic ram.
they had already sold six by mid afternoon (as I said, built to order) and at prices ranging between 350 and 500, a damn sight better than that monstrosity the beehaus.
Are we seeing a resurgence of the horizontal hive?
Unlike the Dartington it uses National deeps rather than jumbos (although being a bespoke item it can be in whatever format you desire) and is not designed to take supers but honey is harvested off the far end much the same as a KTBH, having an entrance each end you can pop a divider in to split the colony for artificial swarm and is basically the length of three brood boxes.
I forgot to take a photograph of the other bit of kit they had which was a bit longer and was a battery of eight nucs for queen rearing.
Lifting the roof is a cinch as it's on a hydraulic ram.
they had already sold six by mid afternoon (as I said, built to order) and at prices ranging between 350 and 500, a damn sight better than that monstrosity the beehaus.
Are we seeing a resurgence of the horizontal hive?