Omlet Beehaus

[jimbeekeeper]

Just give it year or so and they will be giving them away on fleebay, after the "dinner party" brigade have lost their first swarm and the hive is sat empty...not able to give their guests a jar of honey they will have to resort to the £50 bottles of wine

 

[East Yorks New Bee]

Just give it year or so and they will be giving them away on fleebay, after the "dinner party" brigade have lost their first swarm and the hive is sat empty...not able to give their guests a jar of honey they will have to resort to the £50 bottles of wine

Dont know about the first swarm Jim, Once they realize that bees have a sting and dont do as they are told.

 

[Geoff]

Do you think you have all turned into your own Dads
Remember when you used to do like things that your Dads didn't.
It looks different, but it is just using National frames. And they at least sell a decent beekeeping book, despite the picture of a dead bee on the front.
My only objections would be price, it would stick out like a sore thumb in the garden and i am not so sure about flexibility ...also what about varroa floor?
People who don't know much about beekeeping and had more money than sense might be more inclined to a WBC cause that is what country gardens had and cottage gardening is all the rage now.
Don't knock just cause it looks different. Don't get offended guys. Just remember when you used to do things different. Didn't we used to wear our hair long, play loud music and wear jeans that split if you bent down too quick.

 

[victor meldrew]

Omlet featured on a nature program this evening as temporary housing for rescued hedgehogs .
Gotta give it to them they know how to milk the media

John Wilkinson

 

[jimbeekeeper]

I personaly like it.

But as with their other products I do not see how they can justify the price for a mass produced injection molded bit of plastic.

Now they are either being very greedy with the price or the costs do not add up hence the price.

If Argos can sell a Kids plastic play house which could easly be made into an Omlet Cube chicken house for ony £90, why do Omlet sell the cube for near £600?

They are even selling a nuc of bees at a decent price

Do you want to pre-order a colony of bees?
Omlet can supply you with a colony of bees. Bees are typically supplied on six frames which you can put straight into your beehaus. There will be around 10,000 worker bees, a queen and sealed brood (new bees not yet hatched) on the frames. Bees are available between April and September. We will match your requirements with our list of locally available colonies and you can then pick your bees up when it's convenient for you.

We will call you to arrange delivery of your bees and will confirm the price nearer the time.

Choose bees No bees
£80 - £150 £0
Yes No, I have my own bees.

Does it look like he supers are 1/4 of the main body area? I.e 4 suppers in one plane covers the main area?

 

[goodbobby]

I dont know what everyone is getting so excited about ......Omlet are offering a no quibble 30 day money back guarantee!....I am not sure if that is for the hive or the bees or both.
What really worries me is that one of the forum subscribers on the Omlet site who is "sooooo looking forward to getting bees" likes to be known as 'pinkcrochetfrog'!!!!

 

[oliver90owner]

Omlet are offering a no quibble 30 day money back guarantee!....

I would be looking at the small print re any guarantee.....

And likely, the flaws in the system will not show up in that first month - that is if the purchaser knows what (s)he is looking for.

Regards, RAB

 

[DulwichGnome]

Do you think you have all turned into your own Dads
Remember when you used to do like things that your Dads didn't.
It looks different, but it is just using National frames. And they at least sell a decent beekeeping book, despite the picture of a dead bee on the front.
My only objections would be price, it would stick out like a sore thumb in the garden and i am not so sure about flexibility ...also what about varroa floor?
People who don't know much about beekeeping and had more money than sense might be more inclined to a WBC cause that is what country gardens had and cottage gardening is all the rage now.
Don't knock just cause it looks different. Don't get offended guys. Just remember when you used to do things different. Didn't we used to wear our hair long, play loud music and wear jeans that split if you bent down too quick.

I know I have made fun of it but I'm with Geoff on this one. I'll wait to see what price they are in a couple of years time mind.

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_services/products_services.php?view=Bees&about=hives explained

http://www.omlet.co.uk/products_ser...iew=bees&about=the beehaus&rolling_image_id=0

*note to self, find out where I can get that disinfectant Finman was on about and package it up in coloured plastic bags, might be a nice little earner.*

Mike.

 

[JCBrum]

I personaly like it.

But as with their other products I do not see how they can justify the price for a mass produced injection molded bit of plastic.

Now they are either being very greedy with the price or the costs do not add up hence the price.

If Argos can sell a Kids plastic play house which could easly be made into an Omlet Cube chicken house for ony £90, why do Omlet sell the cube for near £600?

Prices to the end-user are often un-fathomable.

I went shopping today and purchased two items :-

The first was a flat-pack 14x12 nuc hive in utility grade cedar. It had B box, separate floor, cover board with rim, and a 6" roof with metal cover. It was a complete half width hive, and I'm pleased with it. It cost £35.

The second purchase was a new SATA 500 gigabyte hard drive for my computer, made by Hitachi, 1st quality with a warranty. It also cost £35.

Something, somewhere, doesn't seem to add up, but I'm not sure what and where.

I'm satisfied with both purchases. Maybe Beehaus customers will be also perceive vfm ?

 

[DrNick]

Gotta give it to them they know how to milk the media

Don't say that, they will be making plastic cow sheds next.

 

[victor meldrew]

Don't say that, they will be making plastic cow sheds next.

Too late my mate has a plastic milking parlour as his dairy doesn't meet modern criteria .

John Wilkinson

 

[jimbeekeeper]

JCBrum.

Your comparison is not quite like for like.

Mine, a plastic blow moulded "wendy house" is almost identical to an omlet cube.

£80 V £600 Does not add up!

Or more comparible is Jons cool box for $5 to the Beehaus at £460

 

[JCBrum]

JCBrum.

Your comparison is not quite like for like.

£80 V £600 Does not add up!

It wasn't meant that my comparison should be like for like, I was trying to illustrate that although the price is the same, the articles are very different.

It might not be very difficult to cut up a bit of wood for £35, but you try making a hard drive !

It would be easy to justify charging £600 pounds for one, but the buyers will not pay that price because they perceive them as costing only £35.

Maybe Beehaus customers perceive the value as being £600, not £80.

If they don't, Omlet are on to a loser, and they've done well with their chicken coop I understand.

Isn't it all in the eye of the customer, aided by the marketing ?

 

[ribblesbees]

Maybe Beehaus customers perceive the value as being £600, not £80.


Isn't it all in the eye of the customer, aided by the marketing ?

Which all goes back to the 'money and no sense brigade'

 

[Bebe]

Comparing an Eglu to a wendy house just shows ignorance and a lack of research - when wendy houses are made with twin wall construction then maybe prices will be comparable?

The only people who compare the cost of an Eglu to a wooden coop are those who have never seen an Eglu or compared it properly with a wooden coop. I have had both for 5 years so I can speak from experience....not just a look at a brochure. I now use just one wooden coop on a temporary basis and use the Eglu all the time.

The Cube never appealed to me and I still prefer the Eglu - it doesn't mean that the Cube is deficient in any way.

Look carefully at the design of the Beehaus - it probably has more to it than first meets the eye - the Eglu and Cube certainly do.

The Beehaus doesn't appeal to me either and as I have 3 Nationals I will not be buying one. I will be interested to see how it performs though and will be keeping an open mind.

I agree that it would be unwise to market the hive as an easy way to keep bees but I think you will find that most people without bees are scared enough to start by researching and joining a course. Some of us have asked Omlet to add these details to the blurb accompanying the Beehaus details. Many more potentially new beekeepers will arrive at buying a hive from other sources - there are enough mentions in the media to start people looking. There will be as many new beekeepers using an established design of hive and the problems won't only arise from new keepers buying a Beehaus.

It will be up to established beekeepers to be ready for a new influx. The course we attended nearly 3 years ago at Stoneleigh was over-subscribed even then and that impacted on the availability of mentors for new keepers. If established keepers could direct their energies into helping new keepers rather than automatically decrying a new type of hive then there will be fewer poor keepers causing problems?

Most of the hives we use now were a new design once - unless we all go back to climbing trees and sticking our hands into a bees nest to find honey - or revert to using skeps and killing the bees each year - then we are all using 'new' technology!

 

[JCBrum]

You're probably right ribblesbees.

But, working by hand with basic tools and care, it takes me about a week to make a wooden hive consisting of stand, floor, bb, two supers, cover board and a roof, all given three coats of preservative.

The cost of materials, plywood, pine, glue, screws, and paint is about £30, and say 20 or 30 hrs work.

Most motor-car garages charge at least £20 per hour with many more than double that, and consider their charges reasonable.

Doctors, Accountants, and Lawyers often charge ten times that rate, and with the latter two the work is often done by minions.

The people who buy their services could presumably, easily afford £600 for what they perceive to be a good beehive.

I don't think it's as simple as 'money and no sense'.

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Lots of stuff on Radio 4 about people keeping bees in their gardens! Apparently "Natural England" are really keen on this (bees in gardens that is...) and funnily enough the Omelt Beehaus is on sale from today.

 

[Gaz Fella]

I am a little anxious about this mega-pushing of the BeeHaus and the "just keep some urban bees cos the environment needs it" approach.:
The unknowing getting "quiet" [ but swarmy] bees - all beekeepers getting a "bad name" as swarms become perceived as an urban pest
The uncaring getting urban garden bees irrespective of their very-near neighbours feeling, and possibly aversion or allergy to bees - yet again, all beekeepers being tarred with the same brush
The unknowing plonking bees in a Beehaus with no insight into disease risks etc etc - ok , the colony might die through neglect, but in the meantime may put "kosher" nearby colonies at increased disease risk.

Farming Today - etc - have Natural England advocating the BeeHaus and promoting its use - with one on their headquarters roof I gather?? - and yet no cautionary notes from the NBU or BBKA to counterbalance this enthusiasm. Hmm

 

[BKF Admin]

Lots of stuff on Radio 4 about people keeping bees in their gardens! Apparently "Natural England" are really keen on this (bees in gardens that is...) and funnily enough the Omelt Beehaus is on sale from today.

Thanks Oxfordbee.

Linky thing to the radio broadcast here

 

[OXFORDBEE]

And from the BBC News Website we have:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8184655.stm

It's quite a scary thought ..... A swarm on every lamp post!