I have been following this thread (and a similar one on Omlet's forum) with interest. I have bees and chickens. I have an eglu (which I think is great), but am considering a more 'traditional' coop when I expand my flock. Therefore, I think I am reasonably unbiased in this debate.
I think Omlet are getting some undeserved criticism, and from my reading of their comments and interviews, I think they are doing it mostly right. The designers are beekeepers themselves and members of beekeeping associations from whom they have sought advice. They researched existing hives and brought Robin Dartington onto their design team when they decided they liked his design the best. In all the interviews I have seen, they have stressed the importance of education and getting good support from a local association. Yes, they are a commercial company, but I think they are one of the more friendly and considerate ones.
I actually quite like some of the features of the hive: The wide brood box which should give more options for swarm management; the smaller, lighter supers; the integrated travelling/roof strap; and the 14x12 frames. On the negative side, I think it looks a bit nickable, and I'm not sure how you add a new tier of supers. Yes, there are issues with sterilsation and the Foul Broods, but that's true of any plastic or polystyrene hive too and as most people (including me) use wooden hives, of course the most widely communicated advice concerns them. Defra's own advice is that while comb cannot be chemically sterilised, brood boxes and hives can be, though I suspect with wood it's much harder to remove all the chemical residue than with plastic hence the preference for burning.
As for cost, put in perspective, it's probably in competition with a full assembled hive from a big supplier. Thornes have a National with all frames and 2 supers for about £285. Since the Beehaus is effectively two hives, it compares quite well at £465. No-one who would build their own bee or chicken accommodation would consider an Omlet product, but they aren't after that market.
Don't get me wrong, though - I am not an apologist for Omlet and I don't think for a second that the right thing is for people to jump into beekeeping on a whim, but I do think much of the blame for that emphasis is the media, not Omlet. There are clear risks with beekeeping in an urban environment, but like any risk you can manage them and need to weigh them up against the benefits. Personally, I am nervous about bees in my garden, but have a site that I think mitigates the risks (and some backup out-apiary sites in reserve). But I still want bees nearby because there are so few honey bees in my garden normally. I think the Omlet blurb emphasises the positives a little too much, but then so would any supplier.
In conclusion, I agree with David P elsewhere that we will see a fair number of new beeks drop out next year, and hopefully that will result in some good value hives on eBay - if some of those are Beehaus, I could well be bidding.
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