Welcome to all Omlet Beehaus Members

[ian]

Hi Fabbee

In answer to your question, yes we have a BH and it even has bees in. I have also had a number of long type hives for a good few of years.

Personally I would not recommend one to a beginner. Not for any one reason, I just think there are better, easier and cheaper ways of keeping bees.


Regards Ian

 

[Fabbee Lady]

I have read all the posts on this thread and now it is up to me to make up my mind. I hadn't realised Bee Haus was quite so new, no one has had time to really know much about it. In a few years' time they will either be going strong or off the market. I must admit in the past I have been a bit impolite about people who buy Eglu henhouses, (being a country girl at heart and call a hen a hen and not a chicken), I have that feeling that hen coops should be wooden!! Maybe it is the same with bees and their keepers.

 

[ian]

Hi Fabbee

"Maybe it is the same with bees and their keepers"

In some instances that may be true, but there are several on the forum including a couple that have posted on this thread that run poly hives including myself.

A good poly hive can be purchased for about £100

Although The BH may be new, the hive they are based on is not. The Dartington has been around a few years and even though that is still relatively new, long hives themselves have been around for a very long time indeed.

As you say it is your choice and at the end of the day you can keep bees in anything should you wish!


Regards Ian

 

[Fabbee Lady]

Many thanks for all the adivce. I have come to the conclusion that as Bee Haus is so new and relatively untried I would be better to choose another design for my first attempts at beekeeping. I am in touch with a member of our local Association who has Dartingtons and my mentor has Nationals so will get good advice I am sure.

 

[irobson]

Err..we are now on our second beehaus and certainly would not have bought it if not convinced. New fangled ..not really, new materials yes, do the bees care...no!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Err..we are now on our second beehaus and certainly would not have bought it if not convinced. New fangled ..not really, new materials yes, do the bees care...no!

What happened to your first one?

 

[Easy Beesy]

Hi fabbee
Beehaus - heavy brood frames when full, waist height so you have to lift them quite high, I find it difficult to do (5'5"), real faff with twice as many supers, opposite entrances awkward for placement.
Handy for leaning on in winter, supers not heavy, bees seem very happy and contented in it, I'd advise a Nuc box for some manipulations but all in all, it works. If you want any in depth discussion, pm me.
oh and it doesn't come complete, you still have to fit it together, fit sides and legs.
Easybeesy

 

[Easy Beesy]

Just noticed the dates of posts - fabbee, what type of hive did you go for, and how are you getting on?
Easyb

 

[oliver90owner]

EB,

Don't hold your brteath while awaiting a reply from fabbee lady. Last activity on the forum was 15th June 2010 06:53 PM

RAB

 

[sting-y]

I have been a beehaus bee keeper for just 12 months.
Having kept bees since I was 12 yrs old, starting with a wbc then national hives.
When myfamily grew up and then my wife died, I moved to a bungalow and gave my bees to a friend.
Now at 81 I find the half size supers easier to hump about.

The Omlet hive has been a joy to work with. Sensible height, the bees are thriving, no verroa seen yet, and I already have two full supers and have just split them into two colonies and added more supers of foundation.
Ok so they are more expensive but at my age that is secondary to convenience and the pleasure of working them.
sting_y

 

[Moggs]

Hi sting-y. Although you may not see many beehaus keepers here, it's all about bees. Here's to happy and productive beekeeping!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[oliver90owner]

Little wrong with the Dartington principle for sedentary rather than mobile beekeeping. It is just that the plastic cool box has few, if any, advantages over the timber version, but a lot more down-sides. Price being a large factor, admittedly, but the cool box version loses out in so many other, less noticeable, ways...

 

[sting-y]

Beehause user.

I bought mine just a year ago (June 2013).
Yes they are expensive, but I have retired now and have been a beekeeper since I was fourteen. Then all National hives.

I liked the idea of half size supers, not too heavy to hump about, and their working height.

The bees came through the winter in very good health and quickly built up to cover 12 frames. You can widen the brood nest sideways by moving a centre board.
When swarming instinct came on I was able to divide into two colonies which I intend to reunite after the honey flow ends.

I have bottled 40lbs from the one colony and expect a further 30 or so by end July.

The bees are gentle and easy to handle and I remain pleased with my purchase.

Regards sting-y

 

[Alderney]

To Beehaus or not to Beehaus

....that is the question!

Hi everyone,

I am very keen to start keeping bees. I have read quite a few books and have met one of the local beekeepers over here. I'd like some advice on what hive to get, and I'm interested in the Beehaus.

Some things to consider:

1. I live in Alderney, where the bees are completely free of mites and disease
2. Alderney is only 1.5 x 3 miles in size, so I will probably never move them
3. Even the well built houses here have some condensation problems
4. I'm not looking to keep bees for the sake of getting honey. I'll enjoy keeping them, but to me they are pollinators first and honey producers second; and the honey is theirs. I will consider the honey I take as a bonus.

I asked the local beekeeper what he thought about the Beehaus and plastic hives in general, and he said I'd probably get condensation problems, too much moisture in the hive etc.

He uses the Rose OSB method and thinks it's great. I've been reading about that method and can see the appeal, but like the Beehaus, you don't have to search very far to find negative comments.

So if anyone would like to take the time to give me some advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Also, does anyone have their hive in a garden that small children play in all the time? I can put the hive in a corner that they never venture into they'd probably never come within 5 metres of it. Would that be a problem? Should I site it elsewhere? I have a few options.

And one more stupid question - what's the best way to make sure the bees have a water supply? Fresh water sources are non existent here.

 

[pargyle]

....that is the question!

Hi everyone,

I am very keen to start keeping bees. I have read quite a few books and have met one of the local beekeepers over here. I'd like some advice on what hive to get, and I'm interested in the Beehaus.

Some things to consider:

1. I live in Alderney, where the bees are completely free of mites and disease
2. Alderney is only 1.5 x 3 miles in size, so I will probably never move them
3. Even the well built houses here have some condensation problems
4. I'm not looking to keep bees for the sake of getting honey. I'll enjoy keeping them, but to me they are pollinators first and honey producers second; and the honey is theirs. I will consider the honey I take as a bonus.

I asked the local beekeeper what he thought about the Beehaus and plastic hives in general, and he said I'd probably get condensation problems, too much moisture in the hive etc.

He uses the Rose OSB method and thinks it's great. I've been reading about that method and can see the appeal, but like the Beehaus, you don't have to search very far to find negative comments.

So if anyone would like to take the time to give me some advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Also, does anyone have their hive in a garden that small children play in all the time? I can put the hive in a corner that they never venture into they'd probably never come within 5 metres of it. Would that be a problem? Should I site it elsewhere? I have a few options.

And one more stupid question - what's the best way to make sure the bees have a water supply? Fresh water sources are non existent here.

Nothing wrong with a Long Deep Hive like a Dartington .. I run one and it's been a super hive for learning about bees on and it will continue to be used. I don't think you'll find many on here that would change to a Beehaus although there are a few devotees that will be along shortly.

I have three hives in my (fairly large) garden and my bees don't bother anyone but a lot depends upon the nature of the bees. As you have a bee population over there that has not been affected by the disease and parasites we have over here the last thing you should consider is importing bees from anywhere else so if you are going to keep bees in your garden you need to get some well mannered bees from a LOCAL source ... ie: Alderney. You will need to talk to local beekeepers and try and get to do some inspections on their hives alongside them.

Water ... bees do need 'fresh water' somewhere in the vicinity of the hive or they will find their own (less desirable !) sources like kitchen drains and puddles of horse piss !! Even swimming pools seem to attract them ... so ... an old sink set in the ground filled with rocks, a bit of moss and topped up regularly with rainwater should be fine. Best get it in place before you get bees or they will find their own and you will never get them to use the place you have provided.

Condensation for the bees in itself is not a problem ... it's COLD and wet that gives them problems .. you have relatively mild climate in Alderney so as long as you have draught proof hives with a bit of insulation they will be fine.

Alderney is not very big and it's important that you check out what forage is going to be available where you are siting the hives and that there are not a lot of other colonies going to be competing ...

In terms of honey ... well ... if you are going to keep bees properly and successfully the odds are that they will make honey ... you might as well enjoy whatever surplus they make.

 

[MartinL]

I thought they were chicken coups for domestic fowl with long legs!

Thanks but I'll stick with Cedar.

 

[Alderney]

Thank you so much pargyle! Very helpful. Importing bees is actually prohibited over here. The hives I've seen over here were full of surprisingly calm bees in my novice opinion. Much calmer than I had expected. I was fully suited up but not a single bee could have cared less about my presence

 

[drex]

Thank you so much pargyle! Very helpful. Importing bees is actually prohibited over here. The hives I've seen over here were full of surprisingly calm bees in my novice opinion. Much calmer than I had expected. I was fully suited up but not a single bee could have cared less about my presence

Hi Alderney,
Sounds like the most important consideration then, is what hives do the other keepers on the island use? As you will be getting bees locally it would be good to be using same size frames as them, as would save a lot of faffing about.

 

[oliver90owner]

You clearly have well hybridised bees from a long way back which are well mannered. It is often the crosses between particular strains and the local mongrels which lead to nasty temperament on mainland UK. Your local strain has likely been bred over many years to aviod mixing of very different genes and so they breed fairly true. Think here the problems of growing seed from first filial hybrids as an analogy.

The beehaus is not a better development of the Dartington, IMO.

I use two Dartingtons which I made myself and also have a beehaus. The Dartingtons get used, the beehaus does not. Mine is much better than as originally supplied, but that is another matter.

The benefits of the Dartington are manifested right from initial cost through to practical use

I clearly run 14 x 12s as my moveable hives, but as a sedentary hive, the Dartington has some benefits - along with some downsides, of course (as do all formats!). Those half-supers are nothing more than a pain - I use National shallows. They were designed as small enough to transport up to and, more importantly, down from a roof site.

They over-winter very well (a single colony in the central area) and. An build up remarkably early and well in spring.

One expensive pain may be needing to extract honey from 14 x 12 frames, if using an extractor, as not all will accomodate the large frames. My 9 frame radial Lega extractor works just fine.

The 'hairy-fairy' inspection tray on my beehaus was utterly useless - but you would not need that facility for checking varroa, anyway, while your area remains free of the scourge of the mite.

Any questions, prolly best to PM me; most of my earlier comments on this thread still apply, I would think.

Do not be fooled by them telling you it is really two hives. It is not, and problems will inevitably arise by keeping two colonies in the one hive.

RAB

 

[Clive's Hive]

New Beehaus owner

Hi
Just bought my Beehaus ready for a nucleus in the Spring. I joined the welcome forum and was surprised at the anti Beehaus comments. Have I made a big mistake? Some positive comments and advice would be welcomed especially as it's my first hive.