Welcome to all Omlet Beehaus Members

[enrico]

Clive, don't get disheartened. They do work and you can keep bees successfully in them. Most of us are old in the teeth and started on wooden hives and are loathed to change. They too do the job. It does help to have a hive the same as someone else you know in case you need to help each other out, for example with a frame of eggs if you go queenless, but that is not totally necessary. The other thing is that it is good to have all your bees in the same type of hive, you will find that before long you will want another hive or two. They say you have one good hive, one that produces nothing and one somewhere in the middle! If you start with one type it limits you to staying with that type, but again, nothing wrong with that. It is generally cheaper to stick to a more common hive such as nationals but money may not be a big problem for you! Just ignore the comments, some of us are just too quick to poke fun at modern things and that is unfair on you. Good luck with your beekeeping and let us know how it goes.
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Don't mindind me - just because I don't like your hive doesn't mean we won't give you as much help and advice as we can. I've even been known to teach top bar beekeeping even though I hate the things.
It does help that you're Welsh of course

 

[Tom Bick]

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.

I know someone who is very happy with hers but did get into a bit of a problem with both sides of the hive wanting to swarm at the same time. She made the mistake of believing it's two hives in one. If you like it and want to keep bees in one then that's fine. They may look funky and the marketing is cool but for me they are just awful and after a season the nice shiny bright colours look drab dirty and a mess. I am not a fan but don't mind if others like them.

 

[oliver90owner]

Read my posts. They are honest replies re this hive. I have both a beehaus and timber Dartingtons (built my own).

I run mostly National in 14 x 12 size. Same size frames as the beehaus and there are lots now using that frame size.

One thing the Dartington was never touted as - was that of a two colony hive. Only the omlette crowd have tried to push that (because the hive was more expensive than about three Nationals?). Their claim is rubbish - it can contain two colonies (artificial swarming) but is never a good situation for running two separate colonies. You will get into bother, sooner or later.

The trouble is that most ( nearly all!) who buy a beehaus are first time buyers and haven't a clue, so
believe the advertising carp from omlette. That on its own must tell you something; there are not very many second-time buyers of them!

RAB

 

[Madge]

... Most of us are old in the teeth and started on wooden hives and are loathed to change.
E

Ah - speak for yourself, Enrico! All the objections I've seen were based on sound reasoning.

 

[enrico]

Ah - speak for yourself, Enrico! All the objections I've seen were based on sound reasoning.

Yeah! Bad wording trying to make the po feel better, I should have said we are perfectly happy with what we use rather than hint that we are too lazy to change.... Sorry!
All my posts are speaking for myself through hence the signature. Just felt sorry that you all slated a beginner! Hardly encouraging!
E

 

[SixFooter]

What puts me off even looking at a beehaus is that I was going to buy an omelette chicken house, run and chickens from them a few years ago. However, I did some i-research and decided wooden ones are better, much cheaper and actually look better after a couple of years of weathering. I came to the conclusion that omlette are a company based on a triumph of marketing over design. Like Microsoft and (imho) Hozelock

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I came to the conclusion that omlette are a company based on a triumph of marketing over design. Like Microsoft and (imho) Hozelock

......New Zealand lamb, gorilla b*ll*x (AKA Kiwi fruit) and mahooky honey

 

[Erichalfbee]

What puts me off even looking at a beehaus is that I was going to buy an omelette chicken house, run and chickens from them a few years ago. However, I did some i-research and decided wooden ones are better, much cheaper and actually look better after a couple of years of weathering. I came to the conclusion that omlette are a company based on a triumph of marketing over design. Like Microsoft and (imho) Hozelock

Horses for courses, SixFooter.
I have a purple Cube..the hens love it, it keeps them cosy, is easy to clean, never gets red mite and will have a brilliant resale value if I ever decide to give up keeping hens.

The eglu was a present and is used as a broody coop. Similar resale value.
I think the smaller eglu has enabled lots of city dwellers to keep hens and that is a good thing.

Clive, you will need another hive as folk have said. Sticking to the same format you will need to go for 14 x 12 and there are wooden and poly choices. when you have both you will be able to compare them. As others have said. The Beehaus is NOT two hives. Good luck

 

[Moggett]

Horses for courses, SixFooter.
I have a purple Cube..the hens love it, it keeps them cosy, is easy to clean, never gets red mite and will have a brilliant resale value if I ever decide to give up keeping hens.

They can and do get red mite in a Cube even if you hose the crevices and use boiling water. We've had an orange one for about 6 years.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh well, perhaps red mite don't like purple

 

[nedbeerider]

hi, this is my second year with a beehaus.It's been a great success (even if other beekeepers are a bit dismissive of plastic hives .) my colony is expanding after the winter and I would like to use the other half of the hive .Any hints/tips . If my colony produces queen cells or shows signs of preparing to swarm .I would like to start a new colony there .the new entrance would face north/west (sun late afternoon) any info greatfuly received .Cheers ,Ned.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Look up Pagden Artificial Swarm. Substitute the new half of the Beehaus for the old box where the brood and chosen queen cell are. Fairly straightforward. There is no need to do the second manipulation if you leave just the one queen-to-be.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

my colony is expanding after the winter and I would like to use the other half of the hive .

Leave the bees spread into it - simples

If my colony produces queen cells or shows signs of preparing to swarm .I would like to start a new colony there .the new entrance would face north/west (sun late afternoon) any info greatfuly received .Cheers ,Ned.

Wise words from the wizened old sage below :

Read my posts. They are honest replies re this hive. I have both a beehaus and timber Dartingtons (built my own).


One thing the Dartington was never touted as - was that of a two colony hive. Only the omlette crowd have tried to push that (because the hive was more expensive than about three Nationals?). Their claim is rubbish - it can contain two colonies (artificial swarming) but is never a good situation for running two separate colonies. You will get into bother, sooner or later.

RAB

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes. You are going to need another Beehaus

 

[Tremyfro]

....or you can recombine the two colonies after the swarming urge has passed.
....or when you have a laying queen in the second half...you can take her out with some brood to make a nuc in another hive.
....or you can squish your old queen and let her daughter take over.
You can do all this without extra equipment ...well you will need some extra frames.
....or you can get another beehaus and start a second colony....they are much cheaper secondhand.
i like the beehaus because it is the right height for me to work it without lifting. I can expand the brood nest as much as it needs. I can do a sideways preemptive swarm control or make increase...moving the new colony when it suits me to another hive.
The one thing I would change are the entrances. When you position the hive...it's difficult to take into consideration the entrance at the other end. Should you decide to make a swarm control or a nuc in the opposite end of the hive. I have been thinking of making an addition to the entrances which will allow the bees to enter from the side....a sort of extension to the entrance which turns it through 90 degrees. So the bees enter at each end but from the side of the beehaus. It will be so much easier to position them...and work from the side without the entrances. Well just my thoughts...OH thinks he can make something.