abwsco Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Omlet don't say you will never get red mite in Eglus or Cubes - but it is far easier to deal with the problem if it happens. Surely they do say it though The smooth plastic surfaces can be washed with a hose or pressure washer and there are no awkward corners or absorbent materials which attract red mite. Unlike wooden housing, you do not need to treat your eglu - saving you time and money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I think that 'treat' in that context was referring to painting the wood with preservative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 - but when it is found, all the bee inspectors are instructed to destroy hives by burning - and they can enforce that by law in the same way that DEFRA burned cows 8 years ago. Yes and the cow thing was also in part poor husbandry and transporting animals long distances for slaughter etc (whereas a lot of local abbatoirs were shut down which would have reduced animals being transported all over the place etc etc) The risk of spread could have been reduced. Mad cow disease ..farmers were only feeding their animals what they had been told by the powers to be.. etc etc Now losing a wooden hive is bad enough - mine only cost me about £25 each to build - but I would hate to see £500 go up in (toxic) smoke. So this is something that should not be dismissed lightly, but neither should it keep anyone awake. After having my wood house put on bonfire to go to plastic is fantastic and I still think easy to clean out..I can jet hose it but have only done so once as it can be wiped down. I think longevity with the plastic house too. I dont know about the Bee problems though! Also anyone banging on about plastic I assume never been on an aeroplane/dont drive a car/dont use a washing machine or any electrical white goods/dont use a powered lawnmower and has a wooden computer/wooden credit card/ wooden mobile phone the list is endless indie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beesontoast Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Er, the 'cow thing' referred to was actually foot & mouth disease, not 'mad cow' disease, so nothing really to do with husbandry. And just because there is already plastic in the world is not a good reason to add more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Er, the 'cow thing' referred to was actually foot & mouth disease, not 'mad cow' disease, so nothing really to do with husbandry. Er the spread of foot and mouth was also to do with moving animals around(which if you remember they stopped) large scale farming the way it is done now ie one other example a local arable farmer lost a load of grain when it was tested and that was put down to the collecting lorry coming from an infected farm to collect his grain... Animals are travelling a lot further etc these days so I am going to disagree with you. You only have to look at where a lot of our food comes from nowadays..is their husbandry as good as ours? Also I dont claim to know about Bees but I keep reading about these pathogens bugs being imported in Honey?? jars etc. As they say not rocket science. And just because there is already plastic in the world is not a good reason to add more. I do take the point about plastic but when you look around at how many fridges computers /children with consoles must be one of the biggest plastic etc with next generation types coming out all the time etc. I read an article recently that was saying Biodegradeable plastic bags were leaching more CO2 due to the speed of degradation than standard bags that would have taken K years to degrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Also anyone banging on about plastic I assume never been on an aeroplane/dont drive a car/dont use a washing machine or any electrical white goods/dont use a powered lawnmower and has a wooden computer/wooden credit card/ wooden mobile phone the list is endless indie Quite true - but it is amazing how people can turn a blind eye to their own use of plastics and criticise one particular item Until more is known about the performance of the Beehaus then surely this (possible foul brood) is a moot point - why not wait and see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Until more is known about the performance of the Beehaus then surely this (possible foul brood) is a moot point - why not wait and see? Are you suggesting people should not buy a Beehaus until someone using one gets foul brood and has to deal with an inspector who wants to destroy it (or not)? Or are you suggesting people fork out close to £600 without knowing what will happen if they get AFB? I looked into buying a poly hive recently, as a temporary home over winter for a nuc on some Langstroth frames (they won't fit national hives) If I get foul brood the inspectors can destroy the hive, but then they only cost £48! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Quite true - but it is amazing how people can turn a blind eye to their own use of plastics and criticise one particular item I don't think it too great a leap in logic or understanding to realize that while something might not be harmful or problematic to humans it may be troublesome to other species. We don't suffer ill consequence from the plastic rings that hold beer cans together, but an extension of your logic (no offence meant) would suggest that leaving them laying about a badger set should be fine as we don't get our heads stuck in the things do we! I know that may seem a poor comparison to you, but blind eyes are not the sole preserve of one side of this discussion IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beesontoast Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Quite true - but it is amazing how people can turn a blind eye to their own use of plastics and criticise one particular item The point here is that "Ooops, word censored!"ody is going to come along and tell me I have to burn my computer/fridge/vacuum cleaner. Pathogens being brought in on imported honey simply illustrates the point that AFB spores are not affected by food processing and are extremely hard to kill: not many living organisms can survive a blowtorch! As I said above, the AFB issue is IMO something that needs to be addressed by the manufacturers and not swept under the carpet, but I have not had AFB in 10 years and very few hives are affected by it every year, so this is not a matter to cause national panic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 As I said above, the AFB issue is IMO something that needs to be addressed by the manufacturers and not swept under the carpet, but I have not had AFB in 10 years and very few hives are affected by it every year, so this is not a matter to cause national panic. I was going to ask when was the last time you had AFB in a hive - but you've answered that . Of course I wasn't suggesting that we all wait until someone has foul brrood in a Beehaus. What does concern me is all the flaming that is going on here - none of us, even the beekeepers amongst us, know anything about the Beehaus. We don't have any privileged information, none of us have bought one or have even seen one in the flesh. In short WE DON'T KNOW!! The constant criticism is better suited to the beekeeping forums and the questions would be better directed to Omlet themselves. There are other forums where they would be asking you to burn (or dispose of) your fridge/car/vacuum cleaner - there are alternatives for all of those as well. You're not going to convince those of us with Eglus/Cubes that plastic is inherently bad, we know it works for hens......we will have to wait for more information on the Beehaus and in the meantime we are keeping an open mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdcambs Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 You're not going to convince those of us with Eglus/Cubes that plastic is inherently bad, we know it works for hens......we will have to wait for more information on the Beehaus and in the meantime we are keeping an open mind. I don't think any of us have said plastic is of itself inherently bad, and the only flaming worth moderation so far has been directed at a beekeeper (me) not from one. The question is does plastic make a bee and beekeeper friendly hive, regardless of how good and chicken friendly it may be when made into a coup; as has been said before bees are not chickens and the problems bees suffer from can not simply be hosed off and/or dosed with a powder. Also, I don't see how you are keeping an open mind on the one hand when you are at the same time asking to direct any query or criticism away from the board, effectively censoring any voice that is not positive about Omlet’s latest product. I understand Eglu owners are passionate about their chickens and their coups, just as beekeepers are passionate about their bees and sometimes their hives, but I don't see any benefit to either in attempting to close a discussion simply because one does not like the way it is going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 pdcambs, "Ooops, word censored!"ody is attempting to close any discussion or censor any voice - we are all just in the dark as you are about the effectiveness of the Beehaus& I am sure I speak for a great majority of Omleteers when I say that we really welcome the experience of long time Beekeepers & are more than willing to take all the points you make on board. Yes, we are Omlet product fans if you like, but we are as interested to see if the Beehaus works as well as Omlet say it will, as the rest of you. May I also point out that some of the flaming that has taken place has been moderated almost immediately, so wouldn't have been seen by you or many other forum members. This section is becoming a real headache for us mods & we are hoping that it soon becomes the happy place that the rest of the Omlet forum is & always has been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I echo what Cinnamon says, and in particular, the last two paragraphs. Until we have actually seen the Beehaus in the flesh , and have heard how those lucky enough to have one have got on with it......all is speculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omlet Staff james Posted August 20, 2009 Omlet Staff Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hi, Having read through this post and feel it has run it's courses and I have decided to lock it. As I stated in my only post: It is seems to be a common misconception that you cannot sterilise plastic beehives, killing bacteria or spores. Plastic can be sterilised using common chemicals (e.g.bleach, caustic soda or virkon 5). This is made clear by Defra in their advisory leaflets ( https://secure.csl.gov.uk/beebase/pdfs/fbleaflet.pdf – page 34, under the head Chemical Sterilisation ). The only thing that chemicals cannot treat is wax - but you would remove this before doing the sterilisation. Wooden hives are only flamed because they have an open cell struction and lots of nooks and crannies which you cannot reach and the wood absorbs the bacteria into its surfaces. As beekeepers ourselves, we are aware of the requirements to completely sterilise a hive that has had EFB or AFB. So, we designed the beehaus to be easy to clean and sterilise. It is also very easy to replace any part you like – simply unbolt it. As with Omlet products, every part will be available quickly and at a reasonable price. If you were unfortunate to have either type of foulbrood – you can fulfill your statutory requirements without having to burn your hive and we would help you get your hive up and running again as quickly as possible, So, if you have other concerns about Foulbrood please email me directly at james@omlet.co.uk or call me on: 01295 757 142. I am happy to talk through all aspect the design of the beehaus, including Foulbrood Thanks, James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
