ANTTEN10 Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 After deciding last year to keep bees we were given a secondhand national hive(minus bees) from a family friend. We attended our first bee club meeting in February this year and asked all the obvious questions....but when asked about beehaus different members all told us to"steer clear". I find this hard to believe after reading all the comments on here. We were told that because I am only 5ft2" I would find it difficult to handle the full supers later on in the year. My son who is way taller than me was quite put out by this as he really wants to home our bees in a beehaus. I would like to know if any other "shorty's" have struggled with the design of the beehaus? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Have any of them ever seen a Beehaus? I suspect that - as we have seen with different types of chicken-houses, people are very resistant to change. Beekeepers can be particularly dogmatic and set in their ways! There are good reasons for using the same type of hive as those that people in your area are using; if you buy a nuc or need a frame of eggs, it will be much easier, and you can get experience working on those hives. There are pros and cons to all types of hive, and it's worth going to see a Beehaus if you can before investing a significant amount of money on one, but I wouldn't be put off by the views of those in your group - much better to learn a bit about them, and get a feel for what would suit you. Personally, I'll be sticking with my National because it's what I know and am used to, but the Beehaus has a lot of benefits. Since it's based on the Dartington, which was specifically designed by Robin Dartington to overcome back problems, I can't believe it would be a lot more difficult to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I have a friend who has a beehaus and she loves it. It comes with half supers so they are lighter than the full supers a national has. However, she has other hives to supplement her apiary as it's not a good idea to rely on just the one colony. I like the 14x12 format but I would rather keep my bees in hives I can easily move and AS so I keep mine in poly boxes. A beehaus is about £500? Open Mesh Floor,14x12 Jumbo Brood Box with Frames and wax foundation,2 x poly Supers, each complete with frames and wax,Plastic Excluder,Poly Crownboard,Roof,Hive Strap....... All from one manufacturer comes to just over £180 so you could get nearly three complete hives for the same price. Just my opinion. I don't dislike the omlet box just think it's not very versatile. As for lifting full supers, I get hubby to do it or else take a poly nuc along and decant six frames at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 As for lifting full supers, I get hubby to do it or else take a poly nuc along and decant six frames at a time. What an excellent idea OSH! I have bad wrists and really struggle with the weight of a full super too. I'm a huge Omlet fan for the Eglu and Cube, but agree with Olly, Nationals are the hives for me. A budget cedar flat pack hive from T***ne's is currently £145 delivered, so a lot cheaper than the Beehaus. My biggest concern with them initially was sterilization of parts (you just need a blowtorch for a wooden hive) but I gather the NBU has now agreed that soaking in a hypochlorite or caustic soda solution is possible. Regardless of that, you would need 2 hives at least (by the second year), whatever you choose. As with anything in beekeeping, it's totally your choice. Whatever suits you and your bees. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
