To want a beecosystem?

[Thatbliddywoman]

beecosystem.buzz/

Would you have one? I love bees. I'm just wondering about the practicalities of it and if it's a good idea. I guess this may be mainly an American thing but I could fairly easily have one made...

Looks amazing! I'd love it. I wonder how noisy they'd be and how youdo the beekeeping bits? Are they accessible from outside?

I’m a beekeeper- please don’t get this. You need to inspect weekly to prevent swarming in the spring/summer. If you don’t, it’s unfair as a swarm could end up in your neighbour’s chimney- a very expensive problem to fix. There are other problems with the design too.

😮😮😮 Another thing I didn't know I needed in my life! That's amazing, I might get one for the dc for Christmas. Thanks for sharing op.

They do look cool but dealing with any issues would be a pain in the butt and would result in an extremely smokey house.

We get our bee hive on Saturday. Take a look at flowhives. Easy to extract the honey without botherign the bees and whilst they don't sit on the wall, they do have good observation chambers.

Much as I love the thought of beeing able to see my bees all the time, I don’t know how you’d inspect and treat for disease? If your bees got European Foulbrood you’d need to burn the lot and presumably some of your plasterwork/woodwork to remove the contamination...

www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?sectionid=26

@HasaDigaEebowai with flow hives you still need to inspect regularly for disease and swarm control. If you don’t it’s unfair on the bees and your neighbours. They’re also an expensive way to start out.

@Beeyonce good point and I love your username!

@Bumblingalong30s

I’m a beekeeper- please don’t get this. You need to inspect weekly to prevent swarming in the spring/summer. If you don’t, it’s unfair as a swarm could end up in your neighbour’s chimney- a very expensive problem to fix. There are other problems with the design too.

As a bee keeper what do you think of the omlet ones? www.omlet.co.uk/shop/beekeeping/beehaus/

@Bumblingalong30s thank you for responding!
I love bees. What would you recommend for a first timer? I was going to have one made rather than buy this one
Do you think having one in the house in general isn't a good idea?
I've seen indoor ones in museums and the like
I don't eat honey (vegan) and most hives I've looked at have the honey extracter type hive which I wouldn't want.

I’d recommend taking a practical course first via your local association or other place with real beehives to inspect.

The ones I see in museums often look unhealthy. Bees prefer darkness and a certain amount of space - have a look at the size of a National brood box, the standard size used in this country.

You can use a completely conventional hive without extracting the honey, just leave it for the bees 😊

@HasaDigaEebowai with flow hives you still need to inspect regularly for disease and swarm control. If you don’t it’s unfair on the bees and your neighbours. They’re also an expensive way to start out.

Yes I'm aware of all that

and whilst the branded flow hives are expensive you can buy non branded flow hives for less than £200

@HasaDigaEebowai fair enough. How have you/beekeepers in your area found the extracting? I take it you don’t live near oil seed rape?

@EvilPea I haven’t used one myself but have heard some good things about the Omlets. You can’t stack them though which makes them a bit less flexible if you want multiple hives. You could join one of the Facebook groups for British beekeepers and ask on there to speak to people who have used them.

@HasaDigaEebowai fair enough. How have you/beekeepers in your area found the extracting? I take it you don’t live near oil seed rape?

I haven't since it hasn't arrived yet

I take it you don’t live near oil seed rape?

We're in woodland, most of the early pollen collection locally is tree pollen so we should be fine.

@HasaDigaEebowai. I see, hope you enjoy the beekeeping. They’re lovely to watch.

Its Dh's lockdown obsession really, he's been on all the courses and befriended a local bee keeper so I'm trusting that he's done his research properly!

The mason bee guardian scheme is good.
You get sent bee cocoons and watch them hatch. Your little solitary bees do their thing pollinating and then you watch them building new cocoons which you send back for inspection and then they send you more the next year.

Obviously very different to honeybees. But an interesting toe dip into the world of bees

@EvilPea oh that scheme looks fantastic!

@Bumblingalong30s that’s good to know. I can see the advantage of the standardised ones. But the omlet ones do have an appeal of ease of use.

[quote Slothkin]@EvilPea oh that scheme looks fantastic![/quote]
We’ve done it for a couple of years and I never fail to get excited by them hatching. It’s beautiful.

@Bumblingalong30s oh and thank you for replying!! I’ve been intrigued what actual bee people think of them!!

@EvilPea the Omlet ones look good... how do you feel they would be easier to use? For me the harder parts of beekeeping are working out what to do if your hive becomes queenless, carrying out swarm control, knowing what to do if you spot disease.

I love love love bees. But I have a beekeeper friend and talking to her has convinced me that just like other animals, they are a lot of work and need a very committed keeper.

There is a place near us with an observation hive we go to for our fix.