I thought inexpensive for what seems like a self contained easy start type thing, but of course there are always cheaper options but then this I think is aimed at a particular (ie less rustic) "clientele"
& yes, you have Blue Peter written all over you 
I thought that it looked expensive, plasticy, gimmicky and, from what I've seen of the specs, would be more fiddly to manage than a conventional hive. But, as has been discussed on here before, Downsizers are probably not the target audience for almost anything that anyone sells (unless it's tractors, yarn or grass-fed beef).
Tavascarow
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Horizontal hives stress the bees less than a conventional vertical hive, but plastic will degrade with time, is non sustainable & non repairable.
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Midland Spinner
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Horizontal hives stress the bees less than a conventional vertical hive, but plastic will degrade with time, is non sustainable & non repairable. |
It's not horizontal though, it's two brood bodies side by side & it has mini supers to go on top. (Mini supers because they've made them half the size 'to make it easier to lift') 
mochasidamo
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Horizontal hives stress the bees less than a conventional vertical hive, but plastic will degrade with time, is non sustainable & non repairable. |
Horizontal hives do not stress the bees less...or bees would surely nest in fallen trees and place their honey to the side. They do not.
But we agree on the plastic 
Mistress Rose
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We had a look at these a few years ago because some members of the beekeepers association had either bought them or were thinking of buying. Look fine, if expensive, as long as everything is going well, but if you get EFB or AFB, there are some rubber bits that wouldn't be cleanable. Assume you can get some spray for the plastic, but otherwise anything that is normally sterilised by scorching would have to be disposed off.
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mochasidamo
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....and something rarely considered by the urban beekeeper: the cost of specialist removal and incineration as there will often be nowhere to build a firepit, Beehaus, tbh, or box...
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dan1
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It's basically a plastic version of the Robin Dartington long deep hive (I think he helped/sold them the design). It has some of the advantages of HTBH and conventional hives.
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Tavascarow
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Horizontal hives stress the bees less than a conventional vertical hive, but plastic will degrade with time, is non sustainable & non repairable. |
Horizontal hives do not stress the bees less...or bees would surely nest in fallen trees and place their honey to the side. They do not.
But we agree on the plastic It's easier to work a single storey hive & less stressful on the bees.
Having to remove all the upper boxes which contain most of their stores to get to the brood & queen definitely causes confusion & disorientation in the hive.
I would never work a vertical hive without smoke & veil, but the horizontal hives I've inspected (Kenyan TBH & Dartington) have been easy working from one end to the other, nearly always without any smoke or veil.
Midland Spinner
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Horizontal hives stress the bees less than a conventional vertical hive, but plastic will degrade with time, is non sustainable & non repairable. |
Horizontal hives do not stress the bees less...or bees would surely nest in fallen trees and place their honey to the side. They do not.
But we agree on the plastic It's easier to work a single storey hive & less stressful on the bees.
Having to remove all the upper boxes which contain most of their stores to get to the brood & queen definitely causes confusion & disorientation in the hive.
I would never work a vertical hive without smoke & veil, but the horizontal hives I've inspected (Kenyan TBH & Dartington) have been easy working from one end to the other, nearly always without any smoke or veil.
It's not a horizontal hive - there are supers - scroll down the link page, there's a diagram. It's the worst of both worlds.
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