Sounds like a swarming disaster to me...

[Bcrazy]

I think its a fantastic idea just imagine a couple of these in the living room . What a cobversational piece it would make .Brilliant idea.

Mo

 

[Travelator]

I think its a fantastic idea just imagine a couple of these in the living room . What a cobversational piece it would make .Brilliant idea.

Mo

But not quite as brilliant as a proper living room observation hive, which is something that has been discussed here before.

Unless the kind of conversation you had in mind was a group of beekeepers indulging in an angry rant...

 

[user 6228]

jakethedog,

being 40ltrs, so what if it is? might be fine size for a swarm to seek out

You are quite right. Appears that some don't even consider that bees normally need extra space to store honey. 40l might keep the bees, without swarming, until perhaps the beginning of April!

RAB

possibly WE need them to have extra space to have more honey... From the bees point of view swarming is what its all about...
however on closer inspection it looks more like 50 -60 litres

 

[jakethedog]

possibly WE need them to have extra space to have more honey... From the bees point of view swarming is what its all about...

Can I suggest that you give my original post (which RAB commented on) some thought? RAB knows full well what I was saying.

Swarming is the reproductive mechanism of a honeybee colony; to be succesful at reproduction there is an obvious need to choose a nesting place which, in itself, will pressure the colony to reproduce (swarm) again -hence the comment on the widely toted 40lts...

There's an entire concurrent thread on bait hives and no one has addressed this....

But, that's effectively what you yourself are agreeing with...
a redundant issue, as I was dismissing the idea of having a 'managable' hive of that size.

 

[Firefly]

>>
Honey can be harvested by releasing smoke into the hive and opening the top cover
>>

Damn. And I made it such hard work! I'll do it that way next year

 

[user 6228]

Can I suggest that you give my original post (which RAB commented on) some thought? RAB knows full well what I was saying.

Swarming is the reproductive mechanism of a honeybee colony; to be succesful at reproduction there is an obvious need to choose a nesting place which, in itself, will pressure the colony to reproduce (swarm) again -hence the comment on the widely toted 40lts...

There's an entire concurrent thread on bait hives and no one has addressed this....

But, that's effectively what you yourself are agreeing with...
a redundant issue, as I was dismissing the idea of having a 'managable' hive of that size.

what I am supposed to be "agreeing with " you have not made clear.

Yes I agree smaller hives are suited to bees objectives of increasing their numbers... perhaps the idea of this design is not honey production but increased feral colonies and education.

And before you dismiss the "hive of that size" perhaps it would be better to know what that size actually was ? and as regards "manageble" what are the objectives of the hive design were? The are lots of different sized hives for different purposes.. nuc, observation hives, etc



IMHO I dont think this hive is intended for efficient honey production
imho the comb shown is a stage prop

Yours "so what" and "redundant" of Pamber heath

 

[jakethedog]

what I am supposed to be "agreeing with " you have not made clear.

OK, I was wrong, I thought that what you had written previously -and are now able to back up with the following statement

Yes I agree smaller hives are suited to bees objectives of increasing their numbers...

was a demonstration of your understanding of my original comment on the 'looks like 40ltr' reference, in the context that that comment was made. However, plainly, you still haven't got your head around the idea of agreeing with someone on certain points even if you disagree with their 'overall' oppinion.

And before you dismiss the "hive of that size" perhaps it would be better to know what that size actually was ? and as regards "manageble" what are the objectives of the hive design were? The are lots of different sized hives for different purposes.. nuc, observation hives, etc

I was dismissing anything of a hypothetical 40ltr capacity, however, I would freely dismiss any form of hive which offered no choice of supering or (as a minimum requirement) removal/exchange of brood comb (as per a standard observation hive as opposed to possibly random comb culling by inexperienced operators) to control swarming.

The objectives of the hive design are clearly outlined in the blurb, if we've all read it then there's no point in copy and pasting.

IMHO I dont think this hive is intended for efficient honey production
imho the comb shown is a stage prop

Well, at least I've learnt something today.

 

[user 6228]

jakethedog,
I havent got my head around what your objection is to my post... you seem angry, so be more direct...

the blurb seems to be just a journo commenting on a press release not a set of design objectives or even a description with any useful detail "content free"

 

[JamezF]

Looking at the pictures and reading the text on the Philips site and on their feedback site, I'd estimate that the entire unit is probably 20 litres in volume at the most. The area the designers appear to believe the bees will actually live looks more like five litres. My reading of the text published by Philips suggests to me that they expect the owners to be able to harvest both honey and wax from the hive.

To my way of thinking it looks like an "observation nuc" where the population of bees could never get large enough to sustain itself, let alone swarm, with no provision for feeding them, no way to clean it, no obvious way to introduce bees, and no way to harvest anything without letting bees out all over the house.

It's not unattractive, but it looks like it was designed by someone whose closest encounter with bees was having a hive described to him down a crackly phone line by someone speaking in a language he's not used since he was at school twenty years ago.

If it were possible for people to keep bees well in an urban situation with something like this I'd think it was great, but I can't see any self-respecting scout bee finding this and tearing off back to the hive to tell all her mates what a fantastic place to live she's just found.

James

 

[drfraz]

After describing the Phillips hive to my bees while fitting mouseguards this morning. Several of them, obviously enamoured with the idea of contempary urban living, followed me home.
One puff of smoke later...
I have a house full of smoke & irrate bees, 1 sting, an even more irrate girlfriend & a smoke alarm that won't shut up!
Strangely no honey as yet....

 

[rockdoc]

Drfraz, well done, the best reply yet to this bonkers idea. I think the less said about it the better.