# General beekeeping > Starting out >  plastic hives

## hypostatic

Hi all, Ive got a couple of Smith hives and im getting my first bees next weekend, yeeha. However one of my friends is now starting to sell plastic hives in scotland.

NOw i know a lot of traditional peeps will say no to plastic and stuff and thats fair enough.

But i was wondering, do any of you know of someone who has used a plastic hive and who has given a fair apraisal of them? 

heres a link: http://apimaye.co.uk/index.php?page=...mart&Itemid=36

Would be nice to know.

Dave

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## Neils

When you say plastic I think of the beehaus, but you're linking to what I think of as a polystyrene hive (Turkish one by the looks of it). There are a number of threads discussing the merits and/or downsides of various poly hives, but I don't believe anyone is using that particular make. I did look at it when it first came out, but I've too much invested in national gear to switch to langstroth.

The main thread discussing poly hives generally can be found here and I think that ignoring specific hives and the whole debate of wood vs poly that most people feel that bees do better in them.

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## Dark Bee

Smith hives are an excellent choice, either made from wood or polystyrene. The hive type you linked to seems to be made of plastic and appears to be something from a science fiction movie with an embarrassed budget. It is also a langstroth which means you will be mixing hive types which for a beginner with only a few hives is a receipe for disaster.
Those hives were probably made in China for £2 or £3 each and they are being sold here for more than a properly constructed hive would cost, I have seen them on eBay and in my view they are best left alone.
Is your post an advertising stunt by any chance? If I am wrong I humbly and sincerely apologise.

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## madasafish

I saw ads for the Thermo hive three years ago. Discussions on BKF suggests it has been a commercial flop - and there have been criticisms of its design.

A couple were advertised for months secondhand on ebay and elsewhere by users who wanted to recoup much of their outlay - no-one bought. Consensus was: avoid due to price/design.

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## hypostatic

nope not a stunt, am thinking of getting one, so apology accepted but no apology needed :-)

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## Dark Bee

> nope not a stunt, am thinking of getting one, so apology accepted but no apology needed :-)


These hives consist of a plastic outer cover and the hollow centre is filled with foam of some sort. The UV rays will make the plastic brittle in no time and there will be no end of bits and pieces to break/fall off and "go Missing". The hive designers also seem to have forgotten the existence of propolis!
The hives were a commercial flop, as very few were sold and virtually none to experienced beekeepers. It is inevitable that there is an unsold stockpile of these hives somewhere. That is where I thought you might be coming from, so again apologies.
I am always reluctant to tell someone what to do, but in my opinion you should:
1. Leave these plastic langstrots where they are.
2. Only use one hive type.
3. If at all possible use local native bees.
4. If there is a beekeeping association near you, do join it.

Good luck with the beekeeping!

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## Mellifera Crofter

Hypo, that hive looks like trouble to me.  Looking at Image 17 I can see that the hive has a plastic shell with some sort of foam or polystyrene inside it.  Polystyrene on its own works fine.  You don't need a hive with a plastic shell.  

The fact that it is so ugly shouldn't matter, but in this case I think it should be a warning.  It is fussy and unnecessarily ornate with wee pretendy wooden slats on the outside.

With so many moving parts I think you'll soon find bits broken and not functioning properly.  I can also see that it has castellated runners.  Is that something you might want?

I think stay with your Smiths.
Kitta

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## brothermoo

In the description one of the bullet points says "queen bee condition indicator" ...what is that meant to be?

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## Adam

I think it's just a sort of flag you set.

When the bee inspector has visited he has asked me to put a stone on the hives with virgins inside, which he doesn't inspect. That's MY queen condition indicator!

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## brothermoo

Ah right... Thought it was some sort of technological advancement I hadn't heard of  :Smile: 

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## Jon

You need a tinfoil hat with an Infra red connection. The queenright status is beamed directly into your head as you approach the hive. Never fails.

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## fatshark

Today I need a tinfoil sou'wester. Queenright or not is irrelevant. 
I'm buying some of those plastic hives as I reckon I could strap a few together and paddle down to the apiary.
Bloody weather  :Frown:

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## The Drone Ranger

fatshark
If you get one of the omlet beehaus hives you should be able to fit oars to it fairly easily

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## Dark Bee

> fatshark
> If you get one of the omlet beehaus hives you should be able to fit oars to it fairly easily


What a splendid example of thinking outside, erm, the beehive. A most innovative idea.

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## Jon

Probably cheaper to buy a proper boat and you could get it in a nicer colour as well.

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## Trog

Have you seen the price of plastic boats, Jon?  Astronomical!

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## Jon

Never had any great desire to take to the water Trog so I am blissfully unaware of the cost of boating!

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## madasafish

> Never had any great desire to take to the water Trog so I am blissfully unaware of the cost of boating!


But think of the hats you can wear.. and the shoes - and the cocktails...   I assume you mean a proper boat. Like these http://tinyurl.com/c8gu63k

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## Jon

Yea, one like that which does not require oars.

When I worked in Spain many years ago Don Fausto, the boss of the language school took some of us out on his (smallish) yacht. We were supposed to be sailing from Huelva down the coast and up the Guadalquivir river to Seville.
Sadly we were becalmed within a few miles and had to resort to drinking a carry out on the boat.
Wasn't a bad day.

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## sbamember2013

Hi hypostatic,
i only use polystyrene hive but  I am very interested in plastic hives. Apimaye looks vere good but very expensive and not interested in omlet. Do you know anything about thermoset?. i will be grateful if you could give me some information about your friends plastic hives as i might buy some,
many thanks
Peter

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## brecks

> Never had any great desire to take to the water Trog so I am blissfully unaware of the cost of boating!


Is that a quotation from the 'Wind in the Willows'? Perhaps Mole to Ratty?

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