I can't talk for the bees yet, but the hive looks beautiful and seems really well made and functional. The only reason for the 3 stars is that the stand delivered was made of Pine instead of Cedar and this was not agreed before delivery. The quality of the pine seems good but this should have been discussed. After oiling the outside of the hive the cedar takes on a lovely golden colour and the pine doesn't, it looks a mismatch. For such an ornamental hive (that's what this is in reality) these details matter and should be addressed.
Well made and great hives! Highly recommended. We are using these hives in a wheelchair accessible apiary we have built to help more of our local community get into beekeeping
We previously had a top bar hive because my wife cannot lift supers and this is 'her' hive. The top bar was great but it was difficult for my wife to inspect the comb on the bars in summer because the bar must be held perfectly horizontal or the comb can fall off - this happened once and it was enough to put us off the top bar.
This hive has frames so the honeycomb is well supported. The mesh floor with varroa boards underneath allows quick and easy varroa counts if needed. The construction is solid and you can feel how sturdy the whole hive is. Plenty of space for up to twenty brood frames in each half so lots of space for the bees to build and grow.
A great hive.
The two colonies in my long hive were installed last September and have thrived over the winter, far better than in the National hives that I have used for last 60 years. I changed because I wanted to have less lifting as I get older. The hive was comfortable to use from the onset and the two colonies settled in quickly. One colony was small, covering only 7 brood frames going into winter. It managed well through the winter and I gave it a litre of fondant in February. Both colonies are flourishing in early April - lovely clean brood frames, no chalk brood, no wax moth. I did not put on any insulation, and I was very pleased that there was no condensation. Quick checks in winter were easy - just lift the lid to see all is well.
I am looking forward to extracting honey from the National brood -size frames next month. Two challenges lie ahead. 1. Moving the long hive to a new site. I shall put the colonies to the old square National brood boxes for the journey and take the long hive separately. 2. Making an artificial swarm. Again, use the old brood boxes for the unhatched queen (just as easy as using a nucleus box. So my tip is: keep some of your old gear.
The hive exceeded my expectations! Well made, robust and the finish (oil option) is excellent. Lid opens one-handed so managing the bees should be easy, looking forward to not having to heft heacy supers. The hive is an attractive piece in its own right, furniture that begs to be shown off rather than hidden away
Also looking forward to showing my granddaughter the bees through the trransparent crown boards!
The finish is great and the hive looks rather grand in its place. All nicely set up for the new colony!f
Matt and Dean have made and delivered a most amazing long hive to me. Everything about the hive is wonderfully joinered by true mastercraftsmen. In short, a work of art and highly recommended..
I am very pleased with the quality of construction of the hive. The customer service was excellent.
Thoughtfully designed, beautifully constructed, top quality hive. Not just perfect for the bees but an object of beauty in the apiary! Quick service, delivered on the dot. Built by incredibly experienced keepers who share my love of bees!
Great quality Cedar, but went for Oiling and Waterproofing Service as well...
Top Quality job, recent Heavy Rain just ran off and looks really good, first class accommodation for my Bees!
Love my hive as do the bees. Excellent quality. Only one suggestion- if you only have one colony or even if it expands into the second hive space, it’s not possible to turn the entrance piece of wood to block it unlike the older style National hives.
Looking forward to installing my British Black Bee Nucleus into my new Hyde Short Hive…. Fantastic build quality and delivered to my garden! Thanks Dean
A great product beautifully made. Mine arrived about a month ago and had been sitting empty in our orchard until last week when on return from holiday we discovered capped queen cells in our traditional national hive. So we split the hive and moved frames into the long hive for the first time. I love the fact that I can quickly lift the lid and have a quick peek at the bees through the perspex crown boards. The bees are doing very well so far. I'm no spring chicken, suffer from arthritis and struggle to lift things, the National hive has been loaned to me to help me to decide whether to take up beekeeping. I'm pretty certain that without the option to use a long hive I wouldn't be keeping bees for very long. So thank you Dean, Matt and the team for a superior well made hive and for giving me a chance to keep bees for hopefully many years.
Hyde hives are a very easy company to deal with. The hive is very well built and will suit its purpose just fine, although I don’t have bees in it just yet. Delivery was prompt and the driver courteous and helpful. Couldn’t ask for more really.
I think it’s great, I like the clear crown boards and the fact you can very quickly have a look at the bees without disturbing them. I would have liked queen excluders and dummy boards supplied with the hive or maybe to option to have them at extra cost.
Cedar should last for years untreated but opted for this extra as the hive would be very exposed before being finally positioned. Enhances the appearance of the wood.
This beautifully made long hive arrived safely after a long wait. Hopefully a bit of lateral thinking will allow me to keep bees for a few more years. Waiting for a warm spell to transfer over from a National. Thanks Matt, Dean and the team for a great product.
Good quality build. I have the short hive and it has been very easy to access, just lift the lid and you are in. Very good customer service.
I am very happy with my long hive. It looks really well made. I haven’t put any bees into it yet as it’s been too cold to transfer. I’m very keen to try it out though and see how it works. Excellent customer service and delivery.
Very well built long hive as it says on the box 8x5 frame queen rearing hive can’t wait to get bees into it and start using