// BETTER BEEKEEPING
Commercial Apiary
For the commercial apiarist, we understand that healthy bees mean more than just honey. Recognising their crucial role in providing sustainable pollination services to many agricultural and horticultural industries, we want to do our part in helping new and existing colonies thrive.
Working closely with the industry and our sister business – Nuplas Construction Supplies – we have produced an alternative and innovative approach to beekeeping that streamlines current traditional processes. Using the standard Langstroth dimensions, our plastic hives and products can seamlessly integrate into your current procedures with minimal disruption to your apiary.
Bees mean a lot more to the world than just honey.
As apiarists know, bees also provide sustainable methods to pollenate commercial agricultural crops. The commercial industry understands the importance of healthy bee colonies and sustainability in trying to turn around the decline of the global bee population. We get that, and we want to help!
The industry to date, has traditionally used timber for their hives. But here at Nuplas Apiarist Supplies, we believe that plastic is the solution! Working closely with our sister business – Nuplas Construction Supplies – we have been producing injection moulding solutions for over 30 years. This has allowed us to seize an opportunity to offer an alternative and innovative approach to beekeeping.
We work closely with industry and we understand your process. As you can see from the infographic below of the pros and cons of plastic hives over timber hives – we have identified that plastic, given all of its positives, can actually streamline the current systematic process. Thus, saving time, man hours and labour costs, reducing maintenance, and greatly reducing disease and disruption to bee colonies.
Key features of the Nuplas plastic beehive over other traditional timber hives
Plastic Hives
PROS
- Low maintenance and little to no repair required
- Easy to assemble modules
- Made from recycled plastic
- Doesn’t rot
- Much longer product life cycle
+
- Much lower ongoing costs
- No painting required
- No wax dipping required
- Faster installation times
- Quicker speed to market
- Much higher resistance to disease
- UV resistant
- Long life cycle
- In stock & ready to dispatch
- Australian made
- Recyclable
- Sturdy and tough
- Integrates into current wooden systems seamlessly
- Standard industry configurations
(uses standard Langstroth system) - Termite proof
- Little disruption to colonies
- BPA free
Timber Hives
PROS
- Initial lower cost
- Easy to modify
- Natural materials
- Timber is always available
- Easy to repair
Plastic Hives
CONS
- Heavier
- Higher initial cost
- Slippery
- Harder to modify on site
Wooden Hives
CONS
- Constant high maintenance
- Easily damaged
- Long lead time to preparation
- Highly susceptible to rot and water/wood-borne disease
+
- Termites love timber beehives
- Hives have to be processed
- Requires painting and treatment
- Time consuming
- Higher disruption to bee colonies at maintenance period
Looking at our Process Comparison Infographic (below) it just makes sense!
The risk to your business and transition is minimal and no different to putting in a timber hive. Our proven system and products use the standard Langstroth dimensions, so our hives can seamlessly integrate into your current processes with minimal disruption.
Over a short time, you will see a faster speed to market, happier bee colonies, more time for your staff to do what they do best, greatly reduced running costs, and elimination of major maintenance tasks such as painting, treatments and timber repairs. Because of this, we think it’s time to change your perspective.
// Assumptions: 1 person labour @ $25.00/hour
// Inclusions: purchase price, materials cost.
// Not included: freight, warehousing and transport of decommissioned hives, recommissioning and transport of hives, disruption of colonies, branding and labelling hives, wax coating foundation or plastic frames as these two cancel one another out.