There’s a reason that this comb looks nearly perfect. Credit: BREAT
Here’s something that I never thought anyone would manufacture. It’s fully-drawn comb, just the way bees would make it, if bees were machines.
I’m impressed with the technology, but I’m not sure how marketable these manufactured combs will be. Perhaps beekeepers who operate in regions with cool, short seasons (like Iceland?) would want ready-made new comb so their bees wouldn’t need to draw out foundation. Also, beekeepers who are starting packages on all new equipment or those expanding their hive count might become customers of the artificial beeswax drawn combs. It would depend, of course, on how much the combs cost.
The manufacturing company, a Spanish outfit called BREAT says its motivation is
“…to focus on the renovation of honeycomb without any chemicals, which translates into a much healthier beehives. One of our main concerns is to preserve the environment in order to allow the bees to produce an exceptional honey.
“Our challenge has been to invented a machine that make honeycombs like bees and we have achieved that. The benefit of using these honeycombs is absolutely unbelievable, as it improve productivity of bees. Now they don’t have to making wax for building honeycombs and they dedicate more time and resources to honey production. Bee colonies also benefit into a better environment for brood nest where our honeycombs provide epitome conditions cycle growth of bee.”
BREAT, which engineered this system, is trying to sell the machinery, not necessarily the finished combs. You would buy a big machine that looks like this:
To see the system in action, BREAT has released this video:
Bad Beekeeping Blog 
I notice they didn’t include a shot of any bees loving their comb.
Also, someone will be buying this to package their corn-syrup based honey knockoff in.
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Time to knock through a few walls in my home…
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Or move the family into a nice big warehouse. The machine could be a conversation piece when people visit.
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I find it somewhat expensive: a honeycomb Langstroth is worth € 5.3 (about 6 USD) a package of 8 Langstroth honeycombs = € 42.4 + € 10 shipping within Spain. With a little more I can buy a nuc
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Thanks, I was wondering about the price. That is expensive – it would cost about $60 US to fill one single deep Langstroth. I doubt the company is making much money – electricity, wax, maintenance, and especially amortized costs for the machinery would be rather great. However, even at $60, it might be useful for some operators.
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Hi, can you point me at where the comb is for sale please? Many thanks.
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Hi Jeremy,
I don’t know of any vendors, but the manufacturer is at http://www.breat.eu/. Contact them and they will likely tell you where to find the combs.
Ron
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I’m not saying it’s not a wonderful invention, but if there’s a market for the Flow Hive, then there’s probably a market for this.
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Sorry, Turkish is not one of my languages, but I’m glad that you enjoy this site and good luck with your products.
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BREAT comps are currently sold in stores in France and Spain. Below is a list of stores where you can purchase them.
Apimiels sarl
Ets Neviere
Apiz apiculture
Api Distribution
La tienda Apidroches (in Spain)
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Thanks. In the four years since I posted this, I wondered if the product was generally available. I purchased a single deep frame myself a few years ago. I haven’t used it in a hive, but show it in courses I teach. The product is remarkable. I can see great value in places like Iceland where the cost of drawing comb in a short cool season slows the bees.
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