Beekeeping Invention Potentially Makes Beekeeping 1000x Cheaper!

I just discovered this incredible invention on Indiegogo, and it is going to change the world of beekeeping, and open up the possibilities for individual/amateur beekeeping to thousands of people.

The concept is called "Flow Hive" and it allows you to harvest honey from the hive directly, ON TAP! There's no need to smoke the Bee's anymore, there's no need to purchase insanely expensive equipment anymore, there's no need to spend hours harvesting by hand, there's no risk to the Bee's, and that makes them so much less defensive, that you probably don't even need to buy a beekeeping suit!

This is ALL the equipment you need, and their concept costs less than a standard beehive.



The Indiegogog campaign raised nearly $12.5 MILLION, and I'm going to be all over it once it's made available. Here's their video explaining how it works.



So, would this invention convince you to be an amateur beekeeper (or even get into the industry on a larger scale)?

The only thing you save with this style of beehive is the "honey extractor" which is about $500.00, and this beehive is NOT cheaper than a normal beehive, it is actually about double the cost of a Langstroff beehive.

Your title is INACCURATE and overly optimistic.

I have 2 of these hives and I have laid out almost $3000.00 just to get started.

a reply to: Ghost147

Human ingenuity saves the planet. More people will keep bees, helping to reverse the decline in populations.

Guarding the hives to prevent theft by people and bears might require more secure containers to keep the honey in, though.

a reply to: PerceptiveOne

Ive been looking into these hives too, so thanks for the heads up on the cost.

a reply to: PerceptiveOne

Hmmm, Did you purchase there product from them directly (or have an older model? The cost for the "extractor" part is only $259, and the total hive is $699

Source

Great find, thanks for sharing.

Does this mean honey is vegan-friendly now?

a reply to: Ghost147

I purchased directly from Flow Hive, and I live in Canada, so an extra 30% in exchange.

With the Flow Hive you still need all the gear, suit, some frames already started, tools, extra boxes, extra frames, wintering items, feeding systems for fall, etc.

All together, as I said, i have spend almost $3000.00 Canadian dollars to get setup.

I can get a Langstroff hive in Canada for about $300.00 and extractor, as you said, $250 on the cheap, or about $500 for a good one.

The best savings is the extractor and all the work to get your honey, time to extract, time to cleanup, etc.

I still believe that the Flow Hive is the way to go, but will find out this coming season.

I also think, that this is a very good to get more people involved in bee keeping, but there is a lot of negativity from existing bee keepers due to change and the unknown.

You still have to care for your hive as you would with any bee hive.

Cheers

a reply to: PerceptiveOne

Cool, good to know.

I can completely understand the caution the current beekeepers are taking. Fortunately, they can test this concept out on their existing hives, and still do it on a small scale thanks to their separate cartridges.

You should definitely post your findings here once the season is done

a reply to: Ghost147

I'm not a beekeeper, (at least not yet) but these flow hives look like a great concept with the potential to make small scale beekeeping attractive, affordable and beneficial to backyard enthusiast everywhere.

I love honey and I use it daily to sweeten my morning coffee which I also believe helps my resistance to allergies.

Locally produced honey isn't always easy to find and it's not cheap either. I'd definitely consider getting a couple of those hives.

a reply to: Flatfish

Actually, but adding honey to a "hot" beverage actually kills the bacteria, and positive traits that make honey a natural healing food.

a reply to: PerceptiveOne

I like dipping apple slices in honey. I need to find more uses for honey now, definitely going to get one of these when I have the funds to do so.

originally posted by: PerceptiveOne
a reply to: Flatfish

Actually, but adding honey to a "hot" beverage actually kills the bacteria, and positive traits that make honey a natural healing food.

I didn't know that. Thanks for enlightening me.

From now on, I'll just take my teaspoon of honey straight up!

Well, that and I kinda like it with peanut butter and on biscuits too.

You'll never successfully keep bees if the only time you go into the hive is to collect honey. Beekeeping doesn't work like that. You need to manage for disease and inspect the brood boxes, feed Spring and Fall, add candy or sugar in early winter, manage the queen's health and swarming... I defy you to do that without a bee suit. What if you want comb honey? Sorry, may work in some specific instances but I'm not thinking it is an economical alternative to traditional beekeeping.

a reply to: jtma508

You sound really knowledgable about bees! Please start a thread if you ever have time. I live on the East Coast of Canada and my one foray into beekeeping was unsuccessful, I think mostly because I sourced my bees from "down the road" , and they quickly mosied on home.

a reply to: Ghost147

simply increasable . Thanks op S&F ...I want ,I want .....got to get :>) honey ..mmmmmmm

a reply to: jtma508

That is one of the misconceptions about the flow hive, the nay Sayers always assume that people aren't going to check their hives.

The truth of the matter is that no matter what kind of hive you have, you have to look after the hive no different than any other hive. Maintenance is a must.

People who assume that they are just going to get honey without any maintenance are going to learn quickly that their colonies will either die or collapse.

You can get comb honey, then you'll need the extractor, and you don't have to use all flow frames, you can use normal frames if you want comb honey.

Why is it people always assume the worst.

Any New Bee Keeper needs to be educated on what is required and needed.

a reply to: Atsbhct
I've only been keeping bees for 4yrs. It's difficult getting started and those of us in cold climates have additional challenges. The only thing that would cause a hive to abscond (abandon the hive as opposed to swarming which is a splitting of the hive) would be environmental challenges: too sunny or not sunny enough location, lack of a suitable nearby water source, poor hive ventilation (i.e., moisture in the hive),something pestering the hive, etc. My first season I had one hive abscond in the fall because of a small hive beetle infestation I just couldn't get under control. There are tons of great online sources of beekeeping information as well as local clubs. I'm in New England so the frigid winters are a huge challenge. One thing I did that immensely improved my success was to build 'hive cozys' out of rigid insulation board. I covered the outside with black roof felt. These assemble around the entire hive right to the ground. I also built a replacement outer cover that is insulated and also covered with black roof felt. This helps the bees keep the hive warmer through the winter. Remember, when it's below zero they still have to keep the inside temperature above 90 deg F with very little fluctuation (90-95degF). Any help they can get will improve the odds they'll make it through the winter. That and sufficient food will decide whether the girls will be there ready to work in the Spring.

originally posted by: jtma508
I defy you to do that without a bee suit.

I'm not sure how to show the video directly in the post. You don't NEED a suit. Albeit I would want one, its not specifically needed.
www.youtube.com...
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Happy beekeeping

a reply to: PerceptiveOne
The OP suggested you probably wouldn't need a bee suit implying there would be no reason to enter the hive. I was pointing out why that is not the case. And at ~$600 flow hive supers are pretty pricey. You can't just pop flow frames into a standard super.

a reply to: ApparentlyStupid
yea... I know there are beekeepers that can do hive maintenance without a suit or gloves. Go ahead, do it... have someone record it. I'd love to watch.