Wishin'
Deeply Rooted
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flow-hive-honey-on-tap-directly-from-your-beehive
I would get one in a heartbeat if I had the money.
I would get one in a heartbeat if I had the money.
Amazing new invention
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Beekissed
Garden Master
That's what the beekeeper purists are afraid of with this thing...that folks would get such a thing, thinking the bees don't need much tending at all and that they could just pull out honey as much and as often as they liked, without considering what was best for the hive.
I'll admit, it's pretty slick....but a person would have to use it with judiciousness.
I'll admit, it's pretty slick....but a person would have to use it with judiciousness.
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- #3
Wishin'
Deeply Rooted
I am aware that beekeeping wouldn't be as simple as they make it seem, it is the saving you from the processing bit that appeals to me. Yes you would still need to monitor your hive, and it's health, still wait for the appropriate times to harvest the honey, and be careful about how much you take, and how often.
And as far as "purist" who cares!
Something like this could make bees as common as chickens in the backyard. Sure most people jump in with no clue, and some people do things all wrong, fail, and give up. BUT the majority of people end up learning, loving, and promoting their chickens even when they find out things are harder than they thought. The more people on board the more people get together, sharing and teaching, communities are built. People begin keeping and breeding chickens, several breeds of chickens are not extinct and are moving up from their endangered status. Are there bumps long the road? YES! Do birds, sometimes whole flocks end up dying? YES! But many people are more aware of where their eggs and meat come from, and tremendous strides have been taken in the direction of the animals treatment, and preservation.In the long run it is a positive movement that betters the life of both the animals and people.
Bees are not common, and they are suffering right now. If they became a common backyard hobby, the same thing would happen. Some bees would die, colonies would collapse, under the care of first time bee keepers. But in the long run, many people would come to love the hobby, and it's benifits, wether it is for the pollination, honey, wax ect. They would promote thier breed(s) of bees, their products, and their results, building a supportive and educational comunity. And in time the bee populations would thrive. That is a positive thing, and much needed.
And as far as "purist" who cares!
Something like this could make bees as common as chickens in the backyard. Sure most people jump in with no clue, and some people do things all wrong, fail, and give up. BUT the majority of people end up learning, loving, and promoting their chickens even when they find out things are harder than they thought. The more people on board the more people get together, sharing and teaching, communities are built. People begin keeping and breeding chickens, several breeds of chickens are not extinct and are moving up from their endangered status. Are there bumps long the road? YES! Do birds, sometimes whole flocks end up dying? YES! But many people are more aware of where their eggs and meat come from, and tremendous strides have been taken in the direction of the animals treatment, and preservation.In the long run it is a positive movement that betters the life of both the animals and people.
Bees are not common, and they are suffering right now. If they became a common backyard hobby, the same thing would happen. Some bees would die, colonies would collapse, under the care of first time bee keepers. But in the long run, many people would come to love the hobby, and it's benifits, wether it is for the pollination, honey, wax ect. They would promote thier breed(s) of bees, their products, and their results, building a supportive and educational comunity. And in time the bee populations would thrive. That is a positive thing, and much needed.
so lucky
Garden Master
I guess anything that ends up increasing the population of honeybees would be a good thing. At least the bees could swarm if they are not happy with the care they are getting.
Did you see on the news about that semi crash in California where millions of bees were so angry and out of control they had to be destroyed? So sad, and so expensive!
Did you see on the news about that semi crash in California where millions of bees were so angry and out of control they had to be destroyed? So sad, and so expensive!
Beekissed
Garden Master
I guess I'm just not seeing what you are seeing with the chickens....all I read and all I see are folks not learning much at all and chickens still dying like flies because they refuse to learn. I don't think the whole backyard chicken craze has helped poultry at all...not even a little bit. No more than puppy mills or backyard dog breeding helps dog breeds.
Just because something becomes more popular and more folks are trying it on for size, it doesn't always follow that it's better for the "something". I see a huge amount of suffering in flocks because this new breed of flock owners will not kill a bird when it's suffering and they equate medicine and more and richer foods with good animal care.
If folks didn't get into beekeeping before this magical invention, I think it's not likely they will get fully into it WITH the invention. Simply because someone made it easier to get honey from a hive, it doesn't follow that folks will really get into beekeeping to preserve bees...it just means a lot of folks who are too lazy to do real beekeeping will purchase such a thing because it's the new novelty and they think they can get honey without work. Just like trying to get eggs without learning and doing the work of good flock tending.
Yeah, there just might be a few folks who persist and learn and do, but at what cost? What cost to the animals, bees, etc.? What new diseases will they cause because they want to medicate everything that moves simply because they think that equates good care?
It's the purists that stick and stay and learn and progress, not the people who jump on a fad and ride it until they get tired or the fad is dead. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the purists, they are paramount to most things worth doing or having.
Carol Dee
Garden Master
I saw that and thought COOL! But the price was enough to make me say. NOPE. A person would have to be real careful not to take off more honey than the hive can spare. They need honey to winter over.
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Wishin'
Deeply Rooted
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PhilaGardener
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They asked for $70,000 and got $11,488,000 (and counting). Now that's amazing! 
journey11
Garden Master
I had read an article on this some time back, but didn't have any idea how it worked and thought it was a hoax at first. The video helped with that, showing the inner workings. Considering that it takes like 8 pounds of honey for the bees to make one pound of wax, if they'll be happy using the plastic frames, that would save them a lot of work.
I agree that people would need to be careful not to take too much honey from the bees. There would still be some other maintenance they would need to do (i.e. splits to prevent losing all of your bees to swarming, monitoring and treating for pests in the hive.) They'd still need to study up and know their bees.
I like the idea of a topbar hive for several reasons, but one thing that never clicked for me is that you have to destroy all of that comb to get the honey. This thing could be more efficient in that way since they don't have to build back the comb. Other than the sticky hassle of harvesting supers, the Langstroth hive is hard to improve on. Might be neat to have one of these just for a honey super though. It's an idea worth playing with.
I agree that people would need to be careful not to take too much honey from the bees. There would still be some other maintenance they would need to do (i.e. splits to prevent losing all of your bees to swarming, monitoring and treating for pests in the hive.) They'd still need to study up and know their bees.
I like the idea of a topbar hive for several reasons, but one thing that never clicked for me is that you have to destroy all of that comb to get the honey. This thing could be more efficient in that way since they don't have to build back the comb. Other than the sticky hassle of harvesting supers, the Langstroth hive is hard to improve on. Might be neat to have one of these just for a honey super though. It's an idea worth playing with.
Beekissed
Garden Master
I think that's the whole point of the top bar hives....so they can make new comb. What they are finding out about the honey from the Langs is that there is a build up of pesticides after using the same comb over and over..and this can harm the pupae. Most health inspectors are advising to change out combs every 3-5 yrs due to this.
With the TBHs, one can rehang comb after uncapping it, or not, it's their choice. Just takes a gentle handling of the comb to hang some of it back on a bar.
With the TBHs, one can rehang comb after uncapping it, or not, it's their choice. Just takes a gentle handling of the comb to hang some of it back on a bar.
