Flow Hive - more info

[Dishmop]

maybe for you ???

my reason to keep bees, I do pest control for london underground, but of course, bees are not classed as pests, but without correct certification, a normal beekeeper would not be allowed on the live tracks, so it made sense to start keeping bees myself, rather than leaving them to a probable death

so, no, the flow hive does not go against any of my reasons for becoming a beekeeper

you could sell the bees you collect, or just give them away.

 

[wessexmario]

interesting that even though they've raised over $10M, now they're encouraging more donations by offering bee suits as an additional "perk".

It must be good to have a multi-million pound turnover business where you have no legal obligation to actually deliver anything.

 

[Dishmop]

interesting that even though they've raised over $10M, now they're encouraging more donations by offering bee suits as an additional "perk".

It must be good to have a multi-million pound turnover business where you have no legal obligation to actually deliver anything.

Rather like banking.

 

[BILL.HEARD]

During 50 years of beekeeping I have seen many gimmicks/ fads/ and so called new ideas but I'm afraid this beats most of them. there are a lot of people out there that are easily parted with there money which would be much better spent in educating themselves in proper beekeeping/nature and the environment.
Let us see an end to this thread A.S.A.P.

 

[oliver90owner]

Nah, let it run. Must be loads of comment when they disappear with all the proceeds.

 

[Erichalfbee]

now they're encouraging more donations by offering bee suits as an additional "perk".

Well, blow me down. You DO need a bee suit to turn on the tap, after all.

 

[einsteinagogo]

with 27,500 backers, they've not got enough bee suits, just 1,500! I'm sure that figure will increase...

"Founding supporter 2015" slogan on the pocket!

$94 USD

Flow™ Beekeeper Suits

Change Perk

These quality cotton beekeeper suits will ship complete with a Flow™ logo and "Founding supporter 2015" slogan on the breast pocket; lightweight, vented goatskin gauntlet beekeeping gloves, mesh veil and standard hive tool. We’re happy to offer them at a discounted rate for the rest of the campaign. Please see the instructions on this page for sizing. This Perk price includes $69 for the kit and $25 flat rate worldwide postage.

422 out of 1500 claimed

Estimated delivery: June 2015

They've not about the Flow™ logo and "Founding supporter 2015" on the hive tool or gloves yet!

 

[alldigging]

They've not about the Flow™ logo and "Founding supporter 2015" on the hive tool or gloves yet!

They're probably waiting for approval on a deal for a perfume. "Smells like Flow™"

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Nah, let it run. Must be loads of comment when they disappear with all the proceeds.

 

[pargyle]

Nah, let it run. Must be loads of comment when they disappear with all the proceeds.

Even if they don't there's a valuable commodity in a database of 27000 qualified punters ... scammers pay good money for an email list like that ...

Oh ... and before anyone tells me they are not qualified beekeepers .. that's not what I meant by qualified - I meant, they have the ability to buy and the money to pay.

And that's before they start leveraging the value in the Trade Mark ... Alldigging is not that far off the mark .. Flow bee food, Flow hive tools, Flow honey jars, Flow Honey labels, Flow anything you like ... People will be selling 'Genuine Flow Honey - untouched by human hand - straight out of the tap' .. at premium prices ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

For 'qualified punters ' read also 'gullible fools'

 

[pargyle]

For 'qualified punters ' read also 'gullible fools'

You forget ... in a past life I was sales & marketing ... I would have thought that someone with a business empire building on beeotards, bee leg warmers and Redwoods magic stones would recognise the immense value of these 'qualified punters' ?

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I'm not sure the Andersons are going to need to develop the brand - they've got $10m so after they've fulfilled their outstanding orders - probably some time in 2016, they'll probably never need to work again.

I don't think these guys are going to disappear into the sunset with all the money but they will come up against the harsh reality of the difference between making 100+ FlowHives, manufactured in Australia as per their original $70,000 bid, and 20,000+ hives manufactured in Australia, USA, Europe and elsewhere to cope with their $10m-worth or orders.

I also don't doubt that the Flow Hive mechanism in the super works as described - well-known beekeepers in USA, Canada and Australia say it works. The big question for us in the UK is will it work with Heather, OSR and Ivy type honeys. Will the internal temperature of the super keep the honey liquid enough to flow when the tap is turned - Dexter's Shed will tell us in due course!

I suspect the reason they're now offering beesuits is they realise they've concentrated too much on honey harvest and have not given enough emphasis to care of the brood box. Plus, they've realised how much money they're going to make and are a bit embarrassed at how many noughts will be on the end so they're trying to reduce their tax liability!

CVB

 

[Erichalfbee]

The big question for us in the UK is will it work with Heather, OSR and Ivy type honeys. Will the internal temperature of the super keep the honey liquid enough to flow when the tap is turned - Dexter's Shed will tell us in due course!

CVB

2 pages on it in May Beecraft.
They say they have no experience of OSR but they have encountered crystallised stores. Opening the mechanism where the honey has crystallised causes small cracks which the bees notice, eat the honey and replace it with more liquid honey.

Thixotropic honey can be extracted by repeatedly opening and shutting the frame. Maybe this stirs it up to make it liquid.

 

[pargyle]

I'm not sure the Andersons are going to need to develop the brand - they've got $10m so after they've fulfilled their outstanding orders - probably some time in 2016, they'll probably never need to work again.

CVB

Personally, I would sell it on ...

If they actually do get to the point where they can ship 27000 flow hives then they will probably hit the commercial reality that most (good) small and intermediate manufacturing industries (and $10m is only still an SME in UK terms) really only make between 5% and 10% NBT (Nett before Tax). Which means for what is going to be 2/3 years of hard work and hassle they are going to nett, at best, £1million US - sounds a lot ? Somewhere over £300k each ... that's barely a retirement fortune is it ??

What I would do is find someone in plastics manufacturing or beekeeping supplies - or both - sell the the whole kit and caboodle for whatever I could get for it .. agree a royalty deal on every one sold and let someone with the resources, labour and supply chain, know how and commercial expertise get on and do it. With all the attendant risks attached.

Because, as I said much earlier in this thread, it's one thing starting a small business producing a few hundred from scratch and running/servicing it - it's something else altogether scaling up to a multi point, international business. Even $10m does not go far when you have to employ other people - very easy to lose track of costs and LOSE money not make it. At present $10m is SALES ... they have to apply a lot of COSTS to get to a bottom line. SALES are VANITY ... PROFIT is SANITY.

I can well see that the sceptics on here would think the best option is for them to 'fail' before they get to that stage.... and bank what's left of the 'pledges'.

 

[pargyle]

Thixotropic honey can be extracted by repeatedly opening and shutting the frame. Maybe this stirs it up to make it liquid.

Might stir the bees up a bit as well ... no wonder they are going down the bee suit road ...

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Might stir the bees up a bit as well ... no wonder they are going down the bee suit road ...

Sit the hive on an industrial vibrating table - that WILL shake things up!

 

[madasafish]

Sit the hive on an industrial vibrating table - that WILL shake things up!

Microwave will sort out set honey.. Job done...

 

[Hivemaker.]

The twits have now bumped it up to.............

$10,005,889USD
raised of $70,000 goal

6 days left

It is getter better than before, faster, just over four days to raise another million.


$11,024,450USD
raised by 31,161 people in 1 month
3 days left

 

[Erichalfbee]

It must be all those bee suits they are selling. They need to add fancy engraved jars to collect the honey.