Flow Hive - more info

[madasafish]

and i have my bet on who will head that post ..what do i do now .how do i do this .it don't flow like the film said...which way do i turn the key.

And the owners will get very upset when someone suggests they should learn about bees and beekeeping before buying one...

 

[inthewoods]

And the owners will get very upset when someone suggests they should learn about bees and beekeeping before buying one...

according to the owner's you don't need anything .suit smoker ..brain's .

 

[Anduril]

and i have my bet on who will head that post ..what do i do now .how do i do this .it don't flow like the film said...which way do i turn the key.

Turn the key the wrong way and bees get covered in honey. Or the frames jammed it is permanently open. The durability of the frames are unknown.

 

[madasafish]

I am sure the frames will be durable enough. What I would worry about is wax cappings getting stuck between the comb sides and preventing a proper seal when closed or fouling up the cells..

 

[user 3509]

Or bees keeping squashed as the frames close - which could lead to disease.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

The cells are too deep for brood.

But not for pollen.

 

[alanf]

Just put on another couple of thousand, seems to take about ten minutes. Averaging over a quarter million a day....fascinating to just watch money rolling in like that

Late Sunday afternoon, early evening in the US. Prime time for shopping on places like ebay too.

It sets up something of a dilemma. The basic plan was for a few tens of thousands to set up manufacturing in Australia. Now think of the seasons there and that's six months before an Australian would be installing them. Now they have millions being pumped into the product and mostly from US and Europe. The new investors want them NOW, or in a month or two. It does indicate deliveries of a hive in December 2015, but is that enough and how many have worked out it's mid 2016 before they can try them? Also the manufacturing scale has changed completely, a local engineering firm could maybe take on the original scale manufacturing but the new scale is going to need major investment in premises, equipment and people. Economies of working on a different scale should probably involve a rethink of the design from a manufacturer's angle.

I really hope it works. However, more likely is a lot of angry people when deliveries are short. Another possibility is a major investment to build the things in quantity that will have to be written off when (as many suspect) it takes a lot more work to operate and clean them than the brochure suggests.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Or bees keeping squashed as the frames close - which could lead to disease.

I don't envisage how this could happen very easily, while the frames are in the open position to drain the honey the bees could not get into them at all, because of the narrow gap created, plus the cappings, and with just a quick turn of the rod they are quickly in the closed position again, ready to be refilled after the bees have repaired the cells.

The only way bees could get trapped is if someone was to turn it to the drain position before the cells are sealed and the bees were still working nectar in the cells....but your not supposed to be draining uncapped honey with these frames.

 

[midnight sun]

I don't envisage how this could happen very easily, while the frames are in the open position to drain the honey the bees could not get into them at all, because of the narrow gap created, plus the cappings, and with just a quick turn of the rod they are quickly in the closed position again, ready to be refilled after the bees have repaired the cells.

The only way bees could get trapped is if someone was to turn it to the drain position before the cells are sealed and the bees were still working nectar in the cells....but your not supposed to be draining uncapped honey with these frames.

But how would you know if you are not inspecting the hive or even looking in the hive? (That seems to be the idea from what I've read on here.) Another possible problem do you think, 'uncapped honey'/ nectar?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Late Sunday afternoon, early evening in the US. Prime time for shopping on places like ebay too.

It sets up something of a dilemma. The basic plan was for a few tens of thousands to set up manufacturing in Australia. Now think of the seasons there and that's six months before an Australian would be installing them. Now they have millions being pumped into the product and mostly from US and Europe. The new investors want them NOW, or in a month or two. It does indicate deliveries of a hive in December 2015, but is that enough and how many have worked out it's mid 2016 before they can try them? Also the manufacturing scale has changed completely, a local engineering firm could maybe take on the original scale manufacturing but the new scale is going to need major investment in premises, equipment and people. Economies of working on a different scale should probably involve a rethink of the design from a manufacturer's angle.

I'm sure they'll be thinking hard about this as they shovel the cash into a couple of suitcases and hurry to catch their plane to Rio!

 

[Hivemaker.]

I'm sure they'll be thinking hard about this as they shovel the cash into a couple of suitcases and hurry to catch their plane to Rio!

Don't think they will rush off too fast, they have almost made another quarter million since my post last night.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Don't think they will rush off too fast, they have almost made another quarter million since my post last night.

Oh ye of little faith. I was trying to get an aussi take on this invention and found a post from a guy who was involved on the fringes of the development of the product - see http://canberraurbanhoney.com/2015/02/22/my-take-on-the-flow-hive-invention/

I get the impression that the developers are not fly-by-night scammers but serious and well-known-locally beekeepers. They probably would have been content with their original $70,000 target but $4 million brings a whole load more problems! Lack of project management skills rather than dishonesty is more likely to be their downfall.

CVB

 

[thebeeman]

All look very nice in the ideal world but !!

look at the video do you see bees flying while the jars are being filled?
NO

Do you see other beehives in the area?
NO

In the real world the jars would be absolutely covered in robbing bees wasp and anything else that fancied dipping in. The little girl would be murdered by 1000s of angry bees and a dead child does not make a very good advert when your trying to sell a dream

You only see the perfect world just like a new beek who has never had bees but wanted bees would imagine as they danced down the garden on Christmas day to turn on the gold tap to top up a jar for there breakfast crumpets.

 

[Hivemaker.]

...

What a wonderful invention, take away the boring chore of extracting

Oh ye of little faith.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Oh ye of little faith.
I get the impression that the developers are not fly-by-night scammers but serious and well-known-locally beekeepers.
CVB

....who have just seen a crowd of naiive urbanites dying to keep bees and ripe for the picking.
Antipodeans, manuka and the rest of the world's mugs come to mind

 

[Gilberdyke John]

All look very nice in the ideal world but !!

look at the video do you see bees flying while the jars are being filled?
NO

Do you see other beehives in the area?
NO

In the real world the jars would be absolutely covered in robbing bees wasp and anything else that fancied dipping in. The little girl would be murdered by 1000s of angry bees and a dead child does not make a very good advert when your trying to sell a dream

You only see the perfect world just like a new beek who has never had bees but wanted bees would imagine as they danced down the garden on Christmas day to turn on the gold tap to top up a jar for there breakfast crumpets.

Wasn't it an Oz beek who waxed fanciful about queens coming up to the top of the frames and sitting on his finger during his manipulations? Last year if my memory serves correctly

 

[Anduril]

Will the plastic have estrogenic properties. As most plastics tested even BPA free have some leaching. Allegedly.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Will the plastic have estrogenic properties. As most plastics tested even BPA free have some leaching. Allegedly.

So does this mean they won't be any good to use if it doesn't.

 

[Anduril]

They would feminise males, cancer and other ailments. Scientific work up to 2009. If it doesn't contain these properties then it would be safe.

 

[Hivemaker.]

They would feminise males, cancer and other ailments. Scientific work up to 2009. If it doesn't contain these properties then it would be safe.

They have a messaging system set up, do you think it would be a good idea to contact them, find out what they are using, and alert them of these potential problems?