FlowHive

General Discussion of Diary Posts and Questions on Beekeeping Matters
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Colino
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by Colino »

Charlies right there is one born every minute but those 2 Aussies will do really good because there are those types out there who have to have the latest gadget or doo dad. Even though after the 1st use it will be put in a corner of the storage shed and forgotten.
Colino
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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Charlie
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by Charlie »

They originally asked for $70,000 and are at $4,791,411 and 31 days to go. I guess I'm not smart enough to see the logic in buying this device, I do see the nearly 5 million logical reasons for selling the device.

Colino » "Charlies right there is one born every minute" Clearly the evidence above suggests there is more than 1 born every minute.

I could almost be jealous, however they may have already entered the realm where they become victims of their own success. Obviously demand seriously has surpassed anything they were expecting. They have raised nearly 70 times the amount of money they were expecting which could land them into a logistic nightmare. I'm speaking of quality control on the devices which are clearly on the finicky side by design or even shipping all of these orders internationally.

Truly I hope the father and son that design the "Flow Hive" have the best of intentions and are completely above board.
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Colino
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by Colino »

Charlie wrote:They originally asked for $70,000 and are at $4,791,411 and 31 days to go. I guess I'm not smart enough to see the logic in buying this device, I do see the nearly 5 million logical reasons for selling the device.

Colino » "Charlies right there is one born every minute" Clearly the evidence above suggests there is more than 1 born every minute.

I could almost be jealous, however they may have already entered the realm where they become victims of their own success. Obviously demand seriously has surpassed anything they were expecting. They have raised nearly 70 times the amount of money they were expecting which could land them into a logistic nightmare. I'm speaking of quality control on the devices which are clearly on the finicky side by design or even shipping all of these orders internationally.

Truly I hope the father and son that design the "Flow Hive" have the best of intentions and are completely above board.
What is happening sounds like the Oysters in Lewis Carrols "The Walrus and the Carpenter"

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.
Narcissism is easy because it's me or I, Empathy is hard because it's they or them.-Colino
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karen
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by karen »

A beekeeper I know received this from them. At the bottom of the email was the link to the page to give more money in support. They have exceed their starting price by far, when is enough a enough. I don't like that they are still asking for money when they have met their goal. It makes me think they are trying to so big so fast their going to crash.

"Hi everyone,

Wow! The ongoing response to Flow™ is amazing, and it’s so great to see that there are so many people out there that love bees as much as we do.

During all these years of development we have dreamt of Flow™ blossoming like this. Thanks so much for helping us make this a reality.

We’re getting a lot of questions about how we’re going to get enough Flow™ Hives built to satisfy the incredible demand that has sprung up almost overnight.

We just wanted to check in and let you know that the manufacturing process is well underway in Brisbane, Australia. In a few weeks we’ll be able to fulfil about a thousand orders a month and are working flat-out to expand that capacity as quickly as possible.

The Early Bird Early Delivery orders will be our first priority. Then we’ll be fulfilling perks in the order in which the pledges were made.

We’re also putting a lot of energy into providing the most cost-effective delivery options that we can as we gear up to the end of the campaign and start shipping your Flow™ hives.

We are confident we will fulfil the orders according to the “perk” timeframes on Indiegogo and if all runs smoothly we may be able to deliver even earlier than promised.

We have been lucky to have so many talented friends, family and industry experts able to drop what they were doing and work around the clock to get the ball rolling with Flow™.

There has been so many great questions and we are expanding the FAQs all the time at www.honeyflow.com and uploading videos to our YouTube channel. One of the most popular has been a bench test of a Flow™ Frame showing you how it all works and a close up view of what happens when the honey is harvested: http://youtu.be/ryWC92NT2Eo

We have also added some great “How it Works” diagrams to the Indiegogo page: http://bit.ly/1zZlnj8

Thanks again everyone! We’re really excited to be bringing Flow™ Hives to the world.

Cedar, Stu, and the Flow™ team"
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blarghammer
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by blarghammer »

What a bunch of grumpy, sad-sack, glum, Canucks!
"Bah! It'll never work. The only way anyone can keep bees is the way we do and that's because it's the way we've always done it this way."
"They fools! They're trying something different. They're doomed."
"I'm warning you...it's going to be a shipwreck and it will take the entire beekeeping world down with it."

How did you guys ever bring yourselves to access the Internet when letter writing had been working out so well for so long?

But the very best direct quote...."I have been thinking about this and concluded that -- assuming the device can actually be manufactured -- it will work under certain very specific conditions." Wow. Allen Dick has decided that it might work sometimes. Call the Aussies and give them the go ahead.

Pull yourselves the stink together. It's an idea. An idea that attracted enough support to go into production. And just like a million other ideas it won't be an unbroken vista of grace, light, unicorns and rainbows but it won't be the harbinger of the end-times either.

The are expensive. But as you say, sooner rather than later a bunch of the early adopters will figure out that they didn't want to keep bees in the first place and Flow hives and frames will start showing up on Craigslist and Ebay at big discounts. And are any of you guys so in love with lugging supers, uncapping frames and using the extractor that you wouldn't give these a shot at the right price?
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BadBeeKeeper
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by BadBeeKeeper »

I was tempted not to approve this post because it appears to have the sole purpose of being confrontational and argumentative, in a thread that died over a year ago which was comprised of comments that were made when little knowledge of the device was available- in short, the comments were mostly speculation and guesswork because of a dearth of information. However, I did approve it because it was not technically spam, though I am inclined to think I might regret doing so.

Allen and the others can speak for themselves in regard to your comments about them, if they wish to.
...sooner rather than later a bunch of the early adopters will figure out that they didn't want to keep bees in the first place and Flow hives and frames will start showing up on Craigslist and Ebay at big discounts. And are any of you guys so in love with lugging supers, uncapping frames and using the extractor that you wouldn't give these a shot at the right price?
As to your last comment, as has been discussed in other threads and on other sites, you are most likely correct as it pertains to Flowhives showing up for resale, as it seems to appear that many purchasers bought under the false impression that this device would eliminate -all- the work of beekeeping...which it most certainly does not do.

As to your last sentence, I will continue to harvest in the usual way and extract. I have given some thought to the Flowframes, independent of their pricing, and have concluded that they are not suitable for me at any price- even if they were free. They are mechanical devices, subject to breakage. They must still be lugged, and stored- one cannot simply leave them on the hives all winter...particularly here in the north where it can get mighty chilly (-25F) for extended periods. It seems to me that these devices will need to be disassembled and cleaned as well, with the net result that one is simply trading one type of work for another. I also cannot imagine conducting my bottling in the field, toting cases and cases of empty bottles over rough fields, filling them and toting them from hive to hive until I'm done. Running the process through in my head, I can see that it would take a significantly longer time than doing it the usual way.

I think that most of the previous comments in this thread were made by people with more than a few hives, and those folks probably find them unsuitable for similar reasons.

The casual, backyard beekeeper with only one or two hives might find the Flowhive to be a useful product, if they are not intending to collect a lot of honey for resale, where they don't want to purchase an extractor and go through the process just for a few jars of honey for themselves and some friends. But for those of us with commercial or semi-commercial operations they probably represent more work, effort and hassle than they are worth.
Allen Dick
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by Allen Dick »

It's a while since we have a troll on this forum, so, welcome. We needed a troll just to keep us entertained. Thanks for that.

Disregarding the trolls and updating the thread, personally, after this time has passed, I stand by my original comments on the flow hive, and no, I doubt I'll ever use them, even if someone gives them to me.

That does not mean that others -- maybe 10% of those who buy them -- won't find them suitable for their purposes, in the short term at least, and if their expectations are modest, however I can't see them being used on any scale at this point in time.

Several friends bought some, so I am looking forward to seeing how they perform with our fast-granulating canola honey and if they can winter bees subjected to them.

Although nationality has little to do with this, and there are many Americans as Canadians on this forum, I might point out that most Aussies have honey that tends to stay liquid and a warm climate year-round. We don't.

Again, welcome.

Is that your best shot?
Allen Dick, RR#1 Swalwell, Alberta, Canada T0M 1Y0
51° 33'39.64"N 113°18'52.45"W
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/Allen%27s%20Beehives.kmz
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karen
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by karen »

Some in Maine have purchased them but the company is behind on shipments so may be I will get to see one next season. I do think it is to cool here though, the honey would drain out veeeeery sloooowly for the fall harvest. It may flow in July. Plus I do not think the bees would ignore the honey going into the bottle, there would be a feeding frenzy. I can't see the state approving an in the yard bottling facility either so the honey could not be for sales.

The topic is like a bad penny, it just doesn't want to flow away.
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Countryboy
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by Countryboy »

Pull yourselves the stink together. It's an idea. An idea that attracted enough support to go into production.
Yeah, it's an idea that's 100 years old. The patent ran out and now these guys are trying to market it.
It wasn't practical 100 years ago...what makes you think it will work now?
The only way anyone can keep bees is the way we do and that's because it's the way we've always done it this way."
And sometimes, doing things the way it has always been done is because it works. Wow. Imagine that idea. No need to re-invent the wheel, when the present wheel is fully functional and cheap and easy to use.
And are any of you guys so in love with lugging supers, uncapping frames and using the extractor that you wouldn't give these a shot at the right price?
I wouldn't give these a shot. Anyone with half a brain can see the horrible problems they pose. It is the small minded idiots who think these Flow hives will be usable in real life applications.

So how does a beekeeper check to see how ripe the honey is in a Flow hive? Oops...you can't. (But you can if you physically remove a frame and check to see if it is capped or if the nectar shakes out.)
So how does a beekeeper make sure a queen hasn't laid in a flow frame? Oops...you can't. (But you can check visually if you remove boxes and frames the old fashioned way.)
So how does a beekeeper check for mites and diseases in a Flow hive? Oops...you can't. (But you can inspect with an old-fashioned hive.)
So how does a beekeeper keep the Flow frames from getting all propolised up and all the moving parts from getting gummed up? Oops, you can't. (But the old-fashioned boxes and frames are still usable if they get covered in propolis.)
So how does a beekeeper prevent robbing bees from trying to steal the honey as it comes out of the Flow hive? Only extract when there is a heavy nectar flow? Oops...you can prevent robbing. (But an old-fashioned beekeeper can takes those boxes back home and extract in a building where bees can't rob as you fill bottles.
So how does a beekeeper deal with fast crystalizing honeys? Oops...you can't. (But an old-fashioned beekeeper can take boxes back home and put them in a hot room to reliquify them.)
So how does a beekeeper overwinter bees with a Flow hive? Remove the boxes with the Flow frames and give the bees old-fashioned frames and boxes to overwinter on? (You might as well have let the bees have the old-fashioned boxes to begin with.)
So how does a beekeeper with a Flow hive extract honey quickly? Oops...you can't. You get a tiny little trickle of honey coming out. With my 18 frame extract and old-fashioned frames, I can get a lot of honey pouring out of the extractor. Time is money.
The Flow frames are only about $80 a frame. My old-fashioned frames are about $1.00 a frame. How can a beekeeper justify the cost of a Flow hive? Oops...you can't.

For all your talk of the Flow Hive being an 'idea,' it's an idea which has had very little thought put into it.

The Flow Hive is not an idea, and it's not being marketed as an idea. It is being marketed as an experience. The marketing of the Flow Hive does not appeal to rational thought. It appeals to emotion. They want to appeal to your heart, and not your head.

And when people make decisions based upon their heart, and not their head...it's known as being stupid.
B. Farmer Honey
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Biermann
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by Biermann »

Hello All,

I look at this all a little different. If one wants to go to Vegas to lose money, he can, no limits.

If one wants to do crowd funding, let him, it is his money.

And new ideas and old ideas often merge and bring something that is workable (for some).

I can't see the long-term benefit and will not buy one, so it does not really bother me.

Why the commotion.

Cheers, Joerg
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BDT123
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by BDT123 »

OK, long story short in a thread long dead. I bought 2 Flow hives; one for my daughter and one for myself.
It was going to be so easy, throw bees in a box and get honey. My dream retirement gig!
Whoa, what a trip this has been. Who knew they needed care and feeding? Mite controls? What are mites?
Anyway, I harvested honey; not much, but a little. Daughter got over 30 lbs. Not bad for first year starting with bare foundation.
They work, they are NOT for a commercial operation, and they got me started in beekeeping. I'm no quitter, but I will stay with one Flow Hive. I've gone pretty standard this past year, but it's hard to part with the one that brought you to the dance!
Also, have to pull the Flow frames for winter and give them a standard super to fill with Winter stores.
No extra hassle or sweat, lots of fun for a hobbyist, but one is enough.
Brian
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Robert
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Re: FlowHive

Unread post by Robert »

The "Flow Hive" at first glance seems to be the Penicillin of the Bee World. As Charlie has said, with much skepticism, it appears to be too good to be true. A big part of keeping bees is working with them on a daily basis, not once or two times a year like the info that was sent to Charlie stated.
I wont even try it myself, but I am not trying to dissuade others from throwing their money at it. I fell in love
with handling bees on a daily basis, treat them if necessary for disease, and thrill to the excitement of watching my spinner drain into a empty bucket, sit at the kitchen table and fill bottles from the several five gallon buckets that I brought in from the shop behind my house. Yeah I still love to share that time with my wife in the evenings, or on a Saturday morning putting labels on the bottles. I just cant see those moments being shelved for a piece of plastic.
I changed to 100% Russian Purebreds because of people like Charlie Harper who I met over the internet nine years ago, and Steven Coy and his wife at their apiary just northeast of New Orleans earlier this year. Yes I drove over nine hundred miles to get one of Steve's Nuc's just so I could get one of his queens in my own Apiary for the purpose of raising a superior Queens from his.
For those who want to replace a couple of hundred hives with plastic... go ahead. I stick to the present ways of raising Bees. :)
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