I’ve had a very difficult time with the Flow™ hive. It’s awe-inspiring to see someone take a project that they’ve obviously poured their blood, sweat and tears into and see it not only get funded, but exceed the ask by more than 100x.
But, I’ve had this vague uneasiness that’s been incredibly difficult for me to put into words: plastic frames are revolting, for starters. Plus, the concept is completely antithetical to the approach to beekeeping that we favour: if you’re going to keep bees, you should embrace the interaction, not look for ways to minimize or avoid it!
The cost is astronomical too. People want to help and that’s admirable. But, a new beekeeper who starts out with a $600US gimmick hive (at least three times the cost of woodenware) is going to be really upset when they find out that they’ve been sold a lot of snake oil
Allan Stromfeldt Christensen has done the best job yet of putting my thoughts into words. Have a read and see what you think.
But most disingenuous of all is the claim by the Flow™ hive’s creators that its purpose is to minimize disturbance of the bees. In truth, and putting aside the logic of using petroleum-based frames which inevitably off-gas toxic chemicals (regardless of how “eco” the plastic is claimed to be), the Flow™ hive actually takes modern-day invasive practices to a whole new level, and is actually the epitome of what is claims to not be.
If you really want to start with bees, get in touch. We can help you do it affordably and in a fashion that won’t leave you feeling hollow at the end of the day.