Solving the challenges of harvesting honey without donning an uncomfortable bee suit, smoking out the bees and going through steps that could kill bees in the process, the popular Flow Hive is bringing bees and beekeepers to backyards. Considering bees fall under the VFD rules, understanding this technology is important for animal health pros.
Source: Fast Company, March 9, 2018.
The Flow Hive dramatically simplifies the process of extracting honey. The hive uses artificial honeycombs; bees fill the cells with honey and cap them with wax. When the beekeeper sees, through a window on the side of the hive, that a comb is filled with honey, they can use a lever to twist the artificial honeycomb so the cells release the honey through a tap into a jar.
INSIGHTS: Who better to help repopulate bees than animal health pros. Consider teaming up with local science teachers, garden clubs, extension offices, 4-H and FFA groups to start a community hive project. If the Flow Hive is half as easy to use as they say, it makes beekeeping much more attractive to novices, orchards and gardening businesses.