A swarm to backyard beekeeping

The back of the Flow Hive allows you to view and access the honey without disturbing the bees.
Josh Miller/CNET

The Flow Hive is converting more amateurs into backyard beekeepers — but it’s drawing a buzz of criticism from traditional bee enthusiasts.

By Desiree Denunzio
Cnet
September 15, 2018

Excerpt:

The Andersons debuted the Flow Hive on Indiegogo in February 2015, and within minutes of its launch, the campaign had surpassed its goal of reaching $70,000. By the end of the campaign, they had raised $12.2 million and reached a new Indiegogo record. Since then, they’ve expanded to around 35 employees and sold more than 54,000 hives.

But the hive has stirred up controversy among traditional beekeepers, starting with its steep cost. The original Flow Hive starts at $699, and the latest iteration of the hive, the Flow Hive 2, is a staggering $749. That compares with around $200 for a standard Langstroth kit.

Novella Carpenter, author of “Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer,” says the Flow Hive’s high price doesn’t really make things easier for people who are struggling to get started in beekeeping. She points instead to the increasing popularity of DIY methods that let you build hives from scratch using wood from a building supply store. “There’s this whole DIY movement of people who want to have bees but they don’t want to pay for all the expensive equipment,” she says.

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