Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Honey on tap
The most successful fully funded crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo is not for a new smartwatch, video game, or 3D printer. It is for a new way to harvest honey, a potential breakthrough in a practice that has not seen a significant technological advance since 1852, when the Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth patented America's first movable frame beehive.
The Flow hive has amassed $8.9 million from more than 25,000 backers in one month (the goal was just $70,000), a possible sign that the urban-hipster revival of beekeeping is still alive, even as the U.S. honeybee population continues to die off. (The USDA has sounded the alarm, estimating that a third of all honeybees have died since 2006. The main suspect is a class of neuro-active insecticides called Neonicotinoids.)
Via Instapundit, This 'Honey on Tap' Beehive Design Just Raised $9 Million on Indiegogo
I've heard of this, but this is the first time I've seen how the Flow™ Hive works, and it's pretty ingenious. I know T, my fellow cow-orker, might be interested in this as he keeps bees as a hobby.