thanks robo, i read through it.
the majority of folks investing in this seem be as scott said, new to beekeeping. some of the questions are incredible (scary almost) and i think some of these first time beeks are going to be very disappointed, and there will a great loss of colonies. also some of the remarks made by those who invested and why they invested are incredibly scary.
some questions weren't really answered or admittedly not tested, swarming for one. i noted several comments by experienced beekeepers and one was a commercial beek:
"There are many people that disagree with your 'Honey on Tap' marketing to newbees that know absolutely nothing about properly tending bees. Do you feel too many new beekeepers will be buying your FlowHive without knowing, learning, or caring how to properly manage the bees, thus setting themselves up for failure? Or worse, creating situations where they do not manage pests/diseases and inadvertently spread problems to other beekeepers' hives?"the commercial beek said:
"
Commercial beekeeper with 5800 hives here. This product at 5X the cost and 5X slower to use is not really designed for someone like me.
How has the patent application gone, and how much inspiration came from the 1940 patent of Garriga Juan Bizcarro (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2223561.pdf )?
Does this product promote know nothing beekeeping? Harvesting honey is literally the easiest part of the job to learn, even if it is arguably physically demanding. Prediction: There will be a lot of dead hives the first winter after this is in customers hands.
Do you anticipate running a long term business after the viral hype wears off?
How do the frames hold up after 4-5 seasons?
A rather large percentage of your crowd funded money came as a gift. (Presumably from the "save the bees" crowd) Are there any tax implications for that?
And for those just reading along, here's a final quote: So long as the interior of a hive, was to common observers, a profound mystery, ignorant and designing men might assert what they pleased, about what passed in its dark recesses; but now, when all that takes place in it, can, in a few moments, be exposed to the full light of day, and every one who keeps bees, can see and examine for himself, the man who attempts to palm upon the community, his own conceits for facts, will speedily earn for himself, the character both of a fool and an impostor. -- L. L. Langstroth, the father of modern beekeeping."
