Maybe we oversold the bee problem?

[Wandering Man]

Walmart wants to replace our bees with robo-bees:

https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-robot-bees-farming-patent-2018-3

[neillsayers]

I don't have a lot of confidence in this working anytime soon. At least at any kind of scale but I do admit the techie in me finds it to be very cool!

[Bakersdozen]

Well Walmart has controlled the retail business, now the are looking at controlling food production.

[Mcedwar]

That have to keep up with Amazon.

[Wandering Man]

Well Walmart has controlled the retail business, now the are looking at controlling food production.

Hopefully, the robo-bees won't figure out how to make honey.

Or maybe they will, and we'll all go to Walmart and buy sting-less robo-bees to make our honey and wax and to pollinate our fields.

Only Jen will be left out since she can't get her bee-sting therapy.

[Lburou]

An interesting idea wandering man.  I want to say the whole idea seems ludicrous to me at this point, but I would imagine that the idea of my smartphone would have seemed ludicrous to my grandmother.

Many of the articles today on 'scientific' subjects are simply a rehash of google search 'facts'.  This looks like one of those shallow articles with no substance except for the news of the patent. 



This Harvard device looks a far cry from a device that can actually pollinate a flower autonomously. Who knows what the future will bring.    The future may value hobby beekeepers more than we can imagine.

[Wandering Man]

Many of the articles today on 'scientific' subjects are simply a rehash of google search 'facts'.  This looks like one of those shallow articles with no substance except for the news of the patent. 

True.  But it is scary when someone like Walmart decides to step into the fray.

I remember hoping that Walmart wouldn't gain a foothold in our small town of Aransas Pass.  But it did, and it shut down a lot of mom and pop businesses.

[Lburou]

...I remember hoping that Walmart wouldn't gain a foothold in our small town of Aransas Pass.  But it did, and it shut down a lot of mom and pop businesses.

Too True.

[Riverrat]

Well Walmart has controlled the retail business, now the are looking at controlling food production.

They are quickly losing the foothold they had in retail.  Amazon has put a huge dent in their sales.  I had a good friend been with them since he was 16 started stocking shelves.   He was let go along with 6 others 2 months ago his title was senior vice president health and wellness new innovations at the headquarters in bentonville..  They was replaced by 2 29 year olds with master degrees in marketing.  Both had came out of amazon.  The 6 that went out did not have degrees since back in the day Sam walton wanted experience and promoted within