71–80 of 103 posts
Not a beek, but I'm close friends with some, and might actually take the plunge this year. This looks like a classic case of "automating the wrong way" and thinking in terms of agents instead of tools (force multipliers). What beekeepers really benefit from are tools that let them do more work with less effort. Hive lifters are a perfect example [1]. The most popular design has a couple of mechanical flaws that can l…
I'm an electro-mechanical engineer unfamiliar with small farms. How would you change this type of design to be more modular or adaptable? https://www.overlandcarts.com/
Sidetrack: I think the focus on domesticated bees as pollinators is dangerous. If wild polinators can't survive we are fucked even if we have bees.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Depending where I put my hives, I can make 30 to 60lbs of honey with my "100 year old wooden box" technology. My ladies do not like "unnatural" (i.e. mostly plastic, metal) things. They will cover it with propolis quickly. They also do not seem to like electricity or odd magnetic fields, and things that constantly hum, like transformers. The listed things that the robot supposedly is doing (feeding, watering, treat i…
Nice comments, but you're way off on the annual cost. It should be $400 x Beehome (24 beehives) x month, or $4,800 per year for 24 beehives. That's ~$200 per beehive per year.
Not a beek, but I'm close friends with some, and might actually take the plunge this year. This looks like a classic case of "automating the wrong way" and thinking in terms of agents instead of tools (force multipliers). What beekeepers really benefit from are tools that let them do more work with less effort. Hive lifters are a perfect example [1]. The most popular design has a couple of mechanical flaws that can l…
I'm an electro-mechanical engineer unfamiliar with small farms. How would you change this type of design to be more modular or adaptable? https://www.overlandcarts.com/
In general, I think low cost, low maintenance, and the ability to repair it yourself (lots of COTS parts) are the main benefits.
Interchangeable buckets/attachments would be good. What I mean is that I see a lot of outdoor or primary sector uses in the existing carts. Could be good to have the bucket of the wheelbarrow be interchangeable for the secondary or value-add steps. Many small farms need to vertically integrate to survive. So maybe have it focused on processing, like hauling, warming, and bottling (honey gate) that 100 gallon container this honey device uses. Or maybe for hauling mushroom bags from sterilization, to inoculation, to fruiting rooms.
Also, I assume many of the people using a powered wheelbarrow type device would find a loading aide/mechanism highly beneficial. Stuff like shoveling takes a long time and can be hard on the back.
So according to Google one Beehive can produce 20-30kg of honey per year. For the 24 beehives in this machine that would be 720kg of honey max, selling for around 10€ per kg in Germany. That would make a maximum of 7200€ in one year, while the machine costs 4800$/year plus 2000 for delivery in the first year. Additionally, the Beekeeper has to retrieve, package and sell the honey. I don't see this machine reaching pr…
This seems to be target for people who runs agricultural farms which need bees for their other modes of profit.
If it's a big monocrop place, then it probably still makes sense to contract pollination because you only need it for a short period during the year. You likely couldn't harvest any or much honey in the large monocrop fields because they would need that honey to support themselves the rest of the year when the monocrop is not flowering (or you'd heavily feed them).
Smaller places, like local orchards, could maybe benefit, but only if they're willing/able to process and sell their own honey. Many small places can currently partner with beekeepers for little to no money. In some cases, beekeepers will even pay the orchard owners (usually in honey) for being able to place the hives there. So maybe the orchard could make a little extra profit. But it seems this machine costs money on a yearly basis. This could create a huge liability if you have a bad year.
So according to Google one Beehive can produce 20-30kg of honey per year. For the 24 beehives in this machine that would be 720kg of honey max, selling for around 10€ per kg in Germany. That would make a maximum of 7200€ in one year, while the machine costs 4800$/year plus 2000 for delivery in the first year. Additionally, the Beekeeper has to retrieve, package and sell the honey. I don't see this machine reaching pr…
Beekeepers also make money by renting out hives for pollination? Edit: Found an interesting article: https://theconversation.com/the-farmer-wants-a-hive-inside-t... To quote: "Alternatively, crop growers can buy their own hives and set them up permanently, eliminating the cost of rental and reducing the pressure on honeybees used for pollination services. However, this comes at its own cost. Growers need to maintain…
If it's a big monocrop place, then it probably still makes sense to contract pollination because you only need it for a short period during the year. You likely couldn't harvest any or much honey in the large monocrop fields because they would need that honey to support themselves the rest of the year when the monocrop is not flowering (or you'd heavily feed them).
Smaller places, like local orchards, could maybe benefit, but only if they're willing/able to process and sell their own honey. Many small places can currently partner with beekeepers for little to no money. In some cases, beekeepers will even pay the orchard owners (usually in honey) for being able to place the hives there. So maybe the orchard could make a little extra profit. But it seems this machine costs money on a yearly basis. This could create a huge liability if you have a bad year.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Beekeepers also make money by renting out hives for pollination? Edit: Found an interesting article: https://theconversation.com/the-farmer-wants-a-hive-inside-t... To quote: "Alternatively, crop growers can buy their own hives and set them up permanently, eliminating the cost of rental and reducing the pressure on honeybees used for pollination services. However, this comes at its own cost. Growers need to maintain…
> Beekeepers also make money by renting out hives for pollination? The sad things of those practices is that the hive is stressed by being moved around a lot, and that hives are often used to impollinate but after pesticides have been used thius killing the hive. It happens very often, sadly.
Smaller local farms and beekeepers can work together without these problems and without having to move hives, or at least not very often.
Sidetrack: I think the focus on domesticated bees as pollinators is dangerous. If wild polinators can't survive we are fucked even if we have bees.
I came to say something similar. If we stopped spraying everything with herbicide, pesticide, and fungicide we wouldn't have a pollinator problem. We need to stop trying to subdue mother nature to our will and work with her.
Make less people, decrease demand, and if we aren't able to make less people we should make these people less wasteful and consumptive