Back in 2015, I came across an Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign for a revolutionary new type of beehive, one that allowed you to harvest your honey by tap, called the Flow Hive.
Although I’d never kept bees before or was even really that interested in it, I was intrigued and remember commenting to family and friends about how cool this hive concept was.
“One day”, I thought, “If I ever get some land I might consider looking into this a bit more”…
Fast forward to 2021 and I’m working with a long-term colleague, we’ll call him “Derek” because that’s his actual name. And, somehow during our conversations, it comes up that he’s actually got a Flow Hive in his suburban backyard! Mind blown – excitement levels rising.
Derek, the good fellow that he is, invites us to participate in a hive inspection, giving us an opportunity to don a beekeeper’s suit and handle the bees. That’s it – I’m hooked, and so is the rest of the family, although with some variation in enthusiasm.
Well, that was a couple of months ago and as of the 10th September ’21, I can proudly say I am now a Novice Beekeeper with my own Flow Hive!
I hope to post a series of blogs over the next few years, documenting the challenges, learnings, laughs and bee stings we experience as we grow alongside our colony of Apis mellifera, aka the European honey bee.
