When most people hear about bees, they think about two things: (1) bees sting and (2) they make honey. What most of us are not aware of is the importance these tiny creatures play in our food system:
“One in three bites of food we eat is directly or indirectly pollinated by honeybees,” says University of Maryland researcher Dr. Dennis van Engelsdorp.
“Without bees taking pollen from one apple tree to another apple tree, you wouldn’t get any apple,” he adds.
Unknown to many, honeybees are disappearing at an alarming rates and may well soon face extinction. Scientists are still unable to identify the real reason behind their decline. Bee-killing pesticides are among the primary culprits.
Improper harvesting of honey may also be one of the reasons why our tiny friends are vanishing. Someone has to find a way to make beekeeping friendlier for bees.
The good news is, two guys already did.
Stuart and Cedar Anderson are a father-and-son designer duo that have designed an artificial beehive that allows beekeepers to harvest honey from beehives without disturbing its inhabitants.
Their invention uses a fairly simple but efficient technique, as accurately summarized by their slogan, “It’s literally honey on tap directly from your beehive.”
With this invention, you’ll no longer have to wear any beekeeper outfit to harvest honey. More importantly, you’ll no longer have to bother the bees that give you these sweet goodies. Here’s the “FlowHive” at work:
Stuart and Cedar released FlowHive this month and are still finding ways to distribute their invention to more beekeepers worldwide. If you’d like to know how you can contribute, take time to visit their website Honeyflow.com.
You can also help by sharing awareness about the importance that bees play in our ecosystem and in our lives.