I can't fathom how that'd work. Bees don't just put honey in a big open container waiting to be tapped. Each cell is separate, and when the honey is at last ready they cap the cell off. The only thing I can think of, is they've created some kind of foundation that's like a sieve, and maybe double sided so you could siphon from between the two plasticells.... no that wouldn't work either. Not to mention I'd think the bees would cover that pretty little window with propolis before the day was over.
I'm invisioning a series of straws, with only the open ends showing. As each cell is "filled" it would just run out the back of the straw. Perhaps to a bucket. As the tap is opened, the bucket level drops, and the straws drain into the bucket, again. The caps are not an issue at all. They could be cleared mechanically by the weight of the honey with a mechanism lime a snap punch, or with a puff of air, or each straw could heat slightly and simple melt off the sealed cap. That is why I want to see their method.
According to the proponents, the end frames are set up to shift and split the cells, then return the cells to alignment after the honey drains. Yeah...right. I've never seen bees work that way.
Yes I read the FAQ's, too bad honey doesn't work that way, even here in AZ where I raised bees, honey will not flow out of the cells of the hive.
So, I just read Kell's link to the FAQ, I missed that earlier. It sounds like what was speculated as possible is exactly what they are doing. A partial plastic cell the bees finish building out and then cap. The keeper manipulates a crank/lever/whatever and part of the plastic portion of the cell moves opening a drain passage. The keeper looks in a window and hopes he can see enough of the frame to determine the cells are capped indicating the honey is ready to harvest. AZ, the honey will drain eventually if the cell is opened at the non-cap end of the cell and air can enter breaking a vacuum lock as the bees construct cells with a bit of a downward slope. This slope is what allows radial extractors to work. A poor man's extractor is to cut the capping off both side of a frame and just set it upside down resting on the top bar over a pan. Let it set a couple hours and it will mostly empty. Works fine for hobbyists with one hive. Sounds like their concept works in a similar fashion by opening the back end (foundation end) of the cell. They indicated that the bees would chew the caps off and refill the comb, so I could be wrong and the bees will figure out a capped cell is empty and uncap a cell when they are not looking for a meal. But I still am skeptical of the efficacy of this process and here is why. When the cells are capped, the caps will look very white or will be rather translucent and you can kind of see honey behind the cap. There is no difference in the wax cap, it is just there is a little air in the white capped cells so the honey is not making contact with the cap wetting it causing the translucence. Drain most of the honey from the cell and the caps will be white but what clues the bees to chew away the cap and refill it if looks just like a cell with a bit of air? It's quite possible I suppose that maybe they will. Now the real question is, Why? They admit one needs to still open hives periodically to inspect the brood, etc. Seems they use the keepers' eyes looking at frames to determine harvest time. Maybe their window makes this easier but if that's the case just put windows on conventional supers and forget the complexity of the fancy frames. Removing a super from a hive is easy and actually not very disruptive to the hive at all and few bees are harmed in the process. Just lift the super off, set it on a stand and use a blower to shoo the field bees out of the super (they are used to flying and being blown around by the wind as it is their job!) Then set an empty super back on the hive and this is easy to do squashing zero bees in the process. Extracting is pretty easy and isn't that much time. I just don't see this contraption as saving much time, probably saves no money and doesn't significantly reduce stress on the hive as conventional harvesting induces very little disruption to the hive to begin with. If indeed it works, seems like a solution looking for a problem. AT
Kell, I've raised bees in the hottest part of the country, Arizona, honey just doesn't flow out of the hives. Yes the plastic substrate of the honey comb has been standard for the past 60 years, the window is BS. We used nothing other than a centrifugal extractor. Exactly, why?
Bee-keeping is a very satisfying undertaking that requires a bit of work and care but the rewards are worth it. Someone is always looking for instant gratification so I am now selling extra-large genetically modified bees trained to deposit honey on any surface on demand! These bees weigh six to ten pounds each and use minute drops of our secret ingredient pheromones to attract them to the surface you want covered in pure, delicious honey! Since they are hybrids and cannot reproduce, there is no need for a Queen or Drones, just a single worker can provide all the needed product to feed your family! Each worker bee comes equipped with a gps chip for tracking and a free government provided cell-phone.
There are two fundamental types of centrifugal extractors. 1. The conventional type holds the frames with one side facing outward, it is spun and then the frame is flipped around and the other side is extracted. These are smaller models and generally extract two or four frames at a time. 2. A radial extractor holds the frames much like the spokes on a bicycle wheel with the top of the frame facing outward towards the side of the extractor tank. As the frames are spun, generally at higher speeds, the honey is removed from both sides of the frame simultaneously. This only works because of the downward slope of the cells towards the center of the comb. If you cut a 5 inch square of comb from the hive and then look at the end, the comb will have a slight downward slope to the center of the comb on each side. This isn't the best picture but shows it a bit: Here is a radial extractor: So, it seem the honey flow thingy is relying upon the same cell slope. AT
You know that would be a GMO that would sell a stingerless bee, they just die after they sting you anyway.
Here's a copy of their patent application. United States Application US20140370781 Basically, the cells of the comb are broken up in to vertical strips so that they can be moved up and down relative to each other and grind the honey cells.  Apiculture (this is a PDF download link.)
Ahh... Bingo, that's how they may deal with the cell cap too. When this thing is cranked, it will break any additional wax that extends further out and quite likely break/split the cap and it's seal as well. Then the bees have to clean up and repair the cell extension and the cap will be chewed away in that process. This makes sense. I get it and it could work. I still don't see much need for this invention, however. The time and cost to harvest with this gizmo seems unlikely to be viable for commercial operations and while maybe applicable for hobby apiaries, pulling supers for extraction is easy and rather fun. Oh well. AT
