While this may seem like a good idea, as an urban beekeeper, I see some fundamental flaws with this system. 1st and foremost, the drastically reduced honey-holding capacity means constant feeding and constant care from the beekeeper. Bees need their own honey and they need space to store it. For those in colder climates, I don't see how even the tightest clusters would be able to keep sufficiently warm in this pod. Given, I haven't investigated this thoroughly and I may VERY well be mistaken. But, if this inspires more people to backyard beekeep, that's rad. The price, however, would limit it to those with $$$ to spare.

i love the idea of helping the plight of honeybees. for those who are wary of raising them, there is always the option to use your balcony or garden as a safe haven for bees to find food. there are lists all over the web of what plants bees like most.

Thank you for sharing this blog post. I believe that these beepods can really help those who would like to begin with beekeeping, or even those who have already started it long ago. I was inspired to do a blog related to this which is http://benefitsofhoneyblog.com/beepods-for-beekeeping. I hope to see more useful blog posts from you. Thanks - Camille

This is not a good way for an amateur to keep bees. Top bar hives are expensive and inefficient. You should always know what you are getting into, especially when purchasing a hive.

I think this Beepod looks cool and is a great idea! Could the naysayers provide links to some options that might be better? I'm not being a jerk - I would like to keep bees so if you think there's a better product, I'd love to see it. Thanks to all!

Beginning beekeepers need to start with the basics...
http://www.langstrothshive.com/
This is how I learned. Not to be discouraging, (actually, quite the opposite :) but it's not something to just jump into. It's too expensive of a hobby to go into blind. Find a local bee club – if you live in even a moderate size city, you should have one. They usually meet once each month. Go to a meeting – beekeepers are very friendly folk and love to share what they've learned. You will find more than enough info to get you started, and a support system to get you through your first years.
I would never give it up, but even three small hives are quite a bit of work. I'm glad I knew what I was getting into.
Oh, and my best piece of advices – don't buy your bees online (a "package"); start with a nuc from a local apiary. Good luck :) bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I beg to differ with Suzid and David... Top Bar Hives work just fine in winter climates. Many "experts" have little experience with anything other than Stacked-box Langstroth hives... so its understandable that their first response is just like theirs. But it is simply untrue to say Top Bar Hives are more expensive or less capable of housing bees than Langsroths. Top Bar Hives have proven success that predates Langstroths by more than 2000 years! With all due respect, I'm one of the creators of the Beepod, and it works perfectly for amateurs or experts... anyone who is into beekeeping for the bees not the money. Its easier, safer, healthier and far less time consuming than Langstroths... I keep both and its why we created them. If ya don't want to spend the $$ on our design, just google Top Bar Hive and make your own.

It seems like there is a constant discussion of Langstroths vs. Top Bar Hives. I have been a beekeeper for 3 years with Langs, but I can appreciate the advantages of TBH. Being a woman, it is hard to lift the sometime heavy boxes, using a top bar would be much easier for me. I also think that it would be easier for people who are much older.

We need as many beekeepers as we can get, so that is where I'd rather concentrate my energies.