Experience Bee Keeper will not sell me a NUC with the Flow Hive

He’s probably jealous he didn’t think of the idea!

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I bought the flow hive cause i have just moved to a new property which i thought the bees could help pollinate the trees and plants. I knew nothing about bees except that they produce honey and sting you but i learnt with help. I now have 2 hives and a nuc which is ready to moved into a 8 frame box. What the flow hive has done in my opinion has created a lot more beekeepers who new nothing like myself and are learning. Which i believe is all beneficial to the bees.

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My new association has been accepting. I have learned a lot from them and appreciate the new mentor that I have. Some are excited to see my hive and how it works through out my first year. I am excited about getting my girls in 2 weeks time. I feel a little apprehensive and am reading all I can and stay on the forum reading and learning. I do feel that there will always be ONE at every meeting that is negative about new things. So be it I am an innovator and proudly display my Flow Logo…

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I think if the skeptics just took a breath, they would realize the FH has single handedly renewed interest in the Art of beekeeping and the industry itself. Most importantly brought young fresh folk in who many in time will develop a passion for the art.

Thats a good thing. Good for the industry, our surroundings and bees, i hope. Any new product should be questioned as to whether its good. Yes im sure some were lured by the ‘easy extraction method’ freely advertised.

id also add that i believe most will learn to appreciate and manage bees as any other beek would, with respect for the bee.

in the end we all play our bit part in the bigger picture, ensuring and assisting in the survival of the bees, does it really matter how e do it, no as long as we all contribute and perhaps try to accept the some would like to do it in a slightly different way (even tho its mostly the same, lol)

time to eat, ciao

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This is the first winter with my Flow hive in Quebec Eastern Townships. Between December and now, the offical measured minimum temperature has been during 9 nights at 0F and less. In February, the temperature went up above 50F in full sun. You should have seen the quantity of bees taking their cleansing flight and rushing for any spot of water. I had to remove the entrance reducer until they all got back. I took a bee-keeping class with an experienced beekeeper who took over her father’s beekeeping business. They both are a little skeptical but curious to find out more about my first year experience. They had no problem selling me a nuc. On their advice, I built a 2-inch insulation around the hive for the winter (see picture; roof is for the photo). I am looking forward to warmer days to find out how well the bees finally survived.
JJ

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The solution is easy. Take the flow super off during the winter and replace with an 8-frame super with enough honey for wintering. If this is the only hive you have put a regular super under the flow hive super AFTER you harvest the flow super honey. This will allow the bees to make some honey for the winter. I’d recommend taking the flow super off during the winter to protect the flow frames from extreme weather exposure. I also use a second brood box (kit comes with only 1 brood box). With a second brood box there should be plenty of room for your bees to hunker down in cells over the winter. Last resort, find someone else to purchase a nuc. Surely he can’t be the only beekeeper selling nucs in your area.

Randy, I am NJ first year beekeeper with flow hive, did not use flow frames last year, left full super of honey on for winter, bees are flying on warm days so woo hoo! survived first winter. Bought overwintered nuc for first set of bees and yes, added a regular langstroth 8 frame super instead of flow frame super for first year, left them their honey for winter. Different climates require different setups but two deeps seemed to work for me (added 3rd box, medium but they did not use it, so took it off before winter) Did insulate in Jan before first cold snap. A Nuc will give your bees better start but you could also start with a package which orders are still being taken (search package bees) for next month. They will also do fine as package before winter sets in. Beekeepers are an opinionated bunch and I hit a lot of skepticism with flow frames and treatment free beekeeping questions. Like everything, gather up advice, use what you feel works for you and makes sense to you, and thank you to everyone who adds their two cents! It has helped so much over the past year!
There are quite a few beekeepers in NJ selling bees but most are waiting until April 1st to commit as they need to assess winter survival! You might have to take a ride over here!

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I certainly agree with the others that have replied. If your post is a near literal record of what he said, then he’s way too biased to be helpful to you (and most others) that are willing to look for continuous improvement in beekeeping methods. I started keeping bees at 9 years of age and while I don’t personally agree with all the new ideas I hear…the same could be said for some long-established beekeeping practices. Flow Hives seem to be well thought-out designs that certainly deserve a fair chance at proving themselves…time will tell as to the success of their design…in whatever climate. Go for it. Get another nuc source.

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‘extraction’ may be easiest part, it might also be the messiest and most time consuming.

Pre FlowHive (pre FH) anyone who’d made enquiries about setting up a hive would have realised as i did, to keep bees you would need bees, equipment a hive and an extractor or extraction process, storage etc.

The Flow harvest system has reduced the amt of heavy lifting and concentrated the equipment… the system for human harvest of honey is stored in the beehive… --it’s smart- no storage space needed for an extractor.

I don’t want to be a commercial operator so FH makes beekeeping possible and fun. I love the windows. :full_moon_with_face::honeybee:

The other thing that’s made FH duch a success is the internet, digital photography and forums… like this and ace interested people who contribute.
Good product, right support and the internet. Go Flow.

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Love your big collection jar.

I think that flow hivers are starting to realize that owning a flow hive doesn’t reduce the heavy lifting. There’s lots of heavy lifting while doing brood inspections. Nobody has to lift a full box of honey before extracting honey the traditional way. I’m nearly 70 with a dodgy back, I certainly don’t lift full boxes of honey.

In relation to having the extraction equipment contained in the hive, every time you purchase a flow hive, you purchase another extractor. If you purchase 5 flow hives, you purchase 5 hives & 5 extractors. If you purchase 5 traditional hives, you only need to make one purchase of an extractor. A huge saving $wise. Lets face it, they don’t take up that much room.

I’ve yet to find any beekeeper, or any passionate beekeeper that is content with just one hive.

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Yes - the filling flow super can be really heavy. From experience, if you drop it in the process of lifting it it generates a lot of activity in the bees! I am going to put lifting wire at the end of a couple of my frames (as someone has previously posted) so I can take them out one at a time before removing the flow super. I’ll temporarily store them in a spare box or barrow whilst inspecting the brood and making more room for the brood. I have also made a little more space for the flow frames in the brood box by removing extra slivers of wood I had glued in to keep them tight -I had gone overboard.

Be careful. The bee space underneath a Langstroth box is not enough to stop bees from getting squished if there is no space underneath it. If you have to put a frame down, and it is covered in bees, consider putting it into a box which is sitting on top of an inner cover, or on top of another empty box. That way, you minimize squishing bees. :blush:

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Thanks Dawn, yes…and I’m thinking if I’m out of deeps, which I probably will be, 2 ideals will be perfect and should give me a nice bit of clearance.

with my new long hive jeff- the heaviest thing to lift is a single frame- and you can inspect the brood without lifting a thing. :wink:

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Well done Jack, I think you’ll be on a winner with that.

So do I! :smirk:

My plans to move the first colony in have been delayed though: I need to move the donor hive 5 feet to the new location of the long hive. The plan has been to do it at night- but every night for the last week when I’ve looked at the hive there has been a largish beard of bees at the entrance- two cup fills maybe. In fact on 3 of my four hives there have been bees bearding outside every night. The weathers been nice and warm 19-22 c at night. I think we are in for a cool change so I am hoping they will all go in.

Failing that: what to do?

Do you think a few puffs of smoke might get them to go into the hive? A local beek suggested lightly misting the bees with water- and I tried this when I moved a hive in spring with varying success- the first attempt there was a large beard- it didn’t disperse and just got wet. The next attempt there were less bees and when misted they did move back into the entrance- though when I closed it some bees got squished :frowning:

I’d like a long hive. I like the shape.

Smoke should be a winner, but be careful how long you leave them locked in. If they are bearding, the hive may be on the verge of overheating. :cold_sweat:

Hi Randy,

Sorry to hear you have experienced some negativity towards yourself and your hive.
Unfortunately like all things in the world there sometimes seems to be overly negative opinionated people without knowing the full story.
I hope the responses by some of the forum members haven’t put you off posting and sharing on this forum.
I like to remember on a daily basis that one way isn’t always the right way. That what works for someone may not always work for someone else. That the “right” way can be done in many ways and not just one way.

It’s a shame that fellow didn’t say for example “you might consider getting another brood box so that your bees will survive over winter. You should establish these first and make sure your bees have enough honey over winter, before you even think about adding your super with the Flow Frames”.
That would have been helpful and constructive :slight_smile:
Anyway, let us know how you go with sourcing a nuc or bees, and please share some photos, and let us know if you need any more advice :slight_smile: :bee:

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