Gold Coast Australia

Any Gold Coasters with a Flow Hive to whom I can talk pre purchasing one?

Hi, I am at Southport and have a flow in its first season, happy to talk and show you my set up. Dave

Hi Dave
Thank you for your reply. I would welcome the opportunity to call and see your Flow set up.
Are you able to get back to me with details on how to make contact to organise.
Kind regards,
Ken

Macbee,

Glad you have contact with a local Flow-Hiver… It will help you a lot as you start beekeeping…

Beekeeping will be grow on you. I live up north near Seattle so our season is over … Weather you start this season or next get yourself ready. Good luck n more !

Take care,

Gerald

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Hi Dave

Very much appreciated the opportunity of calling in and inspecting your Flow.

Keener that ever to get up and running.

Keep in touch and thank you again

Cheers

Ken

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So I take it the visit was a success? There’s a lot to be said for a simple site visit to see how other beekeepers are going with their hive and bees. learn from their mistakes or take-away great ideas especially if your bees are going to be in the same area.

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Hey Rod,
Yeah, Ken made contact at the right time as I was going to the hive inspection the day before but the weather turned. So we were able to get into the brood box. All good, no queen spotted, plenty of brood, larvae, honey and pollen. The box is booming. Wont be long now until the flow frames are filled right up. Glad to help out anytime. I have learnt so much from the forum and others that it is good to return the favour a little bit.

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Hi Gerald, looking good, and that all in youre backyard,!! wondering what my neighbours would say about that haha greetz,
Reina

Reina,

All my close neighbors are in favor of me having bees … Near the fence is my best area with sunshine exposures.

I know in some cities n regions it’s not allowed here. I’m in a none city ordinance at my home. Just a short distance away rules n laws are more restrictive. Some cities require 25’ setback. Other cities near us only require a 6’ or higher fence or barrier shrubs.

So far everyone is positive n happy I’m
providing their gardens n trees pollination. As well as helping the bees n population locally.

I also help regularly in a local bee school … I enjoy working with bees n assisting new bees learn. That was me not too long ago. We are all learning !

Cheers,
Gerald

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Well done for you, Gerald, cheers back.

Hi Ken. I am also a newbee. I’m just over the boarder in NSW but we enjoy the same climate as the Gold Coast. I’ve only the one hive and am yet to harvest but it shouldn’t be long now. :blush: I am a weekend keeper and only plan to keep a couple of hives.

Hi Caterina. Nice to hear from you.
I only started in November and somehow have already got to three hives with a fourth not far away I suspect.I too am yet to harvest but have some frames well on the way to being fully capped so hopefully only days away.
I should point out that I do not have a flow hive. I have gone traditional langsthroth with two of the three polystyrene which i really like.
Always happy to have a bee chat anytime Caterina. Im sure like me you are loving the beekeeping experience.
Kind regards
Ken

Hi all I have been running my flow hive for about 6 months and have so much honey! I would love a more experienced keeper to come over and check out my set up and give me any advice. I am in Burleigh Waters

Hi Brett
I too am inexperienced (since last November) and have had my first harvests from one of my three hives. None of mine are flow hives so I cant help you with info on them as such but happy to talk general bee matters with you. Are you a member of the GCABS?

Regards
Ken

For all around SE QLD and N NSW, look at this


Or search your Facebook for
AFB aware greater Brisbane (American foulbrood of honey bees)

I have learned a fair bit about AFB. Relevant to all of us. Best to know the signs and check regularly.

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I don’t know if @JeffH ever gets up your way. He is about 185km north of you, and although he is a traditional beekeeper, he is very knowledgable and understands the Flow hive concept very well.

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no i havent joined gcabs. I did go to the local open day. there were a bunch of older men who were stuck in their views that the traditional way is the best. put me off joining up

I understand but a little tolerance of these guys will see you learning a heap of stuff. These guys are experienced beekeepers and the only thing different about a flow hive is extraction. You still above all else need to be a beekeeper and there is plenty to be gained by getting alongside them and asking a few questions. The success in the flow super after all will amount to zip if AFB, SHB or wax moth come to visit and destroy your brood box. That’s when the “older men” come into their own with fix it info.
Great weather out there for the honey flow to continue.

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@Macbee speaks very wisely.

With my husband, we have well over 30 years of beekeeping experience. However, the Flow hive has only been around widely for about 2 years, so nobody is an expert with it, except perhaps for the inventors. We all need traditional beekeeping experience too, to help us with the non-harvest problems of beekeeping.

In fact, despite our years of experience, I am delighted to have input from a local traditional beekeeper. We have only kept bees in our current climate for about 2 or 3 years now, and his insights into africanization, nectar flow, winter stores needed etc have been crucial. Soak it all up, nothing given with good intent is worthless. If you can learn something from anyone who has more experience than you, it will repay you greatly.

:blush:

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Dawn.
JeffH has been a great source of info for me. Have been up to see him twice and on each occasion brought back a nuc of bees. The first (five frames) collected three days before last Xmas has already given me 9 fully capped frames of honey from my Polystyrene hive. Cant recommend Jeff highly enough. He is always happy to answer a question. Not much he hasn’t come across (except snow…it doesn’t snow in Buderim lol)

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