my 5 frame hive system has expanded as the colony grew- now I’m up to four stories… I just added my new 3 frame modified Flow Super to the system- I did that in a hurry as the colony seems like it may be thinking of swarming. Big beards most days this week- but very hot here in Adelaide: 40+c for the last 3 days.
Here’s my deluxe 3 frame flow super: it has large windows on both sides and a large viewing area at the rear of the frames. It’s narrower than a regular 5 frame Nuc box so it has strips on the side so it stacks properly- and the roof can go directly onto it:
And here is my ‘totem’ hive- with flow super installed on level 3- and single frame observation box on the top floor. I imagine inside it closely replicates a tree hollow! How many ten frame wide tree hollows can there be?
I installed the 3 frame Flow box yesterday- and within only 2 hours the bees had already started to fill many of the little cracks in the flow cells with wax- this is compared to another flow hive I have where the bees waited nearly 3 months before they closed a single gap- the flow is finally on here- and I am thinking they will fill them with honey very fast! Touch Wood. The single standard observation frame above is 100% fully capped honey- I will harvest it in the next few days and add another to give them more room and more to do- despite the giant beard out the front inside the windows the hive is teeming with bees:
