Hi Max - lovely to hear from you. I have my flow hive and only received my bees last week. So very exciting. I started a wee little blog - (for my parents mainly to follow) - but please check it out. It may give you some tips as I work through my newness as well. www.beekeepinginkatoomba.com
Good on you for having a native bee hive.
Best of luck
Katie
Hi Katie
Nice website. I will be following your progress and hopefully by the time I get my Flow hive & bees in Spring I too will be an expert by then 
Get the honey Flowing !
Max
Hi,
I live in Santa Monica California and have a hollow Peppertree in my back yard. There has been a colony inside for at least 3-4 years. I always thought it would be cool to have a real hive. When I saw the flow hive campaign I became an early supporter and now I have my cedar edition all assembled and ready to go. My tree bees are super friendly. My office door is about 6 feet from the hive entrance without a problem. There is a second colony in my neighbors garage about 25 steps away also about 2-3 years old. Iāve looked at trap-out methods on youtube etc. Being brand-new to the beekeeping what method if any would you suggest?
I would suggest contacting your local beekeeping society, because live hive/swarm removal people are almost always members! That way, you might get a chance to have free bees, if you help retrieve them. 
I am sure that you have an active group - I am about 75 miles south of you in San Diego, and our group is full of commercial, hobby, curious and other members. 
Just Google to find your local group. The Flow web site will eventually list them, but it doesnāt seem to work right just yet.
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Hello everyone,
My wife Heidi and I are wrapping up our first year of beekeeping here in the DFW area of Texas with our two garden hives. Adding 4 more this spring, two of which are Flow Hives, so we are happy to be a part of this community! We are members of the Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association and look forward to exchanging ideas and experiences with everyone as we get this next season under way!
Cheers-
Michael
If they are established and doing no harm would it be kinder on the bees to leave them there and just collect a swarm from them?
Hello from Minnesota!
My husband and I have had bees for two years now in conventional hives and got the flow hive because it sounded interesting. We just got the package of 7 flow frames and nice cedar super.
We plan to set this up in Edina in my daughterās home alongside another conventional hive setup, both from new package of bees. This will let us understand the experience with the flow hive compared to a conventional one.
I would love to get in touch with others with flow hives in Minnesota!
Cant wait for April to get the bees started!
Hi. Iām from Westminster, MD. Iām not a bee keeper as of yet, but I ordered my my flow hive behive and am excited about becoming a good bee keeper. Iām reading everything I can get my grubby little hands on about bee keeping. I have been thinking about starting a bee hive for quite a while. I know nothing about it, but learning, while waiting for my hive. I know I have alot to learn.
I heard quite a few bad reviews, but I didnāt let that sway me one bit. Iām looking forward to picking everyoneās brains for tips and advice about everything possible to keep my behive healthy all year round, including how to winter bees, what/how to check the health of my colony, where to get bees and a queen.
Thank you and have a blessed day. Annetta
Hi, I recently received my full flow hive and have put it together and have coated it with 4 coats of 100% tung oil. My flow frames arrived yesterday, I took them to a bee class that evening to show them to people, and one guy was handling the frame (gently) and it fell apart!! The wire came off and a million pieces came apart. Is this normal? How do it put it back together correctly and why does this happen?
I couldnāt find any information on how to put them together and why they should/shouldnāt come apart.
Iām brand new to beekeeping, any advice would be very helpful!!
Thanks!
Oh dear! 
I think you can put it back together yourself, but it can be a bit fiddly with the wires. Cedar wrote about it somewhere on this forum. However, if you send an e-mail to info@honeyflow.com, I am sure you will get some help.
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Sorry you have had this issue with your Flow Frames. The Flow Frames are designed so that they can be taken apart so they can be modified to fit different sized Supers. However, they shouldnāt come apart unless you want them to.
Cedar and Stu recently inspected a few boxes randomly at Brisbane factory last week and found a few frames with wires that were put on too loosely. The factory has since tightened up the QC procedure. We asked them to go through all stock and check. But it looks like you have got one of the frames with loose wires.
The Flow frame cables can be tightened quite easily. Below are some instructions. We will also make you a video to explain it better.
How to tighten the upper cable
- Tie a piece of string/rubber band/tape around the center of the frame horizontally (in same direction as the wires but in the center) to stop the Flow frame falling apart while the wire is removed.
- Remove the Flow Key access cap (where the Flow key inserts)
- Use a screw driver or blunt knife to lever the wire out of itās groove under the tool key access cap.
- Add twists to the cable to shorten it and slide it over the Flow key access area and click it into place. Make sure it is in the groove under the opening and also clicked into the slots on each side. It should be a bit difficult to slide over but not so difficult that damage is done as you slide the cable over. A screw driver or blunt knife will be needed to lever the wire into the slots.
How to tighten the lower cable
- Tie a piece of string/rubber band/tape around the center of the frame horizontally (same direction as the wires but in the center) to stop the Flow frame falling apart while the wire is removed.
- Turn the frame upside down and to the opposite corner than the tool access opening.
- Use a screw driver or blunt knife to lever the wire off the end of the frame.
- Add twists to the cable to shorten it and slide the cable back into position. There are a couple of click points you can use to tighten the wire further. A screw driver or blunt knife will be needed to lever the wire into the slots.
There are also some videos on how to put the frames back together here - http://www.honeyflow.com/about-flow/flow-hive-assembly-modifications/p/142
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To all Newbees like me, may I recommend getting in touch with your local Bee Association to increase your knowledge and skill in this new industry. Nothing like hands on experience.
I had the absolute pleasure to attend the Nepean Branch (Western Sydney) meeting today where I was welcomed with wide open arms. 5hrs was spent on Honey Extraction with all hands on deck and I only got stung 3 x times (first time in 30yrs). Members were so overwhelmingly supportive in giving me the best experience and advise available. With extracting the honey the old fashioned way, I can now see first hand why there āhad to be a better wayā and the Flow Hive was born. Well done Flow Team !!!
After reading other newbees experiences, I must admit that I was somewhat nervous about what response I would get from old hand members, but it was ALL positive. The members of this particular branch were certainly not against the Flow Hive, quite the opposite actually, with one experienced member being the proud owner of a Flow Hive.
I could not have expected to experience a more dedicated group of fun loving people who were so very passionate about their hobby and passing on their wisdom.
Man, with bees in your life, who needs to take illicit drugs, Iām on a forever ānatural highā 
. And after todays meeting with the Branch, Iām really ābuzzingā Iām now going to bee crossing every day off the calendar until the next meeting (second Sunday of every month that is for any local Westie or Mountain people).
EVERYONE, Just do yourself a huge favour and attend a meeting !!!
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Here is the video for tightening the wires on the Flow Frames - https://youtu.be/gbeOkXFSzgQ
Please let me know if this isnāt the issue, or if you have any problems doing it.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
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Where? No linkā¦
Thank you so much! Glad to know Iām not crazy :)grinning:
Hi everyone - Iām brand new to beekeeping and I live mid-way between Richmond and Charlottesville Virginia. Lots of beekeepers in my area so Iām currently looking into networking so I can learn from folks with experience. I backed the full Flow Hive and just put the entire thing together. I have a local contact who is acquiring bees for me in 3 weeks.
Hello!
My name is Morgan and I live in Tennessee. My sister and I want to become Beekeepers. We have no experience but are working hard to learn and doing our research. We would love any advice!
Hi Morgan,
Welcome! The best place to start is by joining a local bee club and going to some classes. Local knowledge is so helpful in success. Many classes will give you some hands-on experience and give you a chance to see whether you enjoy it as much as you hope.
If you have any specific questions, please ask them here. We aim to be supportive and nurturing as a community.
Hello. Iām from Texas. My husband and I will be moving to our 20 acres this year and want to keep bees as a hobby, for pollination, and of course for the honey. We know very little but are eager to learn. This forum will bee a great source and community for us. 
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Welcome. Read all you can, join a local beekeeping club and ask lots of questions. We are all still learning, even those who have kept bees for decades, so there are no stupid questions!
