Red Cedar Flow boxes?

Hi Folks, it is official we are offering the free cedar upgrade to all our indigogo supporters and people who have bought from the website! We are also offering the free upgrade until the 25th of August. After that the price of the premium hive will go up but we will introduce another cheaper pine hive.


Thanks everyone for your support.

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Of course you entitled to Cedar box if you upgrade.
Boxes are $60 each and they will be a 10 Frame WRC Flow box to fit your 7 flow frames.
Contact us at customer support via the ‘click here’ link on this page http://www.honeyflow.com/contact/p/3
and we will update your account so you can pay for any upgrades you wish.

Thanks for the upgrade guys, that’s brilliant. My hive is going on my back roof - the house is clad with western red cedar, so it should look fantastic!

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Cool, thank you. I’ll send a note for 2 upgrades now. So, just so I understand, when I upgrade, the finished hive will look like the hive sent out in the note (see pic below) or do I need to buy an additional brood box, base, roof, etc.? You poor man, you probably answered that question way too may times.
While I’m at it, another question…you never have to add more supers (flow boxes) with this set up do you…you just drain the honey, right? I only ask, because I want to make sure I order everything I need when I upgrade.

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Is this hive treated at all? As I understand it cedar doesn’t need to be, what would you recommend?

You have only ordered the the top part (super) - Flow Frames with Box(if you upgrade to include the box).
If you would like it to look like the video - this is a Complete Flow Hive.
You are also able to upgrade to this.
Just email us here - http://www.honeyflow.com/contact/p/3
Click on the underline "click here"
Please include the email address you used when you first ordered or your order number so we can access your order.

Yes you can just have on super and drain when it is ripe and ready. Some bee keepers may choose to have more though, it is up to the individual.
But when one Flow Frame is all capped, you can just drain that one if the other Flow Frames aren’t all capped yet(ripe).

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The hive doesn’t come treated. We are using natural tung oil.

I’d be interested to know what you thought to using Linseed oil rather than Tung oil on the red cedar FlowHive ? Linseed oil is natural, and edible . . . and I happen to have quite a lot of it, whereas I don’t have any Tung oil. My FlowHive is scheduled for December, so I’ve still got some time to think about what coating to use.

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Hi Jake, sorry but I’m a little confused, so I bough a complete flow hive during the Indiegogo campaign, does the free upgrade apply to the complete flowhive? and how can I get one? do I need to change my order is some way in my account?

Thanks :smile:

It all happens automatically ; -)

Hi @adrian I am no expert but have uses both linseed and tung.
I have always considered tung to be a better oil for exterior use than linseed. Both are used in food contact products and are considered “safe” ie wooden bowls ect…

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you may already know this but if you use linseed make sure its raw linseed without the drier compounds in it. You dont know what chemicals they are. It will take a long time for linseed to dry though compared to pure tung oil.

thanks for for the feedback. I’m feeling more confident about using Linseed oil . . .I’ve inherited so much of it I’d rather use what I’ve already got rather than buying an alternative.

My FlowHive is scheduled for delivery in December, so I will have at least 3 or 4 months to build and coat it. I’m looking forward to it.

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You can thin the Linseed oil with mineral turpentine (even add a little varnish) to let the linseed oil absorb more quickly and deeply. I don’t use a lot of turps but about 1/3 Turps to 2/3 linseed oil.
I know some use equal parts. When thinned it is also much easier to apply, but more coats may
be needed

Just wanted to add some information on the Characteristics of Western Red cedar

WESTERN RED CEDAR CHARACTERISTICS
Western Red Cedar from Western Forest Products is one of the world’s finest building materials.
Species Characteristics: Warmth, natural durability, dimensional stability, versatility, distinctiveness; one of the world’s most beautiful woods; no man-made material can duplicate its naturally luxurious appearance; high-performance quality.
Uses: Ideal for a variety of exterior and interior uses in a wide range of products; lightweight; easy to handle and install; pitch- and resin-free, making it ideal for a wide range of stains and finishes.
Why is Western Red Cedar ideal to work with? Its fibres contain natural compounds that act as preservatives, making the wood extremely long lasting. These compounds provide natural resistance to moisture, insects and decay.

IMO it’s a great choice of Wood to use and from what I have seen Most of the high priced warre hives use the Cedar.

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Where is the Cedar Wood coming from for the Flow Hives?
I ask this because it’s obviously imported from outside Australia and even with the company the Flow team has set up in the U.S. most of that wood comes from Canada into the States. They do have import and export rules and regulations for wood products, one being it must be Kiln dried and inspected for some countries (Air drying does not rid the wood for pests) it must be labeled and stamped as such. It’s to prevent the spread of insect infestation into other countries. I’m sure Stu and Cedar would have people working on this problem but I was just interested on where exactly the wood is coming from?

I’m not exactly sure where the timber comes from but I know it is an issue that is close to both Cedar ans Stu’s hearts, and the rest of the team. A lot of the family and some of the flow team have worked for NGOs in various environmental roles. I will see if I can find exactly where it comes from, I guess it would vary depending on the year who is supplying the timber but we are only using certified timber.

Our hive box supplier in North America is committed to sourcing Western Red Cedar from forestry operations that have been independently certified as meeting high environmental and social standards. All timber for the 2015 orders will be from forestry operations that are PEFC certified ( http://www.pefc.org/ ). We have asked our supplier that by the end of 2016, all timber should be sourced from FSC certified operations ( http://info.fsc.org/ ), which is a higher forestry standard.

I had a heck of time trying to buy Monkeypod wood from Hawaii one time. I doubt it would be good for hives, but it’s wood in such short supply that all I was able to get was about 6 linier board feet by 2 feet, wich was enough for my project but I had to buy it privately. I know this has nothing to do with Flowhive, but it is a wood statement, woodn’t you agree?

The boxes are coming from BeeThinking. Here is what they say from their own website.

Western Red Cedar
All of our top bar hives and Warre hives are made
from Western Red Cedar harvested in the Pacific Northwest in the United
States. While it costs more, we select only kiln dried, tight knot
Western Red Cedar for our hives. Our wood is kiln dried to between 12%
and 18% moisture to minimize warping and cracking. Other hive builders
use pine due to its availability and low cost. Pine, however, requires
painting in order to have a comparable longevity to Western Red Cedar.
We usually don’t paint our hives, but either leave them unfinished to
weather naturally, or seal them with Tung Oil.
Source:

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There is the place to get pure tung oil. Order online. Looks great.