1 or 2 brood boxes in Victoria, BC, Canada?

Hello, Until today, we thought we just needed one brood box and one super because that is what came with the flow hive. However we had a couple of people mention to us tonight at a beekeepers meeting that they used two. They didn’t mention why just that they used two brood boxes. Is there anyone in Victoria, BC, Canada (or anywhere on Vancouver Island or Vancouver) on this forum who could confirm that it’s a very good idea to use two brood boxes, and not just one, in our climate? Thank you! Observing the bees’ progress, we think we’ll be adding a second box very soon.

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They use 2 boxes because of the shorter season and the more bees the more likely the larger amount of stored honey. Since our winters include snow in some areas one has to get a large enough hive to winter over and keep warm. I’m in Tennessee and I use 2 brood boxes as we have a 5 month cold season. Go with what your successful local beekeepers do. :smiley:

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I agree with @Martha’s remarks above. You should definitely have 2 brood boxes for better chances of overwintering successfully, and some people even like to use 3! :blush: Two should be enough, but just be aware that you may also need to feed your bees over winter. You may also need to make a moisture quilt box, and consider some kind of winter insulation, if your locals do that.

It is very good that you are attending the local beekeeping meeting. Local knowledge is pure gold in running a hive successfully, even if they don’t use Flow hives. Everything about beekeeping is the same in all types of hive. It is only the extraction method that is different and we can help you with that. :wink:

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Hi Maureen,
We’ve been keeping bees in Seattle for 12 years and we usually run two brood boxes, but only the bottom one is a deep. That way the bees don’t have too large of a space to keep heated throughout the winter.

We also remove any additional honey supers from the hive, leaving just a deep plus medium, and harvest some of the cut-comb honey. We save and store about a dozen frames of honey/pollen to feed back to the bees in the spring, if they need it, as we do not use sugar water or supplements.

We’re on our third year with the Flow, and haven’t found the right rhythm for our bees and the Flow, but this year we are trying one deep brood box, Queen excluder, then Flow frames-no second brood box…yet. Our hope is that we’ll get to harvest the Flow frames in July/early August, then remove it and replace with second brood box for the bees to prepare for fall and winter.

Fingers crossed :crossed_fingers: :purple_heart::honeybee:

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Dawn,
I must disagree with your statement that everything about beekeeping is the same in all types of hives!

We find each of our hives to have its own personality, and that combined with the weather, season, and what kind of bees they are makes a difference in how we care for them.

And don’t forget there are the different types of approaches to beekeeping (Conventional and Natural Beekeepers) :thinking::cowboy_hat_face:

Cheers :purple_heart::honeybee:

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OK, maybe it was a bit over broad, but my point was that the Flow hive is not super special or different. Inspections need to be done in the same way as for any other hive. Pests and diseases will happen, as in any other hive. Swarming may happen, as in any other type of hive. Queens will be lost, as in any other. Food resources need to be managed, as in any other. Humidity, condensation and insulation need to be considered, as in any other.

That is all I meant, I just chose not to type it all out the first time… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Thank you so much @Martha, @BeePeeker and @Dawn_SD!

Super helpful and we really appreciate the advice.

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I plan to begin two Flow Hives at my Lake Chelan property in 2019 but am a current member of the PSBA in Seattle as I have been a diligent student for these past 18 months in preparation. I have a mentor in Chelan but haven’t met anyone with a Flow Hive. Would we be able to connect sometime in person so that I could have a hands on experience?

Hello Debora,

After basically getting skunked by the weather/smoke and yellowjackets three years in a row, we have decided to take a break from keeping bees and will just be providing pesticide-free habitat for native pollinators.

I just cleaned and packed up everything.

Sorry, and good luck at Lake Chelan!
:purple_heart::honeybee:

Follow what your mentor says. The Flow hive is just a different method for extracting honey, everything else is the same as in a standard Langstroth hive. I would imagine that in your climate, 2 brood boxes would be the standard advice. :wink:

Thank you Dawn. My inquiry was in hopes of hands on a Flow Hive near me this winter. I have extraction concerns and questions that my Chelan mentor is unable to answer…Everything else is set and yes two brood boxes per hive is criticall in my area to prevent swarming.

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I have over 2 years of Flow extraction experience, and lots of us here have at least that. Plus my friend Jerry (@Gerald_Nickel) is not too far from you (climate and forage-wise, but about 100 miles distance) in Washington state. Please just ask your questions here, and we will all try to help. :blush: Remember that there are no silly questions, and we all love bees. We will try to help you, not criticize you. :wink:

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IDebora,

As Dawn has mentioned I’m within 100 ms of you but as you know you are much dryer n cooler than me … I have Flow-hive among my current 10 hive Apiary clusters.

I live in the bit cooler foothill country S.E. of Seattle. I’ve just finished my 3rd season here with two flows ( a 6 n a 7 frame ) set up. The rest of my colonies are in standard Langstoth 5, 8, n 10 frame boxes.

If you need to chat I can arrange here, texting or phone :iphone: call. I just finished winterizing more 2 hives today n merged two because one is rather weak/too small to survive winter on its own. I finish winterize that combined hives first of next week.

Cheers :clinking_glasses:,
Gerald

Cheers

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Two hive boxes are not only to prevent possible Spring/summer Swarming but gives the colony adiquate room to store the needed 60 to 80 lbs of honey for best winter survival.

Cheer,
Gerald

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Thanks for chiming in, Jerry. You are such a superstar. :blush:

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Dawn,

No sweat ! Been busy winterizing, helping my mentor with a large oxliic vapor project up here. We’ve been going around helping people treat for mites. They call the college n get on a shedule … then Danny, I n other team members go out n show them how to test for mites n treat …

Plus work load on furnaces n Vera keep me rather busy … should settle down soon I hope.

Cheers n hope my thots were helpful !

Gerald

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From Canada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjyNcyVvbEI

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I love watching his videos as they make sense and one can really understand well the information he imparts.

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Hey Dawn,

What’s your thots on a single brood box configuration? (See Red Hots reference to posted video). In this one he doesn’t deal with Swarm issues… maybe he does in other vids. Not had time to look. I’m guessing you’d have to be totally up on your management procedures (near a 100%) His math is based on 10 frame but the boxes he’s dealing personal (I watched n counted) are 8 frame colonies. I’m guessing he has to do (make Nuc’s) or splits to deal with the Swarm possibilities!

Not sure :thinking: that would be a newbee level type of Beekeeping. I am scratching my head here … I’m one for experimenting (shall I or shall I not) with this method … what would I loss or gain.

Cheers n Happy Vets Day,
Gerald

I’m not Dawn but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express:

I’m going to experiment with it and compare it to my 3 deep configurations. Management shouldn’t be as much of a chore because I’ll only have 1 box to hunt for brood and the queen for splits and swarm management.

Mite management will be easier because again, the brood is in one box.

More to come in NE USA Springtime:

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