Beekeeping with Flow Hive. Discuss using Flow Frames, what you love, share your experience so far, plans for the future, concerns, and anything related to Flow Hives.
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I am assembling new Langstroth boxes in anticipation of receiving my flow frames. I think it would be easiest f I cut the modifications for the flow frames before my super is assembled. Is there a downloadable pattern for the cuts? Thank you so much.
Mary Margaret
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Flow Frame users around the world should enter honey from these frames in their local agricultural shows and beekeeper honey competitions. Favourable comparisons with conventionally produced honey by independent judges would highlight this method of beekeeping. I’m going to keep some to enter just as it came from the Flow Frames. I might be biased but I think the honey I harvested is magnificent; I’m sure you all will be producing similar potential show-winners. Would this silence some of the negativity that is out there? Like they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating!
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Hi all
A possible issue has come to mind.
I have been taught and have been practicing rotating old brood frames from the brood box to center of the honey super. This is to get the old black wax out, which usually has smaller sized cells which affect the size of the bees. (The cocoon they make gets incorporated into the cell each generation.)
It is also a preventative, in case the wax harbors disease. The remaining frames of brood are moved together and a sticky is put on the outer edge of the brood. (This also can help prevent swarming, as it gives more room for the queen to lay.)
If one has a standard Flow Hive, then there is nowhere to put the normal Langstroth frame with the brood, in the super. This is OK if you have other standard hives, but not if the Flow Hive is your only hive. The remedy is to get a hybrid super.
I suggest that having a hybrid super is recommended to all new bee-keepers for whom the Flow Hive is their only hive.
best wishes
By all means remove old comb for disease control but the theory that bees get increasingly smaller as the comb gets older has been largely disproved.
Take a look here
ok, great, thanks for that info
considering the explanation of the work the bees have to do on the old wax, and humans, as it is very hard, it is more difficult to decap, I would rotate the frames to save that work for all involved also.
You can always just pull the old brood frame out entirely and replace it with a fresh frame - melt the old wax off and reinstall new foundation…
Oh my god! I would not like to kill the brood remaining on the frame.
It is placed in the spot mentioned in the super, so the all the bees can hatch.
ha - that’s not actually what I was suggesting… if you move the frame to the edge of the brood box instead of the centre, it’ll likely not be filled with brood, but instead pollen or even honey (or so I’m told - probably depends on how active your hive is). Then you can remove it without killing brood.
I think that is a good suggestion as a solution, rather than ‘just pull the old brood frame out entirely and replace it with a fresh frame’.
I have just spent a very happy 3 hours assembling my cedar wood flow hive (full version) and it’s turned out fab! The fit and finish seem excellent. I followed the video and paper instructions together and it all went smoothly, without too much head scratching or thumb gouging and no bits missing.
Not too much packaging either. Nice.
I hope it’s this much fun when the bees arrive…
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To all you knowlegeable beeks out there, I have one question in regard to the Flow Super Frames.
I have recently received my complete Hive including the 6 frames. I seem to have the Mk11 version as the frames have 7 twists in each of the support wires and it is a snug fit.
My question is this, when I look at the side face of the frames, the combs do not seem to be sitting flush together. One side is about 5mm (1/4 inch) offset from the other side. This is the pattern which is consistent throughout, a bit like a mexican wave if you know what I mean. They sorta kinda align when opening and closing but I was just wondering if they are set right or misaligned.
Without pulling one to pieces, can someone confirm that they are set right which they surely must be cause they are all the same. I just wanna make sure that I have it right.
Thanking you all in advance.
Max
Hello
I am a beekeeper from LAtin America, Colombia
We work with africanized bees apis mellifera
Can anybody tell me if Flow Hive functions with this kind of bee?
Best Regards
Rodrigo Sepúlveeda
That was 3 yrs ago, I wonder why all of a sudden it appears in the recent activity column. I also wonder if the author of that article still feels the same, 3 years on.
Hi, I have had to flow hives for the last few years and have been going well! A couple of weeks ago I took the flow frames out of one of my hives and the parts became disassembled, I have been able to re-assemble them but I need to tension the wire so they fit snuggly together again. Has this happened to anyone else? If so is it possible to re-assemble them back into working order? Or do I need to purchase a new frame? TIA Danni