Any FlowHive Users In Kentucky

I am using 2 deep 8 frame boxes. If you’re running 10 frame boxes you can do one deep and one medium but you have to watch that they have food early spring especially if the winter is long. This year’s winter was odd.

How long have you had a flow hive, are your frames foundationless, both of your brood boxes from flow hive?

This is my first year with the flow hive. Started with a queen and package.

Yes, all 16 of my frames are foundationless and almost full.

Definitely :raised_hands:

3 Likes

Thank u I appreciate the information.

Any honey yet, what variety of bees do you have?

I might get a late season harvest but not planning on it. Normally bees need a season to build and grow before they start making an overflow. I picked Italian bees since they tend to be calmer and I’m in the city.

I have Italians also

image001.jpg

What type of feeder do you use, I tried the entrance but it don’t work good so I just set my super on without the frames and used a jar with the top where the cutout is?

image001.jpg


I used this the first few weeks.

Depends on the season and the strength of your fall flow, if you have one.

No, not if you have appropriate sized entrances and/or robbing screens and strong colonies.

I’m sure you’ll find as many to the contrary.

Do what you like, but don’t pretend there are universal truths on the topic.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource002763_Rep4064.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjGlP-QhpDxAhXomq0KHdLFAHgQFjADegQIFxAC&usg=AOvVaw0-b4zGwcQBSoFVvKcG-qcu

Here is one of the many beekeeper instructions I have read, it is from purdue university. Have yet to find a university say 1 brood box for this area of the US. Normally only see people that don’t want to lift boxes or trying to force more honey out of their colony, mention it. If lifting boxes is undesired then I suggest a top bar hive, or a modified langstroth long box so the bees have the optimal amount of space. If you’re just trying to force more honey production without concern if they need supplement food when the flow slows… :see_no_evil:

Did you watch the video link I posted? University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

Anyway, like I said, do what you want. People around here overwinter singles, doubles, even 5 frame deep nucs with great success.

Lifting full boxes is no joke, even without this, inspecting is much easier with a single box. Spring management is more critical to prevent them swarming but proactive management is successful.

A queen that is laying even an enormous 2500 eggs per day has about 24.8 days of space in a 10 frame deep (about 3100cells/sidex20 sides= 62000 cells).

I am a year into beekeeping but I did successfully overwinter 8 colonies last winter only one was a double. My local mentor has hundreds of singles and nucs he overwintered locally.

I certainly still have a lot to learn, I’d be interested in that the more experienced beekeepers have to say on the issue.

Yeah. I listened to the guy in the video mention needing to feed the single box in mid summer and early fall etc. Alas, I won’t even feed the hummingbirds sugar water. I plant flowers instead. It just doesn’t have all the same vitamins and minerals.

I didn’t have to feed most of the colonies last fall as there was a strong goldenrod and aster flow but I’m sure it will be necessary in some years.

Made me think of a hive design. :laughing: with winter colony support honey supers you can add to the sides.

We’re in Eddyville, KY. Eddy Bay on the shores of Lake Barkley. Had my Flow Hive 2 for about three years (I was in on the original crowdfunding thingy) bit just installed it and added a nuk of “mutt” bees on Mother’s Day.

Quickly added a second brood box to give them more room. I have used exclusively plastic pre-waxed frames. Very active, happy, and super calm/nice bees! Not one good sting yet. But I plan like it’s a moonshot every time I inspect.

Had my third inspect Sunday with my first mentor, a 35+ year beekeeper. I learned more in two hours than I did from every book, video, and forum I’ve exposed myself to.

I had been feeding my bees sugar syrup nonstop since Mother’s Day but had to quit when I added my Flow frame super Sunday. I placed a protein bar in the roof and have them access hoping to draw them up through the flow frames. So far very few bees appear to be in the third story. But it’s only been two days. Fingers crossed.

I have no idea what I’m doing, but just bought a Flow Hive 2+!

Chris and Kim

PS: I grew up in Valley Station, south Louisville and my brother lives in Brooks, KY

2 Likes

Hopefully the small hive beetles don’t find it before the bees…

Look up this thread:

2 Likes

Have you seen any of Kamon Reynolds’ videos on Youtube? I think that he is in TN.

Looks like he had some weird ladies. :joy: good thing he requeened. Too bad he didn’t catch their lack of work earlier in the season. It gets rough around here with the long period of no nectar and warmish weather.

He has lots of good videos if you go to his channel.

1 Like