Any other New Jersey Flow owners?

[Quiet1smile]

Thanks I did just order the 2nd box…We put our bees in on May 18th so its only been three weeks…so I should have enough time for the 2nd box to come before I need to put it on …

[anthokelbee]

I would agree with 2 deep brood boxes. We installed our nucs on May 9th and just last week added the second deep. Good luck!

[Quiet1smile]

Ok we have had our three week inspection and the bees look fantastic …we started with framless frames no foundation and the beens have filled them at least 80% or maybe 90% everything looks great and we want to put on the 2nd brood box in a few days. My Question …do you put the completely empty 2nd box on top or do you take a few of the frames from the first box and put up into the 2nd box ? Any knowledge would be very helpful.

Thank you

[Dawn_SD]

@Quiet1smile

My Question …do you put the completely empty 2nd box on top or do you take a few of the frames from the first box and put up into the 2nd box ? Any knowledge would be very helpful.

Very good question, and you will probably get a lot of different answers. For years, I just added another box on top, without moving any frames. It worked just fine. This year, I am adding the new box underneath the first box, to reduce the work the bees have to do to keep the brood warm. I have never moved the frames around, but with the foundationless frames, I would be tempted to move the two outer frames of honey/pollen stores down to the new box to act as a guide and keep the bees from building crazy comb next to the hive wall.

I don’t like moving frames of brood to a new box, because it forces the bees to spread out to keep the brood warm, even if they aren’t ready. However, others do it without any problems. It will be interesting to hear what differing opinions you get!

[Dee]

I agree with Dawn. 1 box on top or below should work. I would leave the brood alone. I’ve seen too many supersedures with split brood. Some people checkerboard brood frames like you would super frames and get away with it but I think it sets the bees back

[Quiet1smile]

thank you …and now you have me wondering …do I put the 2nd box on top of the first or under the first …what is the reasoning behind that move…and with putting the new box on I will then need to wait till the 2nd box is 80% full befor I put on the flow box correct ? or Honey Super

[Dawn_SD]

@Quiet1smile

do I put the 2nd box on top of the first or under the first …what is the reasoning behind that move

Most people put the second brood box on top of the first one, because it is easy and convenient for the beekeeper. This year I am trying out putting it underneath. It is a bit more tricky, but I think it will be worth it. The reasoning behind it is:

1. When bees build in the wild, they start at the top of a cavity and build down. This is their natural preference.
2. When you add a box, you increase the hive volume that the bees have to keep warm at 35C (98F) for the brood to develop and hatch. As heat rises, it is easier for them to continue to keep existing brood warm if it is near the top of the hive, especially when it is a young new hive with reduced numbers of bees (as it will be in the first season).
3. We know it works and is safe to do, as Warre hives do things this way - new boxes are added to the bottom of the hive.

@Quiet1smile

and with putting the new box on I will then need to wait till the 2nd box is 80% full befor I put on the flow box correct ? or Honey Super

Correct. You got it in one!

[Quiet1smile]

HI, I placed a 2nd brood box on top of the first three weeks ago …We did another inspection yesterday and no comb had been built in the 2nd box although the first box was full. During our Inspection we saw a very healthy large active hive. We made the decision to place three of the full frames in the 2nd box. We will wait another three weeks to check back and see how it goes. It is our hopes that this will encourage the bees to fill both boxes. Any thoughts ?

Thanks

[Dawn_SD]

@Quiet1smile

We did another inspection yesterday and no comb had been built in the 2nd box although the first box was full. …[snip, snip, edit]… Any thoughts ?

I would rather place the new box below the old box than move frames up, but you already knew that. They will use the space when they think they need it, not when we think they need it. Such is the nature of bees…

[iKenBee]

Hi Everyone --This is my first post and I searched New Jersey—you all popped up.

Im Flow Excited HAHA Get it so excited Flow Excited–I just laughed.

Seriously–I really am excited. My hive arrived a few days ago and I will be putting it together this week.

Im in Morris County. Now question for you. There are several Associations in the area. Morris/Somerst. Sussex and Essex etc—I want to join one that is really active. Informative and not just going to teach me stuff I can learn on YouTube. I want INFO. Im a hands on guy and want to see and learn. So which Assoc. is the better one to join?

Thanks

[Dawn_SD]

I don’t know how close you are to @Anon, but he has 50 hives in NJ and would be a great source of information and knowledge. However, he doesn’t have a Flow hive, and probably never will - that doesn’t make him a bad person!

[iKenBee]

Im ok with him being a bad person (joking) as long as he is full of Honey and not BS HAHAHA
See I have a sense of humor.
Again–Seriously. Im looking forward to meeting anyone and everyone possible. New to this but I dive into my research and want to learn everything possible. Hands on and in clubs/associations.
So much info online but we all know the best is actually doing it with direct experience.

I have one flow hive and one normal hive. The storm coming is driving me crazy because I just want to get everything setup.

[Anon]

Thanks Dawn,

I could keep bees in a milk crate if I wanted; equipment doesn’t much matter. A sting feels just as bad, and the honey tastes just as sweet no matter the hive

[Faroe]

Anyone have an answer for this fellow?

When to Winterize in New Jersey

Hey this is my first year, when do I winterize the hive? The weather is still good. I have the cover see in the picture below. I have yet to put it on, because the hive is still busy. I mean they have not filed all the frames, but I feed them regularly, as I am trying to get them ready for the winter. I started late with my bees, end of May. I was going to shrink the entrance, but think it is to early as they are bearding the front of the hive. See the pictures. Also I have a small hole in …

[mikecoscia]

Hi guys! I’m in Wayne, NJ. I was one of the original kickstarter backers, just never got around to setting up my hive. I finally registered to take the Rutgers course and hoping to finally start my hive this spring .

[BeachHouse]

I realize this is an old post, but hopefully we can resurrect it.

I am a first-year beekeeper located in Toms River (Ocean County). A good friend got me involved after I let him use my property for two hives. After watching several hive inspections I was hooked. I purchased a Flow Hive and an additional brood box during the winter.

Three weeks ago I installed a NUC and 10 days later nine frames were built up so I added the second brood box. Two days ago I found eight of the frames in the upper box had drawn comb. I am thrilled and cannot wait until the next inspection.

Good luck, my friends!

[Johnfdxmx]

Happy New year honey bee community -
We are new to this art form of bee keeping - we just returned from a trip to Greece and was amazed at the honey bee community there - we are just starting out journey and would welcome any advise on start up - how too and where too meet - chat or buy from … the end game is to become experienced enough to enjoy the pleasure of bee keeping and generating honey.