Hi!
Spring starting here in Spain. My brood box is full of bees and honey so a few weeks ago I decided to put the Flow Super on. Today I checked my bees and I see that the bees seem to not wanting to go up to the flow super. Any ideas? Dumb question here: is the queen excluder that I received with my flow hive valid for Spanish bees as well (black bees)? Maybe the holes are too small… ? I don’t know why they are not going up if the brood box is full of bees.
Thanks in advance!
Try melting some wax and rubbing it on the flow frames, seems to work for others. 
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Hi Patrick, How long have you had the beehive ?
It takes about 12months, after you install a nuc, before the bees are ready to go up to the flow box.
All the frames in the brood box need to be at least 95% covered with bees.
@Wizard also gave you good advise. You can also just rub bees wax over the frames.
If it is only early Spring, be patient, it will happen.
The QE supplied by Flow is ok for your bees, I prefer the metal QE.
Don’t worry, your question is not dumb, ask as many as you like
Good luck
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Hi, yes I have tried that already. Immediately the bees go to the spot where I have put the wax and start working on it but this doesn’t help for more bees going up to the super.
Hi George:
Thanks for your reply. The bees have been in the brood box for more than 12 months now. It just looks like that they are not able to go through the queen excluder. Is there a possibility that my bees are too big to get through?
Thanks!!
Hi Patrick, I agree with @George_Perth and @Wizard and also wonder where you’re looking - could your bees be in the super but concentrated in the center of the middle frame or two, which you wouldn’t see if you are looking in a side window.
Other than that, I’d be curious to know for sure that your brood box is not just full of bees but has all frames fully drawn with comb, that has a good sized brood area with worker brood in all stages (aka BIAS) so you know that your queen is laying lots of workers, even if you don’t see her each time you check. When was your last brood box inspection & how did things look?
The only reason a honey bee wouldn’t fit through a QX is if it’s a drone or a queen.
Hi Eva!
Thanks for your input. Yes, there are some bees in the middle of the super trying to work their way up but very little bees according to what I see. Yes, the brood box is full of bees and frames fully drawn with comb. As a matter of fact the frames that are on the edges are full of capped honey… Maybe I have to be more patient… get a different queen excluder… I don’t know. Time will tell. Thanks!
Hi Patrick
I am in Portugal and I don’t think we are quite into the full nectar flow yet. Perhaps they will get busier in a few weeks. Our temperatures are probably cooler, though, but the whole world seems to be a little ‘off’ climate-wise!
You’re welcome, glad to help if I can. That’s a good sign your excluder isn’t the problem. Patience might be the ticket, then, given what John says - and since the Flow frames need a lot of preparation by the bees before they can begin to deposit nectar in the cells. You’ll see more and more progress with seams being waxed, and ends extended out to enable even capping once there’s a strong flow on.
Hi Patrick,
The most common issue is adding the Flow super before the brood box is at capacity - it’s good to have all brood frames built out and the box heaving with bees before adding the Flow super.
As Fred mentioned, rubbing a bit of wax from the brood box on the Flow frames can also help to encourage the bees up.
Please feel free to email info@honeyflow.com if you’d like us to do some more detailed troubleshooting with you.
We look forward to hearing how you go 
Free
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Hi
Thank you very much for your reply! Maybe I have to be more patient. Can I leave the super on and wait and see or is it better to take it off if the moment is not right?
Thanks!!
Thank you John! Yes, maybe I have to be more patient and they will get busier soon. Should I leave the super on then?
Best way to tell when to put your super on (when your colony is full of workers, comb and BIAS) is to check with other local beekeepers who have experience with seasonal changes in your area. If they are supering their hives, then you can too!
Hi Patrick,
The bees will go through the QX when they are ready.
Just be patient, it will happen.
Many trees and flower, flowering at the moment ?
How long till summer ?
Lovely photo! I would leave the super on, they will get to it. 
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Hi Patrick,
Great location. I agree with @Dawn_SD all you need is patience.
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All the tips are tricks are good but we also keep forgetting to say that you also need a reasonable nectar flow for them to need to go into the flow super and store and process it in the flow frames. What has the local nectar flow been like and what are you expecting. Seems you have done everything else.
Almond blossom provides decent nectar for honey bees, with the added advantage of a dose of amygdalin (antiviral and ant-parasitic for bees). So we are not really forgetting, we are just not mentioning it when the photo shows an abundance of almond blossom…
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Nobody forgot, it was mentioned early on by @George_Perth , @john_lawson and me
@patrickmartinez is the photo a view from your house?! It really is a stunning picture 
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