Hi everyone, this morning there was a interesting post by a new member from Denmark on this forum seeking help re damage to his flow frame(s) happening during harvest. I was quite intrigued about this, having never come across this issue or heard from anyone else with this happening ( I run 30 plus flow hives for a few years now). Two possibilities only: mishandling/ wrong use during harvest or faulty manufacturing/ material issues with the flow frames. Whatever the reason, I was really looking forward to read more about it and another post by the person in question with the issue, preferable with photos. Now this ādiscussionā has been shot down by one of the moderators, closing down the topic. We are all here to learn more from each other, so why has this topic been closed down? I would appreciate if the moderator in question could reply to this and explain himself.
Admittedly I am not a regular contributor on this forum, but read on it most days and find it quite inspiring most of the timesā¦ but donāt like censorship or suppression of open, valid discussion.
I didnāt come across that posting Georgina and it is sad that we were denied the possibility to give our help and advice on what the issue might be. A valid request for help shouldnāt be deleted by a moderator leaving the the person denied help. Actions like that will only do harm to the reputation of Flow Hives.
Cheers
The post wasnāt deleted I assume it was locked because the action of contacting FlowHive customer service was recommended. Hopefully weāll get an update post the resolution.
@Georgina the other possibility is that the frames are knock off ones.
Hi Adam (@AdamMaskew), poor wording on my behalf. Yes, it wasnāt deleted, just immediately put under lock and key by a moderator. I commend Leahd (@leahd) from the Flow team for her effort in helping the costumer but it would have been nice to keep everyone in the loop. I almost hope it was a cheap copy of the frames so we all can sleep and rest easy at night 
Hi Georgina, thank you for bring this up. I am not sure where the post is but I believe the conversation required personal information being given and was marked as private. I am happy to be completely transparent here and answer any questions you or and other forum members have regarding Flow Frames and issues that may arise.
With Adamās specific situation it is something that was new to me. Frames breaking in this way is not common.
There are a few reasons why this may have occurred (or may occur):
- the Flow Frames may have been exposed to extended periods in the sun (the frames are UV sensitive)
- if the hive contracted AFB and the Frames were irradiated at a level that was too high
(What you should do when treating with irradiation:
Check your model number. BZ8 Frames will withstand only one round of irradiation at 10 kGy. All other frame models will withstand 2 rounds of AFB sterilisation at 10 kGy. Some Irradiation facilities use beehives as āgap fillerā in larger loads. This means a single round may expose your frames to more than 40 kGy.) https://www.honeyflow.com/faqs/all/flow-frame-sterilisation-irradiation-disease-control/p/145 - there is a manufacturing fault with the Flow Fame.
If there is a manufacturing fault our procedure is to immediately ship a replacement Flow Frame to the customer.
I would love to keep this discussion open and am happy to answer any questions that arise.
Kindest,
Leah.
I came across that post since I replied to it and he isnāt the first to have reported that issue with their Flow Hives on the forum. It can only make for a better product if we can openly discuss any faults we encounter.
A chap about 10 kās away I am mentoring bought another Flow Hive in April and found a piece broken out of the chamber in one frame. The missing piece was not in the cardboard box. He sent an email to Flow with a photo and within a week he received not just one frame but a complete set of frames. So well done to Flow for the quick replacing and keeping the customer well satisfied with a positive result.
I agree with @AdamMaskew that faulty frames can happen, but it isnāt always with the Chinese knock offs.
Cheers
I had a new genuine Flow frame with a broken ābladeā. I ended up with a gap in the frame and bees found their way into the bottom sump and many died there when the broken blade got waxed up, trapping bees in the sump. This frame was definitely not mishandled though I had to tighten the wires because they came way too loose from the factory. It never saw any direct sunlight either nor it was irradiated so it was a manufacturing defect. To their credit Flow replaced it. Still, this was one of a number of quality issues I encountered, and I only bought three Flow Hives.