Estimated February Delivery/ fulfilment

Dear FlowHive, I am awaiting my hive to be delivered in February (order 3781). I am aware that I need to order a nuc now/ soon and wanted to make sure that my hive arrives in good time. are there any problems with fulfilment that you are aware of at the moment?

Kind regards,

Scott

@Scott you need to get on and order a Nuc now-ish if not sooner. They will go like hot cakes before the season starts.

Where are you in the UK perhaps we can put you in contact with the place nearest you?

You will take a while to build up the Nuc depending on what the weather and forage is like - the way the weather is going it is probably going to be a late springs - everything is blooming now and will die off if/when we get a cold snap and frost or snow.

Weather is very unseasonal at present - My bees are flying in this mornings’ sunshine. I’m hoping the queens don’t start laying it is too early and the brood will perish.

We have a UK flow site on facebook - you are welcome to join if you have not already

Fear not, Valli. The brood will be perfectly OK. Most queens in the UK will have started laying after the solstice, even if only ticking over. The bees know it’s winter despite the temperature. Winter is indicated by the hours of daylight and the position of the sun. The queen will lay only what the bees can nurse. If your bees are out getting pollen, all well and good. If they are coming back without they have either been out for a poo or are bringing in water. Water is needed to rear larvae.
One thing…don’t look inside again till the Spring.
A good way to track what is happening in the colony is to put the inspection board in. You can tell where they are and if brood is emerging.
I gather one of your colonies has 7 frames of food when you looked in a few days ago. They will be perfectly OK till spring, infact you may have to take food frames out.

I looked because although hefting is useful - It is hard to gauge how much is food and how much is bees.

Until I have a few seasons hefting under my belt and differentiating between the Wooden and Polly hive, it is all just guesswork.

I have the Polycarb boards in I was about to put Fondant on at the time but realise they have plenty of stores. I have heather and various other things flowering but no evidence of Pollen going in

I agree, I’m hopeless hefting. I suffer periodic joint and muscle pain, have done for years though never done anything about it. On a good day I can lift lots on a bad day not much…so I weigh my hives.

I suffer Fibromyalgia - have had it for 20+ years and it does curtail me from time to time. Which is why I prefer no gloves now - I can better feel what I’m doing and the bees stings don’t bother me so much as they did at first, also I’m less likely to squash bees

My bee’s are bringing in pollen today.

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All of my colonies are out today…I am seeing baby bees coming out too. The hives are hefting well…so still plenty of stores. Just need to keep an eye on an overwintering nuc. If it comes through the winter well…it will hopefully get a great start for next season. So someone will be lucky to get a strong nuc! I will be sublimating Oxalic Acid next week after having the varroa boards in for a few days. This will tell me whereabouts the bees are in the hive and also what the varroa drop is.

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Hello HHH thought you were getting ready for your big day Friday?

@Horsehillhoney have you had your’s yet?

My horse is lame so I had to withdraw this year. Also, after all the unrest in France and Europe…I felt it was best to stay at home…couldn’t bear to have him blown up!

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We sent an email recently to all our feb/March shipping date customers.
Did you receive this?
Please check your spam folders and make sure any emails from @honeyflow.com are allowed to be received.
In relation to any delays - at the moment we don’t know of any specific delays.
If we come upon any, we will try and keep you informed as best as we can.

One thing to be aware of is - you will need to have your brood box pumping (healthy and full of bees), so if you get your nuc and start a brood box, you can then add your flow super on to the top when it arrives.

We will send you an email as soon as your order is shipped, so this will give you a little time to know when your hive is arriving.
We will also send more emails closer to the date, so keep an eye out. And remember you can login and check your order and account details at any time here - http://www.honeyflow.com/contact/p/3
Just use the email you used when you first ordered.

Make sure your shipping address is up to date, and we have a phone number so you can be contacted if needed when your hive is delivered.

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Hi We are still awaiting our Dec 15 delivery. Hope fully soon.