# First harvest 2021 **URL:** \ **Category:** Flow Harvest Success Stories\ **Created:** [May 26, 2021, 9:15pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513 "2021-05-26T21:15:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chau06](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/chau06/32/25515_2.png) [@chau06](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/chau06)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 9:15pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/1 "2021-05-26T21:15:51Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/1/8/18fbb98a97946a966167b168f3bf6de1dcceb1c1.jpeg) Harvested 2 frames, 15.5% water content. About 4L total! ---
**Author:** ![Eva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@Eva](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Eva)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/2 "2021-05-26T21:50:31Z")
Oh my gosh, and what about that precious honey in the middle?! 🥰 Congrats Alok, so happy for you! ---
**Author:** ![chau06](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/chau06/32/25515_2.png) [@chau06](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/chau06)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 1:40am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/3 "2021-05-27T01:40:18Z")
[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/e/2/e27d329dcc8f80e7fb40629b0aea4f3db7b2cb73.jpeg "Flow Hive harvest") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6e4ElQMa6c) ---
**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/TimG)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 8:41am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/4 "2021-05-27T08:41:44Z")
Well done on the harvest! Always exciting. Something I noticed in the video is that I believe you had a leakage through the brood box judging by the bees bearding on the entrance. Handy hint to avoid flooding is to make sure that the entire frame is capped and always open the frame in 25% increments 10min apart. Your honey has an amazing colour. What do you think they have been foraging to produce it? ---
**Author:** ![chau06](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/chau06/32/25515_2.png) [@chau06](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/chau06)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 9:55am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/5 "2021-05-27T09:55:22Z")
Yes, I noticed the increased bearding and suspected the same so I checked the tray later in the evening and was surprised there were only a few drops of honey. Maybe the bees cleaned it up before it dripped down two boxes?? In that case I figure that it can’t have been overwhelming. The two frames I harvested were 90+% capped when I pulled them on the day prior and the moisture was certainly low enough (15.5% by refractometer). The amount of bees bearding prior to cracking the frames was actually much lower than on recent days: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/e/5/e5ac55f881c24e34e5aaf02de05d15372e63a340.jpeg) and the sun came out while we were harvesting. It was warming up after some rain in the morning. Most of the bees in front during the increased bearding were the drones doing their daily rounds… The next time I will open less of the frame and allow it more time before opening up more to see if that has any effect. I think the forage has been maple, dandelion, hawthorne, buckeye, apple, prunus, pear. ---
**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/TimG)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 10:17am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/6 "2021-05-27T10:17:49Z")
That’s an incredible number of bees out especially considering you only harvested 2 frames. 4l of honey could be close to 6kg which to me would be safe to assume that you have not had a serious leak but they have certainly been unsettled. I have found that it is best to always maintain an air pocket at the top of the harvesting tube. As soon as you don’t have that air pocket the flow slows down, honey backs up in the channel and is more likely to spill into the hive. That honey colour just amazes me. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![chau06](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/chau06/32/25515_2.png) [@chau06](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/chau06)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 11:50am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/7 "2021-05-27T11:50:50Z")
> [@TimG](#): > > That’s an incredible number of bees out especially considering you only harvested 2 frames. That picture was from the day before harvesting, just before I pulled the frames to check the capping %age. I am going to harvest 2 or 3 more frames this weekend. There is a sizable grove of various linden/basswood (Tilia spp.) trees about 500m away that supposedly produce a copious amount of unique nectar, so I want them to have space before those trees bloom. The flower buds are swelling so I expect them to start opening soon. The bloom is brief, about 2 weeks last year. > **[Linden Honey - Lime Honey - Basswood Honey](https://www.honeytraveler.com/single-flower-honey/linden-lime-basswood-honey/)** > > Linden - Bassword (Tilia americana) > Obtained from the blossoms of Linden or Basswood trees of several species of Tilia; it is known as Linden or Basswood honey in North America and Lime honey in the UK and Europe. It is a premier honey that has been... > [@TimG](#): > > I have found that it is best to always maintain an air pocket at the top of the harvesting tube. I did “lose the air pocket” at one point a couple minutes after starting. I wonder if people who harvest with an extension tube could argue that it creates a siphon and actually drains faster? ---
**Author:** ![Eva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@Eva](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Eva)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 11:58am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/8 "2021-05-27T11:58:18Z")
Quite a luxurious beard - complete with mustache and sideburns 🤣! My hives had some serious bearding on some really hot days recently, and we just had a t-storm come through last night. That’s an interesting point about extended tubes. ---
**Author:** ![TimG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TimG](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/TimG)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/9 "2021-05-27T12:04:46Z")
I use extension tubes but have never considered the siphon theory. There could be something in that. Good luck with the linden/basswood honey. It’s always great experiencing the different flavours available. ---
**Author:** ![Wizard](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/wizard/32/27689_2.png) [@Wizard](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Wizard)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/10 "2021-05-27T12:18:01Z")
HONEY! Looks delicious 🤤 We have had some hot days this week and a lot of my ladies were outside the hive. I removed the inspection tray to allow more air flow and the numbers outside went down 75% ---
**Author:** ![skeggley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/skeggley/32/27522_2.png) [@skeggley](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/skeggley)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/11 "2021-05-27T18:23:14Z")
> [@chau06](#): > > I wonder if people who harvest with an extension tube could argue that it creates a siphon and actually drains faster? Nice harvest, well done. I always use extension tubes to a bucket and have thought of this however I never allow the tube to fill at the top so it has an air gap top to bottom at all times so no siphoning experienced. I also only harvest on a warm sunny day and the plan is to have the sun heat the hose to make the honey flow through the hose faster. ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/12 "2021-05-27T22:24:45Z")
> [@chau06](#): > > I wonder if people who harvest with an extension tube could argue that it creates a siphon and actually drains faster? Well now… It may depend on how viscosity and density interact with gravity and air pressure. Anyone have a dual physics and engineering PhD to work on this one??? 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![chau06](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/chau06/32/25515_2.png) [@chau06](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/chau06)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/13 "2021-05-30T20:09:18Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/8/a/8aca0d105e25d0feb100bca6c9fd63540a502c2d.jpeg) Another 6.21 liters! The two end frames re about 60% capped, so maybe next week. ---
**Author:** ![chau06](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/chau06/32/25515_2.png) [@chau06](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/chau06)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2021, 12:38am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/14 "2021-05-31T00:38:00Z")
Today’s moisture was even lower. And still the cells were only 80% capped. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/4/1/411e77ba46fab2c49d08dfe81aa56cf8fd015302.jpeg) https://www.youtube.com/embed/WxQrV799gK8?feature=oembed ---
**Author:** ![Eva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@Eva](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Eva)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2021, 1:12am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/15 "2021-05-31T01:12:02Z")
Those coils are too cool, wow!! ---
**Author:** ![chau06](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/chau06/32/25515_2.png) [@chau06](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/chau06)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/first-harvest-2021/30513/16 "2023-06-21T22:11:07Z")
![IMG_8450](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/1/2/12c8226b29c9367da4922fbba7029978b8b906d1.jpeg) Some very light honey again this spring! Locals tell me it’s black locust.