I dusted off my Flow super and placed it back on the colony just 24 hours ago and the girls have already sealed the joints in the frames. Bring it on Spring, we’re ready
looking good! after our first winter we were also pleasantly surprised with how well the bees clean up and re-work the old wax. Here’s hoping for an early spring build up and nectar flow for you!
Bobby,
Did you do any cleaning of flow super prior to storing over winter? Cheers
@Jeffm Hi Jeff, the only cleaning that was done was by the bees. After I last emptied them, I set the frames out for the bees. They licked them dry. After that, I gave them a soft rinse in cool water ( didn’t want to melt or knock off wax). Let them air dry, then stored them.
Many thanks, a quick water rinse prior to reinstating on the hive?
No rinse before putting on hive - a rinse and airing out before storage is what I did.
I don’t know if it is the best way - it’s just the way I did it.
I’m glad to see that your first year was more successful then mine. I will be doing take 2 in about two weeks.
Haah Bobby,
Love your quality videos ! That’s the way I did mine 2016 n I got a seven frame for a Christmas gift so I’ll need to get the old beeswax out n melted so the Super Super is ready !
Few bees out to today here in Puget Sound but the Is playing hide n seek among the dark cumulus n showers. Plenty of flowers coming on now but still been chilly n very damp Springtime !
Couple of northern Pacific NW bee n flower pix’s today !
Still a bit too early for the added Flow-Super up here. Just a totally different world n nectar schedule !
Cheers bro ,
Gerald
Thanks y’all - Just to be clear - that waxing video is from Spring 2016. I did not - REPEAT - I did not re-apply wax to the Flow Frames for my second season. There is no reason to apply wax this year, it’s already there.
Bobby,
No Sweat ! I remember you posting that one last year but always nice to have reruns ! There’s a lot of cool new Beeks coming on line n starting up. Great vids n reminder for all of us !
Cheers again bro !
Gerald
P.S. Showed my neighbor how to lite the bee smoker using Flint n Steel today,
Jerry, you have a smart phone. Therefore you have a video camera! On the iPhone, open the Camera app, then just above the round white button for taking a photo, slightly to the left there is a Video option. If you tap on that, the white button turns red. Tap the red circle to start recording, and tap the red square to stop.
Then you just have to learn how to edit and upload to YouTube!
an easier way still to apply the wax is RBK’s ‘cheese grater’ method- I’ve been doing it that way myself:
http://www.canberrabees.com/encouraging-bees-to-use-flow-frames/
Dawn,
Your correct as usual … I just need to erase a couple 1000 pixs so it’ll work ! I could use my I-pad too !! I forgot .,
Some how my download from my I-phone to computer screwed up …, the program was suppose to erase after downloading. Now I have about 6000 pix’s on my phone. It takes hours to erase by singles. That sucks because I’m an avid picture taker of 100 to several hundred pix’s per day !
Let me see if I can figure that you-tube thingy. I am suppose to have an account there someplace ., I only posted three singles of the fire building out of 24 ! I’m a photo NUT ! Or maybe just a Nut ️
My poor bees were only out couple hours n only a small group. I think the gang are trying to keep new brood warm. Forecasters are saying we “MIGHT” see a couple days up in the low 60’s later this week. Today we topped out @ 52.0 dgs on my Wx station.
My Nuc’s should be here about 15th … I have four Nuc’s coming so it should be a busy couple hours that day !
I should cut this gab now … Things to do…
Ta Ta,
Gerald
Bruce,
sounds like a good plan, I only started my flow hive last spring (Australia), had a bit of trouble getting the bees up into the flow, brushed some wax on flow and also sprayed some sugar syrup as well. worked a treat
good luck
cheers
Jeff
Well, if they are using Chinese “flow” frames, all bets are off. Who knows what those smell like to bees! I understand that the plastic is not always food grade and can smell of solvents/plasticizers…
If I was a bee, I wouldn’t use them.
I only mentioned it because some forum members have commented on a strange smell on some plastic frames from eBay. Yours may not be the same at all. I really hope it all goes well for you with those frames.
Hi Bruce,
It looks like you have bought fake Flow Frames / Flow Hive.
We only sell genuine Flow Frames and Flow Hives through our web shops.
The only other place is on Amazon (and it’s more expensive).
We do not sell on ebay, ali baba, etc.
If you have bought fakes I suggest you ask for a refund. In regards to asking for Flow specific advice, we can’t really give it to you on this forum - because you don’t have the genuine product.
We don’t know what they are made from, if they operate the same, etc., etc.
The Flow Frames are a patented design taking over 10 years of trial and error, a lot of costs for patenting, starting up manufacturing, employing staff to market, manufacture, research, etc., etc., for some other companies to jump in when the product is ready and copy it.
A lot of these companies have actually bought some Flow Frames off us and then copied them. Some of them may have just guessed and done it that.
Flow uses only sustainable harvested wood in the USA and Australia, and non-toxic plastic to manufacture the Flow Frames in Brisbane, Australia.
Flow also supports research into the product and future development and variety of other environmental and social issues.
We are supporting the community with NGO’s, NFOs, schools, etc.
I’m not sure what the other knock off companies are doing…
I hope you are able to get a refund from the company, and you can also report the fakes as copyright infringement, etc.
Sir, you always have great advice. Waxing flow frames, I just rubbed a bit of burr comb on the middle and outside frames, and a few drops of sugar water for my Italians. Then I saw your video about the waxing the flow frames, but by then my bees were all over it. Your method of rolling the wax on sure is ace if the bees need convincing. You have a way of getting into the hardiest bees’ mind.
Have a feeling my new carnies may need that type of convincing once our spring comes along. For carnies prob end June.
Greeting Down Under,
Thankz for the Quo Do’s . I’ve rubbed a bar of wax on inside of hive supers to get a little smell n atmosphere for my bees. But doing that to softer n wood Flow-frames seem not to good in my brain so thiot the whole thing thru with the melted wax n paint roller trick.
Not sure if I was original but hadn’t see anyone address the application of waxing by roller. I’d seen several notes on rubbing a bar of wax directly … Maybe if the bar was warm n soft enough that works like your frames. It was waaaay to chilly for a cold hard bar of bees wax to work at all here. Thus my thots n app.
I’ve gotten a Super Flow-Super (7frame) I need to apply bee wax too before our summer. I’ve already bought a larger bar from a friend that hasn’t had disease to be in
my purchased wax so that’s a plus this time around. Last time was unknown wax.
Well, we are waiting for a possible storm n wind event to move up the coast n share high winds n rain later this afternoon. Our hives are all weighted down n secured ready for the big BLOW !
We’re ready … Lanterns, camp stove n generator ready to GO if needed. Winds locally predicted near 35 to 40 mph so it will be Breezy but hopefully not destructive with outages n tree damsge. A solid fence partly blocks some of the wind from my hives so with weight I am not too concern. They all rode out a storm this winter gusting 49 mph already ! .
Got to GO now. Things to do,
Gerald