So I inspected the Flow super today. The 2 outer flow frames are completely empty on both sides. The next 2 on each side have about 25% of the cells filled on the side facing inwards, but the sides facing outward are completely empty. Of the 2 innermost flow frames one is about 75% full on both sides and the other maybe 50% full on both sides.
I am a bit surprised by what I found. The Flow super has been on the hive since early June. I would have expected more of the frames to be full of honey after 3 months. Our current weather is still quite warm. Our 15 day forecast has highs temperatures in the 80s and lows in the 60s. Goldenrod is in full bloom here in Missouri. Asters will bloom soon.
When should I harvest honey? Should I supplement the bees with syrup water?
The bees will move honey from the Flow Super down to the brood area as that honey is being consumed. It might be that in your area there is a dearth at the moment, and a chat with other bee keepers in your area will confirm or deny that as the case.
If you don’t get a nectar flow soon you may have to feed the colony but I would only begin to do that if the flow frames are empty of honey and the bees are eating the reserves in the brood box. Your winter will be on you soon so the bees will need reserves to carry them through the hard times.
Regards
Yes Peter is right. The bees will eat the honey as winter approaches. You can help them actually move those stores down by putting a solid board between the brood box and the Flow super. Make a 1cm diameter hole in the middle and the bees, thinking the super is outside their nest, will rob it down. They won’t move capped honey but they will take anything that’s uncapped. Then you can help them prep for winter.
My plan for the Flow Hive bees was thwarted this summer, and neither we, nor any of our beekeeper friends, are harvesting honey this year.
I moved the bees out of the Flow frame into one of our Sweinty Danish 10 frame deeps, giving them 2 already drawn out deeps to augment their 8 frames. I also moved 4 of the partially filled Flow frames into our hybrid deep to see what the bees could do with our blackberry and goldenrod season.
Both are hives are healthy, but they both kicked out drones ar the beginning of August, right before our 3 weeks of smoke and haze. They continue to bring in loads of pollen, and the yellowjackets, so far, are just pesky, not diabolical.
When I checked today, the Flow bees had not capped any more in the Flow frames, though there was quite a bit of uncapped nectar in two frames.
I am trying Dee’s strategy to see if I can entice them to move their stores down into the Sweinty deep. If it works, they have a better chance at making it through the winter with their own stores.
Dee, my two brood boxes are loaded with capped honey. I think there is enough to get them through the winter. As stated above my Flow super has one frame that is about 75% full on both sides with the majority being capped honey, but some uncapped nectar. Another Flow frame is about 50% full with some uncapped nectar as well. I would really like to harvest what is in the Flow super. Based upon your response above, should I put a solid board between the brood boxes and the Flow super with a 1 cm hole and allow the bees to move the uncapped honey down and then harvest the capped honey? Or with a good month of good weather still ahead of us here in Missouri should I let the bees continue to work and harvest at the end of the month? Should I start feeding the bees sugar water to speed up their production?
Not luck on any harvest in my regular colonies or Flow-system … it’s so dry out here my bees are slowly thinking of gobbling up winter store. Some knotweed is starting to bloom out here so hoping that might at least keep thing even. English Ivy should be on near the end of September … but with the semi-drought not sure what the nectar level. I’m feeding all three of my Double Deep Nuc’s … they don’t have the resources !
This dreath is not good out here in the outer Burbs. According to Noaa n my private rain records we are a minus - 1.29” … in April we were + 2.55” ahead in the rain department.
I think my 10 colonies will have enough but only if moisture turns around soon.
At least one good thing ! I started with five colonies n ending with ten thus Autumn ! I did shove my finger in the juicy comb several times n tasted … yummy !
I don’t know.
We have been a middle of a Himalayan Balsam flow and my bees have started filling my supers through that crownboard. All I can say is that if they take the uncapped honey down and there are stores in the brood they will leave the capped stuff
Just saw your post. I harvested 75% of my flow frames last week in central MO. The bees are heavily working goldenrod and I thought I’d give them additional time to collect nectar and cleanup the harvested flow frames (I’m assuming that the bees will clean up the harvested frames and transfer those stores into the remaining unharvested frames or standard frames in the brood box). I have one weak hive and will start fall feeding next week, otherwise will wait until early Oct for the others. As soon as harvest is over I will initiate oxalic acid treatments for varroa. Good luck harvesting.
Well, we were delighted to have a mini-harvest of 1.5 liters of honey this season. The bees did move most of the uncapped down into the brood box, so we took advantage of a 74F day to harvest the remaining capped honey.
That should last us a month or two. Thank you bees.
! I did shove my finger in the juicy comb several times n tasted … yummy 
!
