Hello to all. Glad to be part of this great forum. I’m new to beekeeping and still researching as I learn on my own. Today I have order the Flow Hive Cotton Suit and Flow Hive Smoker. I figure I get my tools first, the decide which Flow Hive 2 I should purchase being I’m a new. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Also, any thoughts on if I should purchase a second brood box for winter months in my area? My hive will be place in my back yard where I have my garden and fruit trees.
Welcome to the Forum Dylan, you will find heaps of reading and good information here as well as some great folks happy to help you along the way.
As for a second brood box I would look for VERY local advice but only start the colony with a single brood box, then add a super when the hive is busting at the seams with bees and then add a second brood box if locals advise it.
A common mistake made is adding the super too early which actually sets the colony backwards. Bees thrive in a ‘high density housing’ environment.
Cheers
Thanks for the advice @Peter48. I also have joined a local bee hive club and also the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association to get more info. I will continue to search the forums for info as well as asking my local club for advice. I’m interested in obtaining some non-aggressive bees. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated as well.
Hello and welcome to the Flow forum!
Your local bee club may be one source, but I really like these bee packages from Mann Lake:
They are incredibly gentle and very productive bees from a highly respected supplier (Olivarez). Order very soon though, their stocks are quite limited! 
I would go with @Dawn_SD 's tip about a supplier. I do have hives become aggressive and when it is just one or two hives, I have 35, I look for the reason in the hive for the cause. If there is more hives angry then it could be a thunderstorm in the area, the bees know about it before I do, or the nectar flow has stopped.
When it is just one or two hives I look for an issue like they have run out of cells to store honey and it needs extracting, the queen is dead, something like that. I find Italian strain of bee works well for me but they will definately let you know if something is wrong. 
Cheers
Welcome @Dylan_Woods like you I’m a new beekeeper as well. I live about 1.5 hrs from Charlotte near Florence, SC. Your local and State Association will be great sources of info for you. As for which FH2 is for you. That really comes down to what best suits you. I wanted 7 Flow Frames and it was only available in Araucaria. Now offered in Cedar which ages and weathers well.
I purchased an extra brood box for both of my Flow Hive 2 Araucaria 7 Flow Frame hives. The reason for me was to use the 2nd brood box above the inner cover to house an In-Hive Feeder setup over the inner cover hole. I’ve also got 2 Mediums for each setup. As a 1st year Beek many will tell you, and is expected that you may not get a Harvest for yourself. So when the bb is ready for a Super I will add the Medium 1st. If the bees do a great job building stores and end of season isn’t rapidly approaching, I may add my Flow Super. If not then my bees could at least hopefully have a full 10 frame medium for overwintering.
Thanks you so much @NuBeeFlow2. I was thinking of the same thing about ordering a second brood box once I order my Flow Hive 2 Cedar 6 Frame basically due to my budget and to start off slow as I learn as I go. My suit and smoker should arrive today. Just trying to get all my tools first, then I will order my set up towards the end of the this month or April time frame. Once all set up I will order my bees. I have been researching the saskatraz bees and seems they have some good genetics. Any idea and thoughts on these bees will be greatly appreciated. I’m also researching on the Italian Bees as well. I’m looking forward to this great journey. Also have already joined a local chapter here in Charlotte and also the NCState Bee association as well. 
@Dylan_Woods The Saskatraz Bees do have good genetics, and are bred to be Hygienic against Varroa. I may want to try them myself down the road. When I asked my local Beek Assoc while they knew of them, none were actually using them around here. Seems Italians and Carniolans are the bee race of choice and are predominantly used by Beginners due to their gentle nature. While the Italians have great traits they tend to maintain a larger colony in Winter than do the Carniolans. The Carni’s build up the colony when needed, then reduce as needed at end of season for overwintering. We will be picking up our 2 Nuc’s on/around April 10th from Blythewood Bee Company and our Bees will be Carniolan. So you want to take the time frames into consideration when ordering your bees whether a 3# Pkg or a 4-5 Frame Nuc. Most have 2 dates for pickup in Spring an early and later date. We opted for the earliest one to take advantage of the onset of a heavy nectar flow of Spring.
FYI. Since you are in NC, the NC Beekeeping Association Annual Conference is coming up soon. There are several Bee Purveyors slated to be there, some of which will be bringing Pkg’s and Nuc’s for Pickup at the Conference as well as tools, woodenware, meds, and other items you may need or be interested in seeing or buying. Good luck on your 1st season being a Beek. With the crazy Winter weather patterns we’ve had I only hope we have a good Spring and Summer.
Tim
I think these Saskatraz bees are fine…my experience has been with introduced caged queens into 2 or 3 frame nucs I’ve made up in early summer and then I let them build up. This is what they looked like by the end of August…top super of honey removed and colony wintered in a single brood box.
I believe the Saskatraz queens (genetic line developed in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada) from Olivarez that I get are progeny of breeder queens from Canada that Olivarez open mates in California. This may result in a bit more diversity than pure bloods as the drone lines are not 100% known. They also excel at wintering in colder climates…I think you would like them.
Thanks @Doug1 for the info. Greatly appreciated.
