It has begun!
Nuc has been ordered for late May pickup (BeeWeaver’s variety which are mite resistant)
Cedar flowhive on order.
Location for hive has been chosen…
2 months to prepare and gear up.
Pictures as we go along…
–
Michael Dow
Seabrook, Tx
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Just an FYI, there probably are not any truly “mite resistant” bees. Even those from “survivor colonies” with VSH genetics are not fully resistant. An experienced beekeeper local to me, whom I like very much, says that he has been dealing with VSH (varroa sensitive hygiene) bees for many years, and still finds that about 50% of his VSH hives need treating for mites. I have had VSH bees for 2 years and needed to treat one hive out of 2.
So, don’t be complacent about monitoring, and consider what treatment methods you are willing to use if you don’t want to lose your hive. 
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I look forward to hearing about the progress…all the way from West Oz!
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Yes, same here, all the way from East Oz!
PS, just curious, what made you decide to get a flow hive?
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I’m a chiropractor – one of my former patients is a beekeeper – he would tell stories of his family’s episodes in caring for his bees, which I found interesting. One day he told me of the Flow Hive, which he was considering.
My wife’s friend inherited some bees. Therefore my wife is also hearing of all of these things regarding suburban beekeeping. My wife’s friend also brings up the flow hive concept…
Both my wife and I are avid readers and spend a huge amount of time just “knowing” stuff. So we were both reading on the flow hive without the other being aware.
Eventually we start talking about how cool it would be to keep bees for a number of reasons. We made the decision to do so in our back yard as we are soon to be empty nesters and it will give us some kids to care for 
We are geeks, and the newest latest/greatest toy is usually what we go for. Thus the flow hive…
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Well done Michael. I wish you every success with your new adventure, cheers:)
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Great to hear. And this is a great place to ask questions. It’s always interesting to see how things are similar but different all around the world. Enjoy!
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It also has a big brother coming sometime in May, too!
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So I began putting the system together last night… There were some minor workmanship issues – countersink/pre-drill was inconsistent (and in some cases absent), a couple of the finger joints were “off” and required a microplane to adjust. In one case I had to glue back some of the wood and clamp it due to splitting off.
However, all came together… Now for the finishing!
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Nice one!
I’ve gotta say it’s very ordinary that the US supplied hives still aren’t spot on after all this time. The AU supplied ones I received were spot on and laser cut so obviously a different manufacturer. Fortunately you have the skills to repair, well done.
Good luck with the Flow.
I was a little disappointed in the quality of the kit in some ways… The inconsistent/missing countersink/predrill, the joints being slightly “off”. I’m quite well equipped as far as tools and woodworking ability is concerned, but for the money I spent, the QC was lacking a little.
@Faroe perhaps you can mention these quality concerns to the flow team? A number of USA customers seem to have raised issues relating to quality issues of the brood box/super, so you guys might want to follow up with your supplier. No complaints on the flow frames, which is good.
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I think @Faroe has, multiple times. Plus the faults team are very responsive if people send a photo of the issue - replacements have been sent out quickly with minimal fuss. I think the early batches of wood parts in cedar had a lot of issues, but I understand that the manufacturer has since changed their cutting method, and accuracy has improved.
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Hi Alan,
When a customer emails our faults team through our contact page:
https://www.honeyflow.com/contact/p/3
Any photos of bad quality control and manufacturing are sent to the quality control team of our manufacturer.
The Flow team is well aware of any issues present in the manufacturing as long as the customer emails us with all the details.
The manufacturing and faults team is always working with the customer to come to a positive solution, and is in constant contact with the manufacturer to consistently try and improve quality in all areas.
Unfortunately a small percentage of faults come through, which we wish wasn’t the case. But the Flow team try to rectify any issues as quickly as possible once the customer has sent through an email.
Luckily as you mentioned, the Flow Frames seem to be manufactured to a consistently high standard, without as many faults coming through
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…Australian manufacturing success and quality 
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What dark girlies. Are they Carniolans or Russians?
I can’t wait to see Tom, Dick and Harry. Then you know you have a really happy hive, if they are allowing drones to be made! 
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I got them from BeeWeaver Apiaries. They are probably a hybrid.
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So my wife and kids are now looking at the hive every 5 minutes trying to see the bees “do something”… I’ve explained that right now there won’t be a huge amount of activity due to the fact that it is a weak colony, and it will take about a month for there to be any real growth in population – assuming that the queen made it.
Am I correct in my assumption that any appreciable population will be about a month?
I currently have my entrance reduced to about 2" wide with a simple piece of wood planed down to the right thickness.
I have to fight my urges to open up the hive and look inside since I just installed the nuc on Saturday afternoon…