Some others have noticed a leak when harvesting. There are many reasons for it, for example:
- Flow tube not inserted fully or the right way up - honey can flows straight out of the lower channel back into the hive. The little lip on the end of the tube needs to be at the bottom, and be placed under the flexible plastic layer
- Frame not fully capped. The design holds the honey back behind the wax cappings. If the cells are not capped, honey flows straight out of the face of the frame, not into the collection channel.
- Hive not tilted backwards enough - needs at least a 2.5 degree back tilt when harvesting.
- Wires not tight around frames, when the key is inserted, the frames flex, and honey can then leak from gaps.
- Whole frame opened at once, rather than in sections. The channel can then fill too quickly to drain and overflows back into the hive. Many people like to open about 20% of the frame at a time, advancing the key to the next section of the same frame when the flow rate drops.
I am sure there are others, but those are the common reasons I can remember from recent posts.
Let the bees clean up the inside of the hive. Rinse down any honey on the outside and the ground with a hose to discourage robbing.
Check the hive in a week or so. If you see eggs and uncapped larvae, you still have a queen. If you see emergency queen cells, they lost her and are trying to make another - I would either let them try, or re-queen from a commercial supplier. At this time of year in the US, you can still purchase queens from reputable suppliers, so you may well be able to get them in Canada too - I would ask your local bee club if you are not sure of where to find good queens.
Please let us know how it goes! 