How do we get our new bees into the hive? My friend tells me they come in frames and they just put the frames with bees in them into their hive. Doesn’t seem to be an option with flow hive.
Thanks
3 Likes
Getting a swarm is a fun way of starting. A local bee keeper group could help you with that or you can suit up and get them yourself if you can locate one. The local pest company’s might tell you where one is for a spotters fee ( a few beers in Aus does the trick) . If there are bees in your area you could bait your hive with a frame or two from an established hive and amazingly a swarm may move in ! These are the free ways if you don’t already have bees. You can also buy them of course:honeybee:
1 Like
Thanks,
Yes I intend to buy them. I have a beekeeper friend who buys some and he tells me the seller delivers them frame and all. He’s asking how I’m going to get them to move from the frame into my new hive.
2 Likes
The Brood Box will go under the Flow. The Flow area is for honey.
You just need to set up a normal Brood Box - your friend can help you with this
2 Likes
Thanks very much ladies. Getting excited!
2 Likes
Your friend is correct. You simply transfer the frames from another hive to the new hive, or place the Flow on top of an existing hive. The bees go below the Flow.
2 Likes
Although it may be unclear, the normal initial setup for a Flow Hive would be one brood box (a standard 8 or 10 frame Langstroth Deep), then a queen excluder, then the modified deep box with the Flow frames. When adding a colony from a Langstroth nuc, you would just transfer the nuc frames into the bottom brood box and add empty deep frames to fill up the brood box. I think it is important to have the queen excluder in a Flow Hive to ensure that the Flow frames are never used for brood.
1 Like
Thansk Mark. I ordered the complete flow hive and it seems it has everything except the bees. So it seems I just need to find a supplier with a nuc that has the feel langstroth frames. Local suppliers are over 200 miles away and want to deliver by the end of May. Seems Flow Hive told us we’d get our units in June. Can the bees live in the nuc for a month? How sure are we of the flow hive delivery?
1 Like
Sorry, Deep langstroth frames. 
1 Like
If you get your nuc before your Flow Hive arrives, one solution would be to set up a temporary 8 or 10 frame deep hive (what ever would be compatible with the Flow Hive you are getting). Then, when your Flow Hive arrives, you can either move the frames into the brood box of your Flow Hive, or you could just place the box with the Flow frames on top of your existing box. You’d end up with extra parts, but that’s not such a bad idea.
3 Likes
You definately want extra hive equipment. Bee colonies can grow fast and eventually you will need to split hives to avoid swarming. I over wintered one large hive and this spring split it into 3 hives. Ordered a nuc to bring in fresh genetics and caught a swarm. I scrambled to put together equipment for 5 hives!
2 Likes
Does anyone have links to building or a good place to buy these frames from? I was wondering how I planned to keep them with enough during Winter and have one box under the Complete (6 frame) Flow Hive sounds like a good option. Whatever I am needing I just need to make a list and start getting the stuff together so it is ready when the Flow Hive comes.
@DextersShed Thanks! Yeah have all those options. I will search now that I know a few names to look for.
Hi everyone, I am from Australia NSW. Its winter here. I have a tradicional hive with a super above full of honey for the winter. I got my firts flow hive and I want to transfer my bees into the flow hive brood box and put the old super on top for the winter. Can I do this now? I need to repair the old one for spring when I want to split them.
Is it ok if I do it now? I could control hive beetles better in the flow hive brood box.
I would not attempt that if I were you, too cold for it down your way at this time of year, I’m in Sydney and I wouldn’t try it. Too much disturbance.
What size boxes are you running?
8 frame and 8 in the super. You rekkon to wait till spring when I split them? I really need to renovate this old box. 