I'm so confused!

My beautiful Flow Hive is all set up and I’ve installed a package of bee’s. To my horror, I’ve just learned that the “Flow Hive” section is NOT supposed to go on until the bee’s have drawn and filled all their frames? So I’ve rushed outside, removed the “Flow Hive” section, as well as the queen excluder, put the “reducer” in place, covered the hole, and put the roof back on, and all with only a minimum of distress for the girls. Is that correct? The “Flow Frames” don’t go on until much, much later? I’ve only worked with Top Bar Hives in the past, so this is all new to me HELP:fearful:

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Yes you did the right thing, Having all that extra room will cause the bees to have a hard time keeping the brood warm.

OK, take a deep breath, calm down, you care, and so your bees will do fine. :smile:

First of all, to help you properly, we need to know approximately where in the world you are. Nearest major city is fine.

Second, you did the right thing to remove the Flow super. A package of bees will not have the bee-power (aka manpower) to defend a larger space from wax moths, wasps and SHB (small hive beetles - if you have those in your area).

Third, what do you mean by “reducer”? You have an entrance reducer that goes at the front of the hive? If so, yes, leave it on.

Fourth, you don’t need a queen excluder until you are ready to harvest honey, which may be a month or two to a year, depending on your location and the local nectar flow.

Fifth, you need an inner cover/crown board (same thing, different names in different countries) above the box and just below the roof. I think you may be calling this the “reducer”. That is not its usual name.

Sixth, I know you understand bees from your TBH experience, but you might want to find a local bee club to ask about Langstroth hive management, which is basically what you have. You may need double brood boxes, depending on your climate, and we can help you find some matching boxes.

Hope that helps. Now, have a glass of wine and enjoy the fact that you have joined the Flow community. :wink:

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Well, I certainly feel better, Thanks so much adagna and Dawn_SD, to answer your questions Dawn, I am located 23 miles south of Jasper Texas. I do believe I’m confusing the “inner cover/crown board” with “reducer” … it’s the one just below the roof, with the hole in it? (I do have that hole covered :slight_smile: ) . Thanks so much for the welcome :slight_smile:

Hi Cindy,

If you put an @ in front of the user name, it will alert them to your message @CD43. My husband used to work on a molecule called CD44, but I am sure that is no relation! :smile:

I would ask Langstroth hive owners in your area whether they keep “double brood” boxes. The area you are in is borderline for one brood box or two, but when you ask, make sure that they know that you have an 8-Frame brood box - 20% less than most people use. Most beekeepers in the US use 2 brood boxes (>70% is my estimate), and if so, you may need to buy that second brood box.

The inner cover (US name) goes above the brood box (or honey super) and below the roof, so you are right to close the hole, and it sounds like you have it in the right place. :heart_eyes:

You are very welcome here. We have some TBH beekeepers here already (not many), but we all love bees, and we would all love to hear about your experience too. Please fill out some more of your profile when you have time - it helps us to help you, and it helps others to understand where your thoughts are coming from.

Thanks for joining us!

Dawn

@Dawn_SD Thanks so much for the welcome aboard and the forum tip, as for the molecule CD44, interesting, very interesting :grinning: I will certainly look into the # of brood boxes our area uses for the Langstroth hives. Thanks again

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In nature bees often move into large or small cavities and they manage. Granted they build up better with less space until they need more space, but it’s not the end of the world.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesspace.htm

@Michael_Bush … Thank You so much for the link, very helpful :eyeglasses:

Dawn, your advice to everyone is always not only spot on right, but delivered in warm honey. That’s so important.

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