Very nice productive swarm. They look good to go.
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Did you give them empty comb to work with or did they build out all that comb in the last two weeks. It looks really nice and fresh.
That red Bee Box that you show in the video, is that a nuc box you used to contain the hive? Where can I get one of those? I couldn’t see it very well, but it was called Bee Box?
So this post actually speaks to a question I’ve been thinking and wanting to ask. Trying to do the research and have not found anything so here we go
I’m a supporter and pledged to receive the"Flow Complete" upon receiving all the components, when and how should I assemble everything. I’m going to list out what I believe the steps are, that I perceive from this post and other things I may have read or misunderstood. Any clarity or guidance or direction of where I should do additional studies in reading would be helpful.
- Received my package
- assemble everything, have site ready
- order my bees
- place these in brood box, only
- do not install or place the flow hive on top
- what is the. The time between placing the bees in the brood box before putting the flow hive on top?
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Absolutely, this helps tremendously
I had been looking at theaters already, had not come across this one. I definitely will be getting this one or another one of the larger i.e. the 6 leader square one. The smaller around one that you sent a link to looks ideal for my hive size.
I’ve at least educated myself i.e. watching YouTube videos and reading about the theater the mixture but could not find anything until your posting here on just the brood box 1st and how much time before adding the flow hive.
Thank you again very much
Personally I feel that brood on three/ four frames is far too small a colony to be supering.
You want to make sure all the frames are drawn, you can do this by manipulating foundation next to the brood nest on a regular basis until all the frames are drawn. You need 6/7 frames of brood or the equivalent (not brood on 6/7 frames because that is not the same thing) before the colony is comfortable with efficiently filling super frames. I prefer the rapid feeder rather than a contact one which can leak onto the bees if overnight temperatures drop.
Care with feeding, just enough to help draw frames and not to store and block the brood nest.
OK, this is way over my head, not understanding.
You need 6/7 frames of brood or the equivalent (not brood on 6/7 frames because that is not the same thing) before the colony is comfortable with efficiently filling super frames. I prefer the rapid feeder rather than a contact one which can leak onto the bees if overnight temperatures drop.
There is a tendency for beginners to spot some brood (I’m not talking about honey and pollen arcs, because they are a normal part of brood frame architecture) and say they have a frame of brood where in reality maybe only a quarter of the frame is thus occupied.
If you super too early there is too much empty space over the brood nest and the bees have to work harder to keep the temperature of the nest constant which slows down expansion and the colony grows slowly. However, during a good flow you have to be on top of things even inspecting the supers every other day…there is absolutely no need to open the brood box.
I thought you meant that though you did actually say earlier…
"once a third of those frames are built on and have bias then remove your crown board and feeder, add on your queen excluder, then your flow frames and box, "
Does this reflect what both of you are saying?
- Received my package
- assemble everything, have site ready
- order my bees
- place bee’s in brood box with crown board and top, only, do not add the flow frame yet
- Add a feeder, Whether it be a external feeder or a internal feeder/top feeder
- do not install or place the flow hive on top
- your wanting to see eggs,larvae and capped brood (workers), once a third of those frames are built on and have bias
"some fill you should have a nearly full build frame" not 1/3 before going to the next step. I guess this depends on Climate - then remove your crown board and feeder, add on your queen excluder, then your flow frames and box, the crown board goes back on top, followed by the roof
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Dangerous:
Thank you very much for this ongoing conversation
You made some comments that I’d like some more clarification on. Can you describe the differences. Which one are we getting with the complete flow hive system?
Poly hive?
Wooden hive?
Why would the bees populate these 2 hives differently?
Turn the foundations
let me rephrase, potentially for an American uneducated new be beekeeper and see if I come close. I will be checking the brood box periodically. And to speed things along I could move the frames around within the brood box in order to encourage the bees to populate more of the frames. It would be my belief that I would not want to do this a whole lot but somewhat methodically. In the fact that the ones further out I may rotate 180°. Or should I take some of the outer frames and move them toward the inner, or should I take the middle frames and move them further out to the sides.
At what percentage should the frame be full before considering moving or rotating it?
Marty,
Flow is a wooden hive?
It all depends on insulation.
Poly hives are warmer next to the walls so you tend to find the brood nest started next to a wall and extended from there.
In a wooden box, the bees cluster in the middle and build their nest from there. It makes a difference in their drawing the frames; either side or just the one side.
You need to leave them for a while to establish the nest. How long depends on weather and foraging conditions but I would suggest you look in a week after the queen is released.
Once a frame next to the nest is drawn on one side you can turn it round…but for heaven’s sake make sure the queen hasn’t laid in it. If she has leave it alone.
When the frame is fully drawn let it get laid up and do the same with the next frame.