New to the Forum? Introduce yourself!

It sounds like that big barrel may finally be full. When bees run out of space they swarm. Usually the original hive stays where it is. The swarm with the Queen leave in search of a new home. Back in the original hive the nurse bees raise up a new queen. That’s the way it goes most of the time. If they have swarmed the once they will probably swarm again. If you were to set up a empty flow hive with a brood box and frames on the bottom and have a super with the flow frames to put on top you might catch a swarm. Lemongrass oil is a good attractor. If the swarm is in your area you can often put them in a box and bring them back to your house and transfer them into the empty brood box and get a new hive started that way. Good luck!

Thanks, Sara. Lemon grass oil is a good idea. The queen may still be in the TV cabinet. I haven’t talked to Mom yet to see if the workers have returned. We would have no idea how to collect a swarm and put them in the Flow Hive. But we might be able to hire a bee expert to do it. We were hoping to just attract them to the Flow Hive. Mom’s birthday is in March when the hives are expected to be available and this would be a great gift for her. But by then, I’m sure the new swarm will be long gone - or else firmly ensconced in the cabinet on the front porch and then we will have to do something to relocate them soon. I guess what I’m asking is - could the bees be as happy in the Flow Hive - with no beekeeping at all - as they have been in the barrel all this time with absolutely no attention? P.S. We live where there are citrus orchards, avocado orchards, and lots of other agriculture all around. Also, Mom has two avocado trees and several fruit trees in her yard.

I’m not sure I ever replied to this?? If I didn’t, I’m very sorry!! I would enjoy having another “local” person to bounce ideas off of and problem solve with! My email is Audraasmith@yahoo.com if you would like to contact me sometime. Thanks!!

In general no maintenance beekeeping is frowned upon, but in this instance you have a population of bees that has naturalized very successfully. It’s quite possible that a set up with a brood box and a super and a Flow Super on top might be an attractive home for a swarm thrown from the hive in the barrel, which would allow you and your mom to occasionally rob some honey for yourselves ; -)

Hello from Central Florida USA!
This will be our first hive and bee keeping experience. Newbies here! We have a good sized garden and two dogs. Our cat doesn’t go out there. We plan to fence off the hive to protect both bees and dogs. How far from the hive should we put the fence?

You could look here
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/how-close-is-too-close-for-a-screen/3726

Thanks Dee! Good info!

Hi Gayle…that is really inspirational…I am a newbee and have just started a new hive, I am very blessed to have the help and guidance from Jeff Heriot, quite a well known Beekeeper here in the Sunshine Coast Queensland in Australia :smile:

I have received our 6 frames and have refashioned the Langstrom box with window and back entrance. Am putting it on top of a very active brood today. The marri blossom is starting to come out so am hopeful my favorite honey will soon flow rivers of gold.

1 Like

Hi Evveryone, I am new to the forum. I picked up my nuck of bees last week so haven’t moved them into their new home yet. I am wondering if anyone can let me know if they are in the bayside suburbs of Melbourne if the honey is flowing now. I am going to open today to check their activity…

@Bernie G’day Bernie, Brighton nice this time of year?

http://southsidebeekeepers.com/services/ there is a swarm co ordinator in Bentleigh contact these guys and find where your local club is.

Have you been given any help with the NUC? have you a bee mentor?

If not we will try to put you in contact with somebody

Pictures would be nice. Any questions we will try to answer or put you in the correct direction

Thankyou Valli, I have done a day course and a hands on afternoon opening hives with Bec’s beehives but it would be nice to have someone closer. I am in Bentleigh East. A mentor closer to home would be great. I opened the hive today and they seem happy. There are new brood,honey and bees loaded with pollen. They have plenty of work to do. I was told to feed them sugar water to help them settle in and not have to forage straight away. I was wondering when the honey flow is in this area so I can work out if I put the flow part of the hive on late January after we come back from holidays. Will there be enough between then and winter to get some frames of honey? Thanks for your reply. My husband and I are really looking forward to this journey.

@Bernie G’day Bernie - I’m originally from that area - Cheltenham - and Gps in Brighton I went to SHGC but now live in UK - As a Mod I can see your IP address - sorry it feels a bit like spying but it helps to know where peeps are from to help with contacts.

The Link I gave should help - they can put you in contact with a local group.

Was the nuc newly split, did it have a laying queen, is she marked, are there frames of brood how many frames full of brood, food, pollen have you?

You need to build the brood up and get plenty of foundation going feeding 1:1 sugar syrup (Sugar:Boiled water) don’t cook the sugar just dissolve it in the boiled water. Feed inside the hive to prevent robbing and attracting wasps.

Join a thread and let us know how you get on

1 Like

It doesn’t work like that. Bees will forage if there are flowers and fine weather even if you feed them. They can only draw wax at a certain rate, dependant on the number of bees capable of making it. If you feed when they don’t need it they will fill every newly made comb cell with feed rather than with eggs. As for flow…look around you, what do you see blooming and what is the weather like…that’s the best way.

Keep a diary, then you will know in future years what blooms when

PS. You can tell if bees are out for nectar. They fly straight out of the hive and disappear.

Thank you Dee. That is very helpful. They are going straight out of the hive so I will take it away now.

it was a split with a new queen with brood pollen and honey but only a small amount of bees. There are two frames with brood, pollen and honey and one full of capped honey.

That’s more than enough. Glad you took the feed off. Exciting watching them grow, isn’t it :smile:

1 Like

HI Flow Forum from Pemberton Western Australia. My name is Deb, and my husband James and I, along with our neighbour have ordered our FlowHive which we are really looking forward to receiving. Unfortunately we were not in time for the Karri flowering which is happening right now. There are hundreds of hives in the area as the Karri only flower every 5 years or so. We know next to nothing regarding bee keeping although we have been reading everything we can find. I have one question that came up this week after a comment from a local bee keeper, As the comb is disturbed through harvesting, it has been suggested that the bees won’t renew the comb, or return to the hive. I figured that this would have been trialled thoroughly so have dismissed it. Just looking for clarification. I LOVE HONEY !!!

Much less disturbance than taking off a super, for which you have to either clear the bees with a clearer board ( a board that has one way valves so that bees can only go one way…out) or shake the bees off then taking the frame away to return it uncapped and empty.
I wouldn’t worry about your bees deserting the hive…they won’t.
Remember, don’t put the flow frames on till the bees have built up their nest and are ready for it. There are plenty of threads here about when to super your new bees.
Good luck

Such a throw-away line, as Dee has explained the bees are fine with the Flow super. Many beekeepers cut the comb right out for honeycomb and the bees rebuild it with gusto, so I think they are just trying to put you off. There’s no harm in getting your bees now in a Nuc or hive to take advantage of the Karri flow in your area. They will be fine in a Nuc for a month or two, otherwise move them into a low cost pine langstroth hive until your new hive arrives. Lots of options…