I am new to bee keeping and we have 2 Flow hive. The brood box was just about full so we went ahead and add the FLOW top. I then was doing some reading and realized that in Ontario we should likely have 2 brood boxes in order for them to survive the winter. NOW WHAT?? the bees are already in the FLOW. Do I remove it put on a new brood box and leave the FLOW no the ground so they make their way back to the hive to build comb and fill with honey for the winter? Or could I add the new brood box so it goes existing, new and then the flow? Will they automatically start forming comb and fill the 2nd box first? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Its late in your season to add a box but I would remove the flow and shake the bees out. Then I would add another broodbox UNDER the current one so if they don’t build it out there is no heat loss. Make sure all new frames have foundation to give them a boost. If there is not a strong flow on start feeding them to help them get ready for winter.
I totally agree with Rob @Rmcpb. Better to remove the super now, before they invest too much energy in it, and add another brood box below the existing one.
Thank you!
Should I leave the FLOW out front for the night to allow any straggles to head back into the hive?
And what do I do with the FLOW? Jjust leave it in a cool spot in the barn and when we finally get to the point to add it back on (maybe next season) do I trust the bees will clean it out if needed and the existing honey will be ok. It has only been on for a week but it is looking really good.
Just shake the bees out and if there is nectar in it move it at least 20 metres from the hive so they can rob it out. If you keep it too close to your hive it can start other bees robbing your hive.
Another option is to leave it on top of your hive BUT put an inner cover between it and your brood boxes. The bees will think its outside their hive and rob it out. This is how we handle wets. When they are dry just remove the flow box and put it in a shed for winter.
The second option is my preferred method as the bees get to keep their hard earned nectar and not share it with other hives.
The bees will certainly clean it out well after a winter in the barn. The existing honey will crystallize if nothing finds it before then (wax moths). However, if you leave the honey super on one end outside the hive now, I bet it will be empty in a day.
Another option once you have got the bees off the Flow Frames is to freeze them.
You can wrap them in plastic and put in the freezer.
Then when you want to add your Flow Super you can pop them straight in the box.
This saves you worrying about cleaning the Flow Frames and prevents bugs etc.
Thank you
I’m glad to report that things are looking good!
We removed the Flow hive, added a 2 broodbox and the girls are busy building comb. They are 2 frames in so I feel good about it.
I did feed them sugar water.
I extracted the nectur format he Flow and will feed it to them in a few days.
The hay field should be in flower in about a week too so that will be a large food source
