Hi all, I have just come across Flow hives and am wondering if anyone in or around the Oxford area has any experience of using them. I have been out of beekeeping for quite a few years now so need to refresh the grey matter.
Flow hives didn’t exist when I was keeping bees in Iffley (just inside the ring road). However, there are plenty of UK beekeepers using them successfully. The only thing you need to watch out for is oil seed rape in the spring. As the honey crystallizes so quickly, some people choose not to have the Flow super on the hive when the crop is flowering.
I live in the US now, but have many happy memories of keeping bees in Oxfordshire. 
Thanks for the advice, I do know Iffley a nice part of Oxford. Are you not keeping bees in the US?
I am keeping bees in the US. Two traditional Langstroths and one Flow hive. 
However, beekeeping here is quite different. Varroa is rife, Argentine ants rob the hive of honey and Africanized bees are everywhere. Around 60% of swarms here are Africanized, so I am very wary of catching “free bees”. Living in California is very nice, but we have had a long term drought, so the nectar flow was very sparse for the last couple of years. This year is completely different, and our hive is gaining 400 to 900 grams per day. Nice change for a season. 
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Thats interesting to hear, I didn’t realise you had such a problem with hive vermin it must make things quite difficult and frustrating. Its good to see you are making some progress on the production side, makes it even more satisfying when things get better.
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