The bees are going gangbusters and building numbers while drawing out new foundation frames etc. I added a second brood box (following the advice of an old bee keeping buddy) to give them more room as I’ve not been able to stop them swarming last year. They’ve populated the flow super well but I see a number if them in one of the tunnels. I noticed this a few months ago but haven’t harvested any honey as yet so at my last inspection I checked the base of this particular frame and saw no holes. I’m assuming they are accessing via the comb above where I can’t see. I removed the cap and these girls started cleaning out old body parts immediately. Not sure how I can fix this? Any ideas?
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Take that frame out again to look for a piece of the chamber broken out of it. If the frame was in the closed position there is not enough gap for a bee to be able to get thru to the chamber. I think another check of the chamber will answer the issue Phil. Please let us know. Maybe fire you issue to Flow for there opinion with a photo and email. Or maybe @Freebee2 can pick up on it and pass your issue on.
Cheers
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Peter is definitely right-- you have a hole somewhere likely on the bottom (I had the same thing, and Flow support shipped me a replacement for free after I contacted them-- they’ll want photos with the BZ number visible so you can get that ready for them). When you find the hole, for the short term you can put tuck-tape over the hole so at least the bees aren’t getting in there more, and whatever they store you can harvest off once capped and then swap out for the new frame Flow will likely send your way. I had a hard time finding mine the first time too but sure enough it was there.
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This is one of the problems I had with Flow frames, but in my case nothing was visible from the outside - one of the vertical blades broke and created a gap for the bees. I had to dismantle the frame to find it.
From your photo I can see another problem, which again I have on both of my Flow supers. There is a gap between the bottom of the Flow frames, and the aluminium strip. Make sure that the frames are pushed back against the back of the box (they look like they are), if that gap remains, it is another defect. My bees weren’t coming out through those gaps last season, but they are this season, looks like the gaps got a bit bigger somehow.
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@JeffF Yes please do contact customer support about this, we’ll be happy to assist (info@honeyflow.com)
@Peter48 Thanks for pinging me
@Honeyeater I can see that you posted about the positioning issue ten days ago, so trust you have already contacted customer support, but if not, please do so, so we can help.
Thanks
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thanks guys, I’m thinking it may be one of the vertical blades as I couldn’t find any problems with the bottom of the frame though i will see if i can look more closely when i get the chance. yes the gap!! it wasn’t there, then it was there and now its shrinking again from what it was. Wondering if the timber expands and contracts with moisture -
I did leave the flow super on over winter with a fair amount of uncapped honey which it appears they moved into the brood box below it as that was chockers with honey (just 10cm capped brood in the middle frame on my first inspection on the 5th sept.) obviously filled after the brood had emerged and contracted to the bottom box. A few lessons being learnt along the way I hope.