Woah warmer than you it would appear! Stay cosy 
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Nice! Catching up with some @FrederickDunn in the background too!
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My Sat morning ritual 
Here are some photos of my mostly finished setup, still a bit of fine tuning to do, but am pretty happy with it so far.
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My house has a small yard and is surrounded by woods. If I place my hive in my yard will the bees fly through the woods to the open fields we have on the other side of the trees? We also have an open area by some apple trees that is near our horse barn but it can get windy and thereâs no shade. I canât decide, do I put it in the yard where there is shade but trees or do I put it more out in the open where there is space but wind and full sun?
Hello and welcome to the Flow forum! 
OK, well you have options with your location, which is nice.
- Bees really donât need shade in your climate. In fact, they will likely do better in full sun. Beekeepers need shade in hot weather for inspecting, but I doubt that Illinois will get hot enough to be a problem for the bees (over 110°F for an extended period).
- Bees do not like wind much, but if you can put a wind shelter up (a couple of bales of hay would be fine), then that should be good enough.
- They will definitely cross the woods if there is good forage on the other side, assuming the woods are less than a couple of miles across.
What you want is a place where you can angle the entrance towards the south or southeast, and that there is no foot traffic immediately in front of the hive. Shelter from wind is helpful and a sunny spot can make a big difference.
Hope that helps a bit. Ask more if anything isnât clear.
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@MMPEREZ Hi Michelle from the land down under (Australia to be exact). We can get (here) the sort of heat that can harm bees, to be more precise to frames that are foundation less, as the wax can melt and collapse. Thatâs why I have built (see the above) a shade for my bees, the top is canvas which can be rolled up on any sunny winters days that we get.
I too am a newbee, as I only got my first beehive mid November 2020. Donât be afraid to ask questions, even if you think that they may seem silly, because no one on this forum will bite your head off for asking them. Also there is an area up in the top right hand corner, that can be clicked on that have defined subject issues, with very helpful information. Do be mindful that different climates require different kinds of care to be used, as with the subject of how hot or cold it is where you are, compared to someone in a different climatic region.
Enjoy your exciting venture into beekeeping, I hope that itâs a great experience for. They are only a small creature, but they are amazing when you learn how a hive functions.
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Welcome Michelle! To the great advice you got already I will just add that in your windy area you will need to secure the roof so it doesnât blow off. Even in the less windy areas of your property, itâs best to do this every fall since the wind will pick up in winter months.
If youâre using the gabled Flow kit roof, bricks that are commonly used on flat roofs will stay on but be precarious. I use nylon straps with a cinch buckle - around here they come in two-packs for something like $6 at my local hardware store. Cheap, simple & effective 
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@chau06 One way of keeping the bees cool, ha ha, it is 40c here in W Aus. Cheers
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High is supposed to make it to 40°F tomorrow but then back down below freezing for a couple weeks.
In the grand scheme of things, we have it pretty mild during the winter here in Ohio.
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Does the cinnamon work as a deterrent?
I didnt have any luck with cinnamon. But it smells amazing when youre in the garden. Like honey and cinnamon.
Ha ha thanks Fred, good to know.
Hello and welcome to the Flow forum! 
Nice setup, but I am afraid that looks like a Chiinese copy, not a real Flow hive. Do you have an original invoice from Flow? If not, I would suggest that you consider replacing
- The queen excluder, especially if it is bamboo
- The Flow frames, if they donât have Flow and Australia molded into the plastic
- The inner cover, if it is a mesh cover
We are happy to help you with advice on your bees, of course. If it is a Chinese copy, you may have problems with it that we canât help with regarding the hive.
You have done a beautiful job of painting the hive and setting up the area. I wish you much success in your beekeeping journey!
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Definitely a flow hive. Lol. Not sure why you think itâs a knockoff copy. I did fill in the flow logo to paint it. I also drilled ventilation holes in the roof because itâs hot here.
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The two holes in the roof.
I totally understand