I installed my 4 frame nuc in late January, after the local trees were finishing flowering. Fed a few times.
Colony has certainly grown to fill out most of the 8 frames, some honey stores. Put on a second brood box, but they are not interested. I will take it off if they haven’t started to draw comb on it soon. Winter is coming, and we get down to -10°C at nights. Days are usually sunny, and up to 10 to 15°C, so they should be able to fly year-round.
No way there was enough of a flow for me harvest this season, mainly because I installed late. Did not put my flow frames ion. My focus this season has been to get the colony grown for winter, and have a strong colony going into next spring. I am looking forward to my first harvest come October or so.
I received my hive in February, and installed a 4 frame nuc. It was the end of the season, so my goal was to build up my colony and get them through winter. Our winters are about the coldest in Australia - we typically have minus 5 degrees C to minus 10 degrees C nights, but days usually get above 10 degrees C.
Now its mid September. The bees have got thru winter fine. 10 days ago the brood box was still a bit bare. Some brood, some pollen but not a lot of honey.
I inspected today and WOW! An explosion of bees, brood, pollen and honey. Every frame is over 90% full, and bees bursting out.
So despite being one of the very early backers of the Indiegogo campaign, only now have I had a chance to put on the Flow supers.
I had a similar experience inspecting on the weekend. Some hives are still a bit slow out of winter, but one hive in Weston Creek had absolutely exploded because of some nearby flowering gums. The super was so full I added another
Update: 20 days after adding the Flow frames, the bees are showing signs of activity. Although good nectar sources nearby, it has been a cold, wet and windy start to the Australian spring.
View through window:
Bees on middle frame:
After shaking bees off:
Close up of plastic flow cells being waxed and converted by the bees:
Yes, its been a while - but for reasons unavoidable - a necessary absence…but…and there’s always a ‘but’…I have finally got bees! Photos are always best:
Now here’s a line that many of you already know - they are simply astonishing creatures and I have ‘wasted’ a LOT of time just watching them come and go from the entrance to the hive! In the 7 days that I have now had them they have easily increased in numbers by a 1/3, drawn out all 5 plastic frames that came with the nucleus purchase and have drawn two of the timber frames either side. They empty 2 ‘Chinese Take-Away’ containers of Sugar syrup every 24 hours.
Some of you dear folks may remember that I’d also posted a modification (Hive Base & Screened Bottom Board Modification Idea) to the bottom of the flow base with a tray for SHB - I am delighted to report (though dissapointed that so many came with the Nuc!!!) that it works like a charm with 7 SHB corpses removed from the olive oil in the first 3 days - none since then.
Plan: Continue feeding syrup and place 2nd brood box on top this coming weekend, continue feeding for a few weeks after that…Reading up on all of your adventures I have some catching up to do!
Do you fine folks think it a benefit right after introducing the Flow Frame Super (FFS) to accelerate the movement of bees up into FFS by removing a Flow Frame and placing a frame of BROOD above the QX in the FFS?
The idea here is to encourage/speed up the movement of workers into the FFS by giving them the incentive to move through the QX to look after the brood…
My thought is that some bees would go up to look after the brood, but they may not be the same “caste” as those which process honey. You also risk chilled brood if not enough bees go up because the main mass of brood is under the QX. I would think it would be better to rub some burr comb and honey (or melted bees wax) on the Flow frames. Just an opinion, no experience.
Thought I would introduce myself as a newbee in the Canberra region. We live in the village of Hall on the northern edge of Canberra. I have a single flow hive and I am hoping that the bees will thrive in our rural setting.
As soon as I put the hive in place on a stack of pavers, it was attacked by large ants who proceeded to drag bees from the hive. I quickly moved the hive onto a table with legs in mugs of oil. While I was making the move, an echidna wandererd past me and into the garden bed my hive is in. I don’t know if it was the echida or the new table that did the trick but the ant problem is gone!
Another new to bees, I’m in Adelong but hives will be at Batlow, I see there is a Wagga thread and have posted in there but weather wise the Canberra region is a lot closer to the Batlow climate.
Will be picking up my first nuc this weekend and hope to have a couple more before Christmas.
They will be going into 8 frame brood boxes. Only have one set of flow frames at this stage, if we have as good a flow as I expect I’ll look at putting the flow frames onto the strongest hive later this season.
These will be my first hives, have had commercial hives on the place most years but they would usually go west for winter so zero knowledge on how they will over winter in a cold climate.
I calmed things down with some smoke and blocked most of the entrance. Fortunately, the days after have been robber-free so maybe they have decided it isn’t worth the effort? I am puzzled as to the cause - as far as I can tell my colony is disease free and quite strong. I would also have thought there is enough food in the area.
Is anyone seeing honey in their flow super yet?
Interesting you mention robbers, have had two other Canberra beekeepers mention it in the last two weeks. I can’t help but feel that there is a summer dearth, with nearly all of my hives showing reduction in stored honey over the last 3 week period (checked 5 hives today). How is everyone else going in the region at the moment?
Just hoping to touch base with any fellow Canberrans who would be willing to share beekeeping tips and knowledge. I’m very new to beekeeping and have set up a brood box after a swarm landed on my front gate on the 11/10. So much to learn! Kindest regards, Shaz
Since the forum has been going around 2&1/2 years, it’d be fair to say that just about every question anyone could imagine has been answered. Just click on the magnifying glass & start typing key words. Topics to do with those key words will appear.
Also, don’t be frightened to ask any questions, no matter how trivial they may seem.
Good luck with your bees, cheers.
PS, The fact that you put your location in your profile is important & really helps folks when answering any questions.
Eucalyptus dives (Broad-leaved Peppermint) has been in full flower on the Albury side of the Snowy Mountains (Tumbarumba), but the spring has been too dry for much nectar flow. Such is life.
Just an opinion, no experience.
