UK Flow keepers

Join your local association. You may have missed out on their course but they will have a training apiary you can visit weekly to get hands on experience. They will probably offer you a mentor as well.

Co Founder Stuart Anderson Presentation on 1st May in London

Battery ran out for the last 5 mins so apologise for that, but got most of the presentation.

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Too cold for what ? The bees keep the hive interior and honey the correct temperature no matter what country they are in. Your not going to be extracting when itā€™s really cold anyway. Check out youtube, there is film of a uk beekeeper extracting honey from the flow hive. :wink:

Hello I have just received my first bees today. I am in North Yorkshire in the uk. I took them in a langstroth hive with the view that I could add my flow on top when they have settled. However I have just observed there is a size difference on the brood boxes. The hive the bees came in are 20 inches long as is the flow hive but the width is different my new hive is 16 inches ( approx) and the flow 14 inches so that means there are not compatable. I have read about 3/4 size langstroth hive which I assume is what the flow hive is ? What size/ style should I order on langstroth to fit the flow so I can rotate kit easily ? Hope this make sense Jason

Sounds like your bees are in a 10-frame Langstroth (16" wide). The default Flow hive boxes are 8-Frame Langstroth (14" wide), although Flow is now selling a 10-frame pine kit:
https://www.honeyflow.com/shop/flow-hive/classic-araucaria-7/p/274

They also have a 7-frame Flow super, which fits on a 10-frame Lang brood box. :blush:

Bees. A full hive or a nuc?

Thanks Dawn for your response. Dee. It a hive with about 6 frames or bees.

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Could anyone tell me if they have a Rapid top feeder on their FlowHive and what size do you have?

Does it fit without making any adjustments?

Hi,
Just joined the forum. I have a Flow hive purchased second hand ( unused). Bees going in it this week.
I have also have 3 other conventional national hives. Been keeping bees for a couple of years.
Flow is a real marmite ( or probably more accurately vegemite ) system. Its an experiment for me, with number of club members watching closely.
I have rape seed to deal with early in the season, hence waiting to get the nuc settled.
Fingers crossed.
Steve

Welcome, Steve.

You mean it is spreading everywhere? :smile:

Just remember that the Flow hive is just a different way of extracting honey. Do everything else exactly the same way as you do with the British Nationals. Same inspections. Same varroa treatments etc. Only add the super when the brood box is bursting. If you run brood and a half in Nationals, consider doing that in the Flow hive too. Finally, with OSR honey, extract early from the Flow super, or donā€™t put the Flow super on when the rape is flowering.

Please ask if you have any questions. We have quite a few Brits and expats on the forum, so we should be able to help. :wink:

Update from My Hive,

I had wintered with double brood, early during the year I noticed my only hive had DWV, I treated them by vaporizing them with Oxalic Acid and they pulled out strong.

on 1st May I split the Split the hive to create a second hive, as did not want to risk having one hive again next year.

My original hive by 20th May was booming and I placed the FlowSuper as the bees needed space, 28th May saw a sealed swarm cell, quickly located my queen and put her in a new brood box with frame of brood and foundation and shock 3 frames of bees with her and placed her in the original place.

Majority of the bees with the old queen at present are working on the Flow Super, and only have 3 frames of bees in the brood box. The Flow Super is packed with bees.

Inspected my 3rd Hive on 4th June with the swarm cell, and there was more queen cells, I have knocked all but three cells that I have chosen, the original sealed swarm cell and two other cups with royal jelly and a grub inside it.

I quite happy that my colonies are expanding well from what started as a disaster at the beginning of the year, It pays to regular check your bees health.

Would love to hear about other UK experiences, I shall update later on how much honey I manage to harvested.

My original colony is bringing in honey stores, finally it is a relief seeing the honey being deposited.

At present they appear only working on the last three frames, I shall monitor how they do and give you an update.

What are you bees doing?

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3 frames filled, this has been in a span of a week.

The bees empty few of the cells and re-deposit the honey.

Will harvest some of the honey this week to give more space for them to store.

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My First Harvest

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Dear All,
Is someone the Queen Bee in charge of us all in the UK? Or are we just a group? ANd how do I join plz? Iā€™ve just got my bees home ( Ashford Kent) 10 days ago tho assembled the hive in Jan 2016 and a swarm put in in July by our local group Weald of Kent Beekeepers assn.
Unfortunately Iā€™ve been very poorly for the last 7 months ( infected hip replacement so unable to look after myself let alone bees- so our local group looked after the hive at Frittenden for me and, now Iā€™m a bit better, theyā€™ve finally come home!

Hi Sarah,

Glad to hear you are getting better, have you started with inspecting your hive.

Your local beekeeping Association would be able to guide and assist you with any issues you have with your bees, You still need to do the route inspections and looking after your bees as you would have done with any other hive.

I would recommend you go to a beekeeping course if you have one by your Association, if you are not able to get into a course get someone who is near you to guide you in beekeeping.

Thanks Paras, that kind! I actually posted that last yr but somehow it didnā€™t get ā€˜put upā€™!
I was seriously ill after the 2 no hip replacement and the hip was removed eventually and re put in this yr - then it went wrong again! Anyway now have bees here at home, and my local group sort of supporting me, also a friend, tho I really am unable to manage it physically so donā€™t do as much as I should inspection wise etc! Anyway bees v happy and good flow of honeys far!
Yes done several courses in past few years but ideally should be going along to one NOW, as well as having my bees here! Anyway Iā€™m muddling on! Iā€™m not sure whether the bees or I will survive in the longer term!
I really would love to ask if there are any Kent Flowhive owners!!
Thatā€™d be v interesting to see how theyā€™re doing! And to see their set ups!
Even with the site info I have many unanswered questions!
Many thanks
Sarah

Thereā€™s a Flow hive FB page you could look on as well as the British Beekeepers one

Thanks, unfortunately Iā€™m really not a Facebook person, well I tried it and just couldnā€™t cope!
What Iā€™m hoping for is someone I can just talk over silky things with- e.g. One of our Beekeeper experts came round from the club last week and insisted that instead of spacing the FH brood box frames( ones I bought to fit a Langstroth size) right over to one side, and said I need to make a dummy board for the gap- the booklet says put them all centrally with 2 small gaps at each side and its fine! Which is true ?
Also he says I have to have the box on open boards or frame, not just on a flat board- well I thought that was why we have the white pull out plastic sheet ie to collect all the gubbins thatā€™s dropped from thro the netting! He says the white board is for inspections only, and shouldnā€™t be there all the time! Which is right?? He says the very bottom piece of my FH is the metal netting whereas Iā€™m sure itā€™s above where the white board goes?
Dee please tell me!!!
Thanks you and Paras for replying!
Iā€™m a desperate woman!
Sarah

Dear Paras,
Enjoyed your harvest video very much!! Lovely little lad too!
When I did it first 3 weeks ago, the bees were very bothersome and kept trying to get the honey and drown in the collecting jar - what a saga even with cling film so Iā€™ve now got a sealed system ie flexible tubing going into a container with a hole my husband drilled - even so 3 bees came out with the honey from the collecting channel! It tastes lovely tho!
In my reply to Dee Iā€™ve asked her 2 silly questions- maybe you can help me?

  • do I need the hive on a an open stand ? I understand itā€™s best to do so to avoid the wood rotting but surely the white pull out tray collects residue from the wire mesh netting whatā€™s dropped out ie the BASE of the FH is solid isnā€™t it?? So long since we made it and as I say Iā€™ve been ill!!
  • also all the brood box frames are supposed to be put centrally arenā€™t they ie with small gap either side- my friend says that I need a dummy board with all the frames pushed to one side!!! Whatā€™s best? The frames are specifically bought for 8 frame Langstroth size box and are American apparently!
    Many thanks
    sarah
    Ps where do you live???