I understand the dimensions of the flow hive are for Langs, any consideration of creating a Warrè size flow frame? I’ve gotten into Warrè hive & found the results BETTER than the Lang style. This is truely an excellent keeping method. What did I do with the Lang boxes? For overwintering, I create a secondary wall around the the Warrè boxes with the empty supers, thus allowing them extra insulation and a buffered climate to relieve themselves in case a mid to late winter thaw doesn’t materialize. I would rather not have to adapt a Lang size flow hive to a Warrè making it unstable & top heavy.
I cannot speak for the Flow team, however I understand that the Flow frames can be modified to be shorter in length which may be adapted to a different size box.
We are sorry but currently we are only shipping these out to Langstroth specifications.
You are more then welcome to try and modify your hive to fit them or the frames to fit your hive.
Here are some more specific detail regarding the size and adaptability of the Flow™ frames.
The Flow™ Frames are designed to fit a standard Langstroth deep box. The Flow™ boxes will have the same measurements to the Langstroth deep (8 or 10 frame boxes).
The height of the Flow™ frame is 240mm; this perfectly fits a Langstroth deep box.
The width of the clear fame ends is set to 50mm. The frames are wider which means they hold more honey and the deeper cells discourage the queen from laying should you choose to experiment with no excluder.
A standard Langstroth 8 frame deep fits 6 Flow™ frames or 3 Flow™ frames and 4 standard frames fit well.
A standard Langstroth 10 frame deep fits 7 flow frames or 4 Flow™ frames and 4 standard frames fit well.
A UK National fits 8 shorter Flow™ frames however the depth of the UK National would need to be modified.
The length of the frame is adjustable. We will be posting them out at the standard Langstroth frame length of 480mm. You can however change their length in increments of 12mm by removing some of the frame parts. This means you can adapt the length of the frames to many different sized hives. Or if you want to get really creative you could make a 2m long frame to go in a wall cavity or make a short frame to insert into a hollow tree hive…
A plan for our Flow™box will be available via our website soon - http://www.honeyflow.com/
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So it seems that all that is required to fit the Flow frames to a Warre Hive is to shorten the frames. That was my understanding when I ordered the Flow Lite.
Where do I find the instructions for shortening the frames?
Allen
I just ordered the plans for Valhalla long hive from Richard Nichols. Looks like the best of both worlds. All the frames can fit in, but it is like 2 boxes side by side and a roof that opens like a trunk lid. I plan on using this for my flow hive frames.
Plans were $35. http://www.honeybeesuite.com/valhalla-long-hive/
After looking up that guy now I find free plans at http://horizontalhive.com/how-to-build/long-langstroth-plans.shtml
I like the roof design better than the flat top, but that is for me not the bees. The first plans are more detailed and include a screen bottom and slot for a feeder too.
When using a Warre hive with just top bars (no frames), is it possible to introduce a box containing the Flow Frames? Should all the box’s eventually use flow frames or can some be left foundationless?
Do you keep warre hives already?
The Idea is to put successive boxes underneath so that the brood nest works downwards and the top combs are full of honey.
Ive done quite a bit of research but don’t yet keep hives, so i am a complete beginner (apologies if some of these questions are a bit stupid!).
I understand with Warre hives you add new boxes to the bottom (nadiring) rather than the top like in a Langstroth hive (supering).
I was just wondering how you incorporate the flow frames, as i really like the simplicity of harvesting the honey? Would you add the box containing the modified flow frames to the top (supering) or bottom (nadiring) of the stack?
Thanks
I don’t think you can incorporate a flow into a warre system but I’m happy to be proved wrong. As I said, the brood nest moves down onto new comb which the bees prefer, just like they would in a natural nest, the old comb is then used for stores. Bees like to store pollen around the brood, then honey. You can’t nadir flow frames. The queen needs to lay in the bottom box of the stack.
I suppose you could start with the one box, add another when it’s timely, make sure there is no brood in the top box then put the flow between the top and bottom box but all this rather goes against the whole system.
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If there’s a queen excluder in-between your brood boxes and Flow Super, I would assume you can just add in a Flow Super/Flow Frames. You can just adjust the length of the Flow Frames so that they can fit any size box.
This is how you assemble/dis-assemble a Flow Frame - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAzm7bR2IDo
What do you think?
@Michael_Bush
@JeffH
Hi @Faroe, thanks for the question. The way that I see a Warre hive would work with Flow frames is like you say. I’m thinking you could allocate 2 Warre supers for brood, then a QX, then supers containing modified Flow frames. You can still use the Warre roof & quilt.
However, like @Dee says, it’s going against the principle of a Warre hive.
The bees will work with whatever we give them, I don’t think they’ll abscond just because we go against the Warre principle of under supering.
You could call it a top bar, warre, rose, lang, Flow hybrid.
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Well, you could just try putting the Flow Super underneath the brood boxes. They would move down like they normally would wouldn’t they?
It’s just a hypothesis though…
For the queen to lay in?
Yes you could.
It would be warre boxes with flow on top…not a warre hive though. As you say…a hybrid
No, I mean if they want the bee’s to go down, couldn’t you just put a queen excluder between the brood boxes and the super underneath?
Sorry it completely goes against the Warre system and I think it is a mess waiting to happen.
The only way I can see Flow working with Warre is to attach a normal Warre Frame top to the bottom of the Flow Frame - like a continuation only problem is when you open the Flow frame do the cells splitting affect the bottom of the Flow - ie movement of the cells perceptible or discretely enough not to disturb a Top Bar of the Warre frame
The bees won’t store honey under the brood. When they run out of space they will swarm.
No Dee I mean put the Flows at the top and hang a frame/top bar from the Flow down
I know
I was replying to faroe
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