It is important to place your bees in the brood box and wait until they are fully established before adding the Flow Super containing the Flow Frames to your hive. This can take anywhere between 1-8 weeks, depending on whether you have a nuc or package of bees, and will vary greatly depending on the time of year and the local resources available for your bees.
We supply foundationless frames with our brood boxes, as we think it’s beneficial for the bees to build their honeycomb from scratch. Many beekeepers also use foundation in their frames as it requires less maintenance when the bees are first establishing themselves in the brood box. When using foundationless frames it’s a good idea to inspect the brood box whilst the colony is building the comb to prevent the bees building cross comb in the frame. This way if they have run off course, you can gently nudge the comb back in place. Remember to keep all of the Brood Frames tightly together towards the centre of the box. If there is an extra space this should be distributed evenly on the outer edges of the brood box to further reduce the risks of cross comb.
For best results it is recommended that you check to ensure that all 8/10 (depending on the size of your Brood Box) Brood Frames have been drawn out and contain substantial comb before adding the Flow Super. The combination of a full Brood Box along with a significant amount of bees will help to encourage your bees to make fast progress on the Flow Frames.
If you are new to beekeeping we recommend finding a local beekeeping mentor or joining our forum where experienced beekeepers can assist you in determining whether your Brood is ready to be supered.
Brood box with frames, inner cover and roof only while your bees are growing in numbers and building comb. We cover the feeder hole of the inner cover with screen mesh or a piece of wood.
Thanks for the info. I am a new beekeeper this spring and just added my flow super. The bees look resistant to starting to build comb- they are climbing around and have built us a lot of propolis on the queen excluder. I am concerned that they don’t like the plastic frames in the super and are not building comb on it, while the brood box below is filling up with honey. I don’t want them to runout of room, so I am trying to decide if I should take off the super and add another brood box, in the event that they won’t build on the flow frames in the super. Any thoughts? And I appreciate any and all input. I am definitely learning…
I am brand new to beekeeping. I bought the flow hive 2 with two brood boxes (I live in cold weather). When starting new hive with NUCS, should I start with both brood boxes or just 1 before adding super? I just don’t know how to start. Thanks in advance.
So the hole on the inner cover you have to cover it? Why? I didn’t cover mine is it to late or the next time I check on the bees can I cover it then or right away? Had my first hive ever April the 12th 2022. Thank you
M from Panguitch, Utah
New to beekeeping also. But what I have seen on You Tube it is best just to start with 1 brood box, don’t need the excluder yet, let your colony establised them selves first. Lots of information on You Tube. A lot of differences on how to go about you beehive.
Margaret, Panguitch, Utah May 3, 2022
