I had good dealings with guilfoyles midland as well, and I told them I was getting flow hive, all good. Tim
Great to know about Midland! I live in the swan valley, so they are my closest and Iāve ordered. Nuc from them too. When I spoke on the phone they sounded friendly, but you have now sealed that I will go there to give them all my money for bee suits etc 
The shop I went to was way down south (as I know of only 3 in Perth, Iām sure u can work it out), as I was down near Murdoch for a different reason so went to one close by. I will not be returning!!!
My neighbour is a beekeeper, so he is going to be my go to guy to pester. Very excited to be starting this amazing hobby and a big thankyou to the incredible support on this forum!!!
Jx
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A sensible article.
I have modified all my floors so that I can vaporise oxalic acid under the SBB from the back of the hive (rather than the entrance which is the norm for hobbyists).
Next spring when I change the floors I am going to replace two with further modified floors which have a tight but slideable ply insert under the mesh floor thereby changing the configuration to closed floor. That way I can slide it out quickly to remove the crud that the bees canāt get at.
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Just wanted to update that I went to John Guilfoyle in Midland and the experience could not have been more different I took in the bottom board to get a stand for it and they were very interested, positive and constructive! Bring on their bees!!!
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Is there the opportunity for components of the Flow Hive to be purchased singly in the future?
We hope to have separate components available to purchase in the future. We donāt have a date though. We are focusing on getting our 26,000+ orders out to our customers as quickly as we can.
If you subscribe to our newsletter we will let you know when we have any updates.
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Thanks for getting back to me Faroe, I have subscribed & look forward to all the news.
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I eat farm fresh eggs, and raw milk and havenāt died yet. Yet to hear some people talk that is a good way to die young. LOL!
The foundationless frames work really well. I am normally a Warre beekeeper, so running the brood box with open frames is normal to me.
Here are some hints:
- fix a strip of foundation to the top of the frame to give them a straight āstarting pointā to build off. That way you will get less crazy comb.
- if they start going off on a really odd tangent, checker-boarding with foundation frames can help.
- when the swarm is first in there, they are rearing to get their brood established, so they will build comb FAST! Check them often, and if the young, soft comb is heading off at a crazy angle just bend it back into shape until they have fixed it toally into the frame.
- you will eventually need to rotate the brood frames out when they get too clogged with silk from cocoons (they go dark brown, then black). Just move the old frames to the edge, wait for them to fill them with honey, then remove, cut out the frame (leaving a strip at the top) and crush out the honey with a press. Then put the new frames in the middle, and move the next ones over to the edge. Aim to rotate the brood frames every 2-3 years.
Here is a photo of my Flow Hive brood box building - they will build front to back initially:
As for the angry people, that sucks, but the flow hive will eventually make you as one with the dark side (according to social media) and then you can force-choke them. Just donāt try to call yourself Darth Beek, I have that one pencilled in 
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Thanks for that. The comb looks great :). Now swarming season is over I have to wait until after Christmas for a Nuc, so the fun will start then! I am at peace with the haters & do love constructive debate if it can be had.Time will tell who will triumph in the battle for the truth. I have my light saber ready
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Nicely said Cormac, after being a foundation based beekeeper for some time I have setup a hive on foundationless frames by checkerboarding as you have described, I have to say it works a treat and I am looking forward to having more bees in the single box because of foundationless. One tip is to write the date and indicate foundation or no foundation on top of each frame so you know when its time to swap out.
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Up here in the States the screened bottom
board is useful for increasing ventilation n helping in the control of both varroa mites n
hive beatles. Guessing only the ventilation would presently apply Downunder.
Itās good to move on ! There are uncaring n u thoughtful people in every hobby n interest !
Great info Bro ! Keep it up !
Me too ! Fresh milk, fresh eggs, fresh garden veggies, n raw honey ! Iām 70 n still pretty healthy n kicking. Getting back into
bee keeping after 55 year break ( bees were my Jr n Sr High school agriculture project)ā¦ Iāve got three Nucās coming our Spring 2016. Building n assembling hives n frame in my
new retirement woodshop.
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Itās interesting the great swing in attitudes ! Some people can be very open minded n interested !
Edited out due addled brain.
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Ha ha really funny. Because I will start with what we call the mellifera, mellifera the so called dark Bee! Fits perfect. P.S: I was on a general assembly from a local Bee group. First word of the president was we don not discriminate on the basis of system or Bee. And then guess what happend during the general assembly exactly thisā¦
Iāve had dealings with a beekeeper supply company since 1999. Theyāve always been knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. The moment the words āFlow Hiveā came out of my mouth, all of that changed. All the same BS you heard with nothing to back it up. Sad that they arenāt even willing to give Flow Hive a chance to prove itself or, honestly, to look to any improvements in beekeeping in decades. My guess is theyāre making money off all the things they sell that the Flow Hive system cuts out and now they are losing out money-wise. It always hurts when one is hit in the pocketbook.
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