a local beekeeper said to me he doesnt believe the flow hive will work because the bees dont know to remove the wax & refill the combs after, they just will think theyre already full? he said i would have to uncap with a knife like any other hive. is this true or do the bees know or do we need to help uncap?
@Heather_Haynes The sound the frames make when full and empty are different. The Bees become aware (apparently) that the cells are empty from the differentiation in the vibration of the frame and chew off the capping’s to refill the cells.
Bees have very sensitive feet
He’s making assumptions. Experience has proven otherwise.
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thanks so much for your response! we really want to use the flow hives as i have bad shoulders & want to beekeep but find the normal extraction process & lifting too hard on my shoulders
Also shifting the borders of the cells will inevitably crack the capping in some or all frame. The bees are bound to notice this damage.
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The good news is the bees know more than the local beek ; -)
The lifting comes from weekly/bi-weekly brood nest inspections more than it does from harvesting. Harvesting is 1 to 3 times per year.
@Heather_Haynes Hi Heather, the normal extraction process doesn’t have to involve heavy lifting at all. You can remove one frame at a time, as I do. The heavy lifting will happen when you need to inspect the brood. You need to take the flow super away to inspect the brood. The flow frames could be half or even full but not ready to harvest. In that case the super will be quite heavy.
I have seen bees fly off with pieces of wax from the cappings when they are cleaning them up after extraction, but it is not all that much and they were still wet with honey. This time of the year, they would not need the wax and they would not take enough even in the summer to make it worth while. I would just leave it in the freezer until you have enough to use for yourself.