I just purchased one flow hive from you 10 days ago. So far I didnt see any honey in flow hive. I use two breed boxes in the bottom.. If frames full with the honey, can I take it and replace it? Or I have to keep all frames with honey all time inside?
Hey there, Thanks for your question. It is really important when first introducing your bees to the hive to first only establish them in the brood box. They need time to fill out the brood frames first, otherwise there will be far too much space/cold air for them and they'll likely die due to being unable to moderate the temperature to their relative size, as well as being vulnerable to staying on top of pests/diseases such as hive beetle. See the first video on this page about how to know when to add your Super: support.honeyflow.com/how-do-i-add-the-flow-super-to-my-brood-box/ If you're referring to honey in the brood box, no, you leave this for the bees rather than taking it. After some time you may wish to cycle out the frames, but not for the purpose of harvesting honey from these boxes. See this page: support.honeyflow.com/do-i-need-to-rotate-my-brood-frames/ We really can't recommend enough the importance of connecting with your local beekeeping club to learn responsible, informed beekeeping specific to your climate. See a non-comprehensive list of clubs and ambassadors here to: www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory We also have an online beekeeping course with a free one month trial that you might find helpful: thebeekeeper.org Please do email us if you need to further trouble shoot anything related to your Flow hive/bees - we remain here to help! info@honeyflow.com Thanks, hope this helps! - Danika
hi. i am thinking of starting a flo hive. just for my first one. but i wonder. your hives are exposed on that hill. right open to all elements.. so does it not matter to give shade from wind and rain ? My main concern is where to put the hive in the garden. but if bad weather is not a factor i have way more options.
The hives on our apiary get regular rain and some strong winds. We rarely have a day over 40ºC /100ºF so its a great spot and doesn't matter too much about them being exposed, although keep in mind the afternoon sun is mainly casting shad from the hillside so the hives are somewhat sheltered from the hottest part of the day. You want to ensure they are not in a damp location. Have a look here: support.honeyflow.com/where-do-i-locate-my-flow-hive/-Kieran
When using a Flow Super, is there any way to harvest the wax from it to sell or do I just let the bees reclaim/repurpose the wax after I harvest the honey?
Hey Kenneth, Thanks for your question. You can't harvest wax from a full Flow super but you can if it's a Hybrid Flow super - see about how to harvest the wax in it here: support.honeyflow.com/how-to-harvest-wax-from-timber-frame-in-flow-hive-hybrid/ If you have a full Flow super, yes just let the bees chew through the cappings and they'll repurpose it :) - Danika
Hi from Perth. I have recently check my hive after a great spring/summer, the bees are eating some honey which i assume is because there is a low nectar flow, however the numbers look to be lower than a month ago. They seem happy, queen looks great, and i still have plenty of brood is this normal for the numbers to drop?
Hey Michael, Thanks for your question. Hmmm it's really hard to advise on something like this accurately without knowing more about your unique colony and climate. Are you connected with your local beekeeping club or a mentor in your area? If not, here is a link to our online directory of Flow ambassadors/related beekeeping clubs, and our online community forum's Connect With Local section: www.honeyflow.com.au/pages/bee-club-directory forum.honeyflow.com/c/connect-with-locals/23 Have you added the super yet, or are they only in the brood box? Have you done a recent inspection to see if there's any pests and disease happening that might be inhibiting the brood's health? Maybe best to email us at info@honeyflow.com with some photos/more info so we can help troubleshoot what's happened? - Danika
I got a nuc,unfortunatly it was slimed, but we still had a queen, unfortunatly a geko move in to the hive and i lost more , he took out the queen and is picking them off one at a time, How to keep geko out?
Hey there, Thanks for your question. Wow - where we are here down under bears seem like such a surreal predator to have to contend with, so we're not the authority on this matter - however we have a great online community forum where other Flow beekeepers who do contend with bears have written about their experiences and approaches - see it here: forum.honeyflow.com/search?q=bears Connecting with your local beekeeping club/community/mentor is a really highly recommended way to get informed about managing the bees in your unique climate. Here's an online directory of some clubs/ambassadors: www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory I hope this helps! - Danika
Hey Margaret, Hmmm... if you are noticing bees fighting it might be a guard bee that has spotted an intruding bee from a feral hive or another beekeepers colony. Or it might be a worker bees working to remove deceased bees from the hive? Great that you're observing them & noticing such things, keep observing and see what you think it might be! - Danika
