For more info visit www.honeyflow.com or follow us on Facebook for our weekly Wednesday live videos pg/flowhive/... Facebook / flowhive Instagram / flowhive Twitter / flowhive
I can't wait to buy a house once I do that I'm going to definitely buy The Hive 2 I'm thinking of buying 3 to 4 I love honey and knowing that it was made in my backyard that's amazing all natural you and your dad created something really big and amazing thank you so much for coming up with this idea
Hey Luke... it’s been a year.... Did you get the house and the hives yet? If so, I hope it’s all you hoped for. If not yet, then keep going for your dream. Good luck either way.
I am new to bee keeping and have been researching for the past 6 months that before hopefully getting bees next season. I learned more from this video than I have in all of my research. You are very good at explaining everything. Thank you!
We would love to use this quote from you if we can? Along with your name. Thank you for your kind words, I am so glad that the video helped so much. :) -Kieran
I'm a "new bee" to bee keeping, however, have done allot of research. I initially thought the Flow system was a bit pricy until I began to price the extraction equipment needed for the traditional Langstroth vertical hives or horizontal hives. I'm about to place the order for my first Flow 2-7 frame cedar hive.
Thank you very much for your feedback it does indeed replace the need for expensive harvesting equipment beeing a Centrifuge, Wax knife, Filtering equipment. As well as the space, maintenance, running costs and clean up of harvesting equipment. -Kieran
@@FlowHive Hello, Thank you for your genius invention. I am wondering if this is applicable to Philipines Native bees & do you deliver to the Philippines?
My name is Nancy Lee from Pemberton NJ and I have been watching you and Flow Hive from Australia for several years prior to my son surprise me with the best Flow Hive for my birthday. We used Eco Wood to treat the cedar wood from watching your video. We picked up the bees May 1st 2022 for my Flow Hive. I am very excited to have my family of bees. Well that excitement lasted only a few days. We had May showers on & off for a few days. Everyday I would go to look at the hive and bees and I noticed the brood box has a horizontal crack from one end to the other hand. The 2 triangle roof pieces of cedar is damaged from being outside only for a couple of days. I was literally in shock having my son spend soo my to getting his mom the best. Contacted the company about the damage, sent them several detailed photos and they told my son this happened because we used Eco Wood and refused to stand behind their product. The love of their product and the bees became such a heartbreak and disappointment. I have spent several months dealing with this and all I'm getting runaround and they have no intention of replacing their overpriced product. Fredrick Dunn is a podcaster from North PA who has 124K Subscribers to almost 1000 videos. This is the 1st comment that I have posted and I will do it with every single one online since you don't stand behind your overpriced garbage.
Replacement parts were offered and we recently emailed you but had no reply "We are really eager to rectify this situation for you and have already let you know we're happy to send a replacement full brood box and complete roof." it seems you have not been getting quite a few of our emails and there has also been discussion with you in regards to this. -Kieran
@@FlowHive Kieran, I don't know who you are for that company...It don't matter. You have been trying to pin your company crap on me. I have replied to your emails and told you that I have sent you detailed photos of your company's overpriced crap and don't bother me again except of doing the right thing and make it right! You should have replaced the dam thing when we contacted you May 22! Not blame it on Eco Woods Oh, BTW, You owe Eco Wood a written apology. Because its out there by me that you told me that the damage was done because I used Eco Wood rather than using a natural oil, same as calling me an idiot. By now, you owe me more than a brood box and a roof! This company has the worse customer service after you get our money. Just remember, that my SON Logan bought the best unit in your company. You owe him an apology for ruining this gift to his mom...HOW dare you!!!!!! YOU NEED TO STOP PUTTING BLAME ON EVERY ONE ON THE DAMAGED PRODUCT THAT YOU DIDN'T STAND BEHIND SINCE MID MAY 22. UNLESS I GET RESTITUTION AND AN LENGTHY APOLOGY LETTER FOR MY SON LOGAN FOR NOT MAKING GOOD ON HIS GIFT FOR HIS MOM (ME), I'LL BE SHARING MY STORY AS MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY NON STOP.
@@FlowHive Kieran, I don't know who you are to this company, just want to tell you that you need to stop blaming everyone else for the overpriced crap that was sent to my SON LOGAN! Logan spent over THOUSAND DOLLARS to get his MOM (ME) the best that your company had, Cedar Flow Hive 2 for my birthday only to get something that was damaged that showed up only few days in MILD SPRING SHOWERS ON & OFF for few days in South New Jersey USA. I know that things happen and all we were looking for was for your company to replace the damaged items and we sent you several detailed photos. You asked was the wood protected? First of all, Cedar will last 15 to 20 yrs untreated. However we did treat the Cedar with Eco Wood to last longer for my granddaughter who is 2 to continue. Then your response was, the wood treatment dried and damaged the wood so, its my fault that the Cedar got damaged and there is nothing you are going to do about it. Only natural oil should have been used...calling me an idiot. BTW, you owe Eco Wood an apology letter because I shared this information on the internet many, many times and will continue until I get restitution in my hands, an lengthy apology letter for my son Logan for ruining birthday gift for his mom (ME) and apology for me for ruining my birthday gift from my son LOGAN. I have been dealing with this since mid MAY 22. Also on Fredrick Dunn's website and you know how many people view his site. yes, you did say that you would replace the damaged items after ALL these months and blaming everyone and calling me an idiot for not treating the Cedar with natural oil....However, before you replaced the overpriced crap I got, I would have to resend the detailed photos and re write what was wrong and I told you that was done back in mid May 22 and I was NOT doing it again. So, stop your BULL**** I am tire of dealing with you over your company's overpriced broken crap I got for my birthday. I will be posting this many, many, many times until I get restitution in my hand
Great video and great concept. I'm not a beekeeper, but can see that you've really taken a smart, creative and innovative approach to beekeeping and made a beautiful looking solution. Wish you all the best success with it.
you won't use them long before you go back to reg beekeeping that flow hive junk is why a lot of beginning beekeepers quit keeping bees they spend a fortune on flow hive equipment to find out it rarely works and is not worth the trouble and expense for no more honey they they will get be cheaper to buy from a real locale beekeeper
@@okeybrewer8962 Good thing i bought them for $150 CAD! I'll give it a try with one hive. I like the idea of the viewing window, as I do give tours of the apiary. :)
@@BeesBikinis It sounds like you have purchased a fake product, copies can not hope to replicate the intricacies of design that took over a decade of trialling to have working. It is often the case that these fakes either don't work, don't arrive, or are not accepted due to the questionable plastics used cutting corners to make a quick sale following our popularity. This in turn comes back to us with customers thinking they have genuine Flow Frames. We support new beekeepers and experienced with thousands around the world now experiencing the ease of harvesting, you can see the evidence of this throughout the wider beekeeping community and Flow Hive specific groups. It is not all about the honey, with beekeepers firstly wanting the best for their bees and the environment, benefiting from the enjoyment of beekeeping with the honey being a sweet reward. -Kieran
During the winter months, do you remove the excluder so the queen is able to stay warm and move up to the super? or do you take the super off for the winter and have all the bees go back to the brooder? Thank you.
The International Propolis Research Group (IPRG) is holding a two day online conference to discuss everything propolis this month! Starting on the 27th May, there are various keynote speeches and short lectures from industry leaders and researchers from across the globe! Anybody who's interested head over to our website!
After you extract the honey out of these frames how long does it take for the bees to figure out that they need to refill them being that the outside of the frames are still capped? Because when I harvest the traditional way obviously I've uncapped them so when I put the empty frames back in they start immediately filling them but I'm thinking with these type of frames it would take quite a while for the bees even know that their Honey's been robbed
I'm in Germany and it is well into Spring. I have two hives, Flow hive and a German Normal. I've already had two harvests from the German Normal but sadly nothing from my Flow hive. I have rubbed wax on the frames but still not joy although the bees seem to have cleaned the wax. I think I'm going to rub the Super frames with honey and see if the bees start to fill the Super. The two brood boxes beneath the Super are full of honey.
When using two brood boxes a colony can be content with this space. A Flow Super is a deep sized frame, with multiple boxes your colony will need to be strong at about 80% capacity before adding the Flow Super, adding to early can result in delays with bees spending there time managing the extra space. Maybe move a honey filled timber frame up into the Flow Super for a couple of weeks. Ensuring the queen is in the bottom brood box, moving the honey filled brood box above the Flow Super can also help create more activity if they are not expanding upwards. Have a look here, support.honeyflow.com/why-arent-my-bees-filling-the-flow-frames/ -Kieran
Hi Grace, all of our Flow products and prices are available from our online stores. For customers in Australia www.honeyflow.com.au, Europe eu.honeyflow.com/ or international www.honeyflow.com, here you will find product information and pricing listed. If your country is not on our shipping list and you would like to make a purchase, please email us at info@honeyflow.com with what you would like to order and we will give you a price and shipping quote. Please let us know if you have any questions - Sam
I'm new to beekeeping. Well, I'm not really going to "keep" them as much as just let them be and let them do what they do and I'll get honey just once and a while. I'm jumping in with both feet. I'm setting up the full hive all at once and let them do their thing.
Hi Steve, sounds like a fantastic adventure, just make sure you care for the bees and inspect to best ensure their health, it is important to take steps towards expanding them enough to manage a Flow Super and harvest honey. We have a lot of resources for new beekeepers. -Kieran
@@FlowHive You are right Kieran. I have come to my senses.I will help my bees through the winter. Once you get them It's like having a pet. I will start with just a brood box until there are enough bees. i will follow your advice. Your bee keeping products are the best on the market. One question, Would I be able to buy just the super box without the flow frames? I want to use it as a brood box. So it would be a brood box with windows. Do you see any problem with using it as a brood box? It will have regular frames (10) then a proper flow frame super on top? It would be cool...
Under most circumstances no, if there are uncapped cells this can result in a weak point an fissure in the capping. Bees will cap the Flow Frames out from the moving parts. If there is some honey visible to the bees from capping splitting they will feed on this, cleaning up the surface. -Kieran
Hi I was wondering if its best to have only a brood box and super or should you have a second box for the bees underneath the super to keep for themselves.
Of course what the bees is going to eat? All the extra honey is for extraction Some put 2,3 super, shop on top the queen with the new larvaes , bee workers they have honey only for themself depending in the area of course, if there is a lot of flowers etc
You can use an additional brood box if you prefer this and it is a good practice in your area. You can harvest as much or as little honey as you want from the Flow Frames, it is always import to leave enough honey for you bees. -Kieran
I have watched several of your videos. The question that comes to my mind is: What happens with the honey that remains in the bottom compartment? Seems to me that the bees do not have access to this compartment and therefore cannot clean it up. If you take this super off during the winter it probably end up getting cleaned up by the ants!
We generally have very calm bees and requeen if there is an aggressive strain. You can expect around 3kg/6,6lbs per Flow Frame, with 6 shown in the Flow Super here. You can expect 1-2 full harvests in the first year, and usually 3-5 in subsequent years. -Kieran
How heavy is the super when the frames are loaded with honey? I had bees about 25 years ago and loved it. I just need to be careful with my back. Also how do you feed the bees in a snowy winter climate?
With a 6 Flow Frame super, you can expect around 20kg of extra weight in the Flow Frames when they are full, as each will have around 3kg of honey, plus around, + 7kg for the Flow Frames themselves and around the same amount of weight for the bees and honey comb inside. If you are going to carry out an inspection generally you would look in the Flow Super if this is full, it is probably going to best to harvest from this first depending on the season, or remove each frame individually and prop these up against the hive so you can then reduce the weight in the box, and inspect the brood box below. Leaving enough honey stores for your bees is important in the colder months, or you might need to support them with a sugar water mix if they don't have enough of their own food supply. -Kieran
The innner cover that goes on top of the super yours is wood with a hole , On the one I have bought it is a metal grid that the bees cannot get through , is this ok ? 🤷🏻♂️
Although my adjustment screw is set correctly. When I push the lower front of a flow frame near the tube hole it flexes and pushes in. Does this stop as the frames age?
All yours appear to be a single brood box + flow super. Unfortunately I started mine from a 4 frame NUC approx 6 weeks ago & the brood box has 1&1/2 frames to develop & fill with 2 months of Autumn left. I am in the Perth hills where I am told the forage is light over winter & they may need feeding. Question is - do I just leave them wth single brood box even if they do fill it in the next couple of weeks OR add another 1/2 or 3/4 or full box for them to start filling with winter stores. My understanding is it’s too late to add Flow super as although the workers could access feed stores the queen is confined to brood box & at risk of getting cold if we do get a harsh winter. Are there any conditions where it is better to plan to have a double brood box or 1.5 or 1.75 sized brood area. Thanks.
Hi Rachel, You can allow your bees to travel up into a Flow Super also removing the queen excluder, if she were to lay eggs just wait for them to hatch with her moved back down below. I do hope your bees wintered well and they have been productive so far this season. -Kieran
Can you harvest some of the beeswax with the honey using a flow hive? If not is it possible to use a classic super in addition to the flow super as an extra level to give you the option of harvesting both ways?
Yes you can, a Flow Hive is a Bee Hive using Langstroth (sized) Frames and Boxes etc. It's the Flow Hive (Super that is specially designed, for extraction by turning a Key in those Cassette Systems so to speak... 🤭) You can run as many regular Supers (with Wooden Frames) for you, as you want, subject to how many Bees you have per Hive, and how much Nectar (flowers /trees, plants,) you have in bloom... eg A Super for "Honey Comb". (Natural built Wax, built by the Bees themselves. >Not using any Foundation Sheets, Wax or Plastic types.
I have a Flowhive 2 6 frame & live in the hill country of central Texas, between Austin & San Antonio, it's a semi-arrid area. I have the hive entrance pointing to the SE, it gets morning sun & mid day sun. As the sun moves the hive goes into partial shade, then full shade. Texas gets very hot in the summer, always 90+ to 100F. Is this a good blend of sun & shade or should I move it further under the trees or ? I've checked temps during the day, mostly 90-95F. I painted the roof white to help with temp. I've seen many hives setting in hat sun all day, but don't know how well they're doing. Do you think a radiant barrier on the inside of the roof would help or be advisable.
It sounds like you have a good position for your bees, partial shade during the hottest part of the day is very helpful to you bees. Sheltering them if really hot weather is expected can help them stay productive and not have to cool the hive down as much themselves. -Kieran
@@FlowHive Thanx! I placed the Flow Supers on a few months ago, lots of bees went in to visit, but never started anything. Waited a month, took it off, placed an 8 frame in it's place, then they built the waviest comb across 2 frames attached to the side wall, full of honey. Any ideas where I went wrong?
What happens if you haven't done these steps and have had the super on for months which is what I did ( because I didn't watch this ) and then I watched the 10 most common mistakes and found out that I hadn't opened cells in number 7mistake and then went out to do it . It a was a few months and finally the bees were in it but yesterday they swarmed and now the super is empty. Can I open cells properly now?
Das Reinigen Ihrer Flow Frames kann erforderlich sein, wenn Sie sie speichern. Es ist so einfach wie das Waschen unter Wasser, das nicht heißer als 70 ° C ist. Öffnen und schließen. In einem luftdichten Behälter oder Beutel an einem kühlen, trockenen Ort ohne direkte Sonneneinstrahlung aufbewahren. Möglicherweise müssen Sie die Flow Frames nach der Lagerung reinigen, wenn ein Schädling Ihre Flow Frames gefunden hat.
El envío a México ha sido un poco complicado, especialmente con todo lo que ha estado sucediendo en todo el mundo. Por lo general, tenemos existencias limitadas en México, pero es bastante complicado llevar las existencias a su país debido a las regulaciones aduaneras y, desafortunadamente, actualmente nos hemos vendido. Su mejor opción a corto plazo sería ponerse en contacto con un agente de carga en los EE. UU. Que pueda enviar el pedido por usted. A continuación, puede realizar un pedido a través de nuestra tienda internacional en línea para su entrega en las instalaciones del transitario. www.honeyflow.com/ -Kieran
Natural oils are best, and it depends on timber type. Cedar can be oiled, Araucaria is best painted. The roof of all our hives are recommended to be painted with at least 2 coats of exterior house paint. Keep an eye on care instructions of what you choose for reapplications. -Kieran.
I have placed a flow super on my brood box in the spring, but there is no activity in the super as yet, and I thought that it would take about a few weeks only, the bees are quite active in the brood box, is this normal.
The Flow Supers are compatible with Langstroth size boxes. The 6 Frame Flow Super is compatible with an 8 frame Langstroth box and our 7 Frame Flow Super is compatible with a 10 frame Langstroth box. I hope this helps. - Leah
Hi Diane, it will depend on colony strength, climate and available forage. There's more information here support.honeyflow.com/how-long-does-it-take-before-i-can-drain-the-honey-from-the-flow-hive/ - Sam
Waxing Flow Frames with the colonies own wax can be a helpful step to quicken the uptake of your colony working on the Flow Frames as it provides a familiar resource that they can rework. It really depends on what you notice with your colony. -Kieran
Usually around spring/summer, but in Australia we are lucky to have longer seasons in many areas. Get in touch with a local club or beekeeper for the best advice in your area and they can help you source bees. -Kieran
I am on a fixed budget and couldn't afford your Flow Hive so I went with the Chinese knock off. It didn't come with any frames for the brood box at all so do I need to add some?
Thanks for your message Kenneth and for asking for the opportunity for Flow to explain what you are seeing. We have a great webpage that points out exactly the information that you are looking for: www.honeyflow.com/resources/fake-flow-hives/p/480#info8 I would also like to add the below: 1. Legal Flow (we) own the registered IP portfolio for our Flow Frame technology and Flow Hive design. All other copycat versions are a direct infringement of our IP rights and illegally manufactured, distributed and sold. Flow owns the registered IP portfolio for all 'tappable hives' in the world and all other versions are fake. It may also be that the Flow Frames are not made from non-food grade plastic that is toxic for your bees. 2. Lack of warranty, quality and customer support You basically get what you pay for with the cheap fakes, true to the nature of the counterfeit industry (if not worse for fake Flow). The common stories we hear from people who have purchased fake Flow are that the product was missing parts, parts didn't fit together, assembly instructions were in a foreign language, it didn't turn up etc. There is no product warranty with such items (if you report buying a fake Flow to Amazon, for example, you will get your money back as it's against their terms and conditions to sell a counterfeit item) and the customer support is shocking with no beekeeping support. 3. No beekeeping support If you are new to beekeeping, it's really important you get the right support and this is something that Flow strives to ensure we deliver this to our customers. If you buy a fake, you will miss out on this. Flow is considered expensive by some people. Please understand that it's not cheap to produce a product that is wholly made in Australia from the very best materials able to be sourced to ensure the health and safety for you and the bees (plastic frames), plus a light as possible footprint on this earth (timber hive). Flow is all about business for positive purpose and we love to support grass-roots organisations that support our pollinators worldwide, which we directly support with regular donations generated from several different means with Flow. Of course compromises are made when a product is able to be manufactured so cheaply, such as the conditions of the work environment, workers rights, quality and precision of the product, customer support, where the materials have been sourced and this effect on the environment etc. I hope this information is able to support you in making the right decision Brad, we'd love to welcome you to the Flow community. Please let me know if you have any questions. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative you could consider just buying a Flow Hive Super and buy a base, brood box, queen excluder and roof from a local beekeeping supply shop. Our Flow Frames fit into standard Langstroth deep boxes. If you already have one of these, our Flow Frames should fit straight in. The Flow Hive 7 & 4 frame is equivalent to the common 10 frame Langstroth box. The Flow Hive 6 & 3 frame is equivalent to the common 8 frame Langstroth box. There is a simple modification (only 2 cuts) required to convert standard boxes to accommodate the Flow Frames and provide access to our easy honey harvesting technology. You can find details for this modification here: support.honeyflow.com/modifying-a-langstroth-box-for-flow-frames/ While I do understand they are a lot cheaper I hope this assists you in reasoning why it is worth paying the right price not only because it's they're illegal but because you are supporting ethically manufactured, environmentally friendly company who are passionate about bees and pollinator protection and education. Have a lovely day and please let us know if there's any other ways we can assist you :) - Danika
Hey there, When you first introduce a split/swarm or nuc to your hive you just want to let them establish in the brood box before adding the super. The first video on this page addresses how to know when the brood box is ready. support.honeyflow.com/how-do-i-add-the-flow-super-to-my-brood-box/ If you've added the super too soon I would take it off, gently but firmly shake any bees out of it back into the brood box and let them establish there first. For more info please consult your local beekeeping community, or email us at info@honeyflow.com - Danika
If you have moisture in your hive, ensure the roof is protected effectively with at least two coats of exterior paint. A colony can create moisture themselves and they might require more ventilation using the base of you Flow Hive. Building a shelter for your beehive might be a good option also this way your bees can be more active outside of the hive even when it is raining heavily. -Kieran
Hey Jo, It depends on the colony, season, climate and weather etc - but for an informative video on the subject please see the first one on this page: support.honeyflow.com/how-do-i-add-the-flow-super-to-my-brood-box/ I hope it helps! - Danika
Hey Kevin :) Mostly I believe we treat our araucaria timber with a good quality exterior house paint, and our western red cedar ones with anti-fungal Linseed oil - but it really depends on your climate, each one has different requirements. We recommend consulting your local hardware store for best treatment to use in your region. I hope this helps!
I am brand new to bee keeping. I am looking to start my first hive on my property here in TX in the US. We really have a very mild winter. That said, is a flow hive good to learn on and start your first hive? It seems almost too easy. Thank you.
Hey there :) Yes, Flow hives are suitable for beginners. What the Flow Hive does is make extracting the honey easy. This is more than half the work of keeping bees, but the other parts are important too. Part of keeping a beehive is inspecting the hive for pests and diseases, especially in the brood box where the queen and worker bees live. To do this, you need to open up the hive, so we recommend the use of protective equipment such as a beekeepers suit and a smoker. This is an important part of beekeeping to ensure your bees stay healthy, and the frequency of inspections will depend on your location. We also strongly recommend joining your local beekeeping club for climate-specific guidance. www.honeyflow.com.au/pages/bee-club-directory We also have an online beekeeping course (thebeekeeper.org) and there's lot of information in places like our FAQs section: support.honeyflow.com/ I hope this helps! - Danika
Hi Madao, the Flow Hives are great for beginners however they still require the commitment to learn some beekeeping skills. If you’re just getting started the best advice we can give you is to learn as much as you can. Bees are fascinating and there are so many incredible facts plus tips and tricks just waiting to be discovered. If you have a local beekeeping club in your area it’s a great idea to connect with them as they’ll have handy advice which is specific to your local area and can possibly also help you to get bees for your hive. It’s also a great idea to do a beginner beekeeping course. If you can’t find one locally, we have a comprehensive online course www.honeyflow.com/resources/starting-with-flow/online-beekeeping-course/p/595 which we recommend for all new beekeepers. This is a subscription-based course, but the first month is free. There are no locked-in contracts so you can cancel at any time. all of our Flow products and prices are available from our online stores. For customers in Australia www.honeyflow.com.au, Europe eu.honeyflow.com/ or international www.honeyflow.com, here you will find product information and pricing listed. If your country is not on our shipping list and you would like to make a purchase, please email us at info@honeyflow.com with what you would like to order and we will give you a price and shipping quote. Please let us know if you have any questions - Sam
Hey William, All of our Flow products and prices are available from our online stores. For customers in Australia www.honeyflow.com.au, Europe eu.honeyflow.com/, Canada ca.honeyflow.com, UK uk.honeyflow.com or international www.honeyflow.com Here you will find product information and pricing listed. If your country is not on our shipping list and you would like to make a purchase, please email us at info@honeyflow.com with what you would like to order and we will give you a price and shipping quote. Please let us know if you have any questions - Danika
Yes, we only use a single brood box, in some areas two brood boxes is a good option for having a larger colony size and more honey for the bees. This is usually practiced in colder climates. -Kieran
It can make it a bit tricky when inspecting. But some beekeepers do prefer to add latches, usually the go to is a ratchet strap around the entire hive. -Kieran
You can only purchase genuine Flow Hives from our website. There are fake product on the market to be wary of, a few people do get tricked by the fakes riding our success. Keep in mind they will be cutting corners and can't hope to copy our design and ultimately it is risky to the beekeeper and your bees, thats if they send anything to begin with. Our website is here. www.honeyflow.com/ -Kieran
You certainly can keep bees in a garden back yard! There are a few things to consider though, check out this FAQ we haev on where to put your hive. support.honeyflow.com/where-to-locate-your-flow-hive/ -Kieran
Interesting concept, we have no experience with this, I expect if they had an impact on beetles they might also impact the bees. The best defence is a strong colony, and oil traps work well to catch and kill SHB. -Kieran
can you please create a video when you do not have a slot filled with bees to create a brood box, but instead bought one. Literally just starting to create a hive
Not sure what your asking here (?) Re Comment.... 🥺 Are you saying on Start Up of your first Hive ??? "If", you don't have enough Bees to fill a x10 Frame Brood Box, eg you bought a Package, or a Correx Nuc (x5 Frame.) Now What !?! 😱 (Your Comment above.... ?) Then you can, fill the empty Voids by : Putting your Small Colony into the middle of your Brood Box, and, add a Dummy / End Board, either side of the Bees. These Boards act like full height partions, in that the bees cannot crawl under or over them.... Into the empty Areas (aka outer Frames to big and empty in West Wing(s) so to speak. Kind of Cold and Draughty massive 'space' for a Newbie Colony and Beekeeper to cope with. 🤭 Tip : Bees build up fast in population and strength if they are kept 'cosy.' Remember though, if you don't slowly move those Boards out to the next Frame out (say middle x5, to x7) over a week or so, in Spring / Summer growth, your bees could feel at bursting point and "Swarm." It's a Cat and Mouse game Wrangling Bees. 😆 You can buy, or Make end Boards.... I've even in an SOS situation : taken a Frame, cut Cardboard (Carton/Box) panels to be : higher, deeper, and wider than said Frame, and any Bee 'Space.' You want them literally "boxed-in." Pin it to your Frame with Drawing Pins (?Tacks in USA) And, have these Cardboard Flat Panel (side) facing the Colony, at either side of the "Nest" area. Bit like Book Ends 📚 👍👍👍👍👍👍 These DIY'd ones work fine. (Bees can chew through Paper and Card.).... But by then you would have a nicely built up Colony anyway ... And unpinned that Cardboard anyway, because they need another frame to Build Up upon ... 👀 Hope this helps. 😏 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
To put it another way, it is all down to the nectar source, the flowers the bees are foraging from at a given time usually has them storing this nectar all in one spot within the hive, resulting in certain varieties being harvestable at a given time, and even different types of honey being harvestable from one Flow Frame to the next. -Kieran
Hi there, There are a few different ways that you can source a bee colony to call your own - we have a great blog here support.honeyflow.com/how-do-i-get-bees/ which outlines the different methods and the benefits of each. It's a great idea to contact local beekeepers and join a beekeepers club, as they can tell you all about how to keep your bees happy and healthy and are the best resource for the most suitable beekeeping methods in your region and climate. They can also help you to obtain or purchase a bee colony, and instruct you on how to place them in your hive. If there are no bees available locally you may be able to buy them from a bee supplier online. - Sam
@@TheGreenfrog140 We can visit our webstore to see what is available, and the pricing. Contact us via info@honeyflow.com for a shipping quote. www.honeyflow.com/collections/flow-hives -Kieran
Hi Pallavi, Thanks for getting in contact and welcome to the exciting world of beekeeping! If youíre just getting started the best advice we can give you is to learn as much as you can. Bees are fascinating and there are so many incredible facts plus tips and tricks just waiting to be discovered. If you have a local beekeeping club in your area itís a great idea to connect with them as theyíll have handy advice which is specific to your local area and can possibly also help you to get bees for your hive. Itís also a great idea to do a beginner beekeeping course. If you canít find one locally, we have a comprehensive online course www.honeyflow.com/resources/starting-with-flow/online-beekeeping-course/p/595 which we recommend for all new beekeepers. This is a subscription-based course, but the first month is free. There are no locked-in contracts so you can cancel at any time. all of our Flow products and prices are available from our online stores. For customers in Australia www.honeyflow.com.au, Europe eu.honeyflow.com/ or international www.honeyflow.com, here you will find product information and pricing listed. If your country is not on our shipping list and you would like to make a purchase, please email us at info@honeyflow.com with what you would like to order and we will give you a price and shipping quote. Please let us know if you have any questions ñ Sam Let me know if I can help with anything else - Sam
You can certainly squash every beetles you see, but opening the hive releases a pheromone that actually bring in more beetles, so its best to have measures to catch and kill the beetles continuously. -Kieran
Cedar, on the last question where you are asked about doing a beekeeping course, I think you should have mentioned that for people in New South Wales (and most probably all the other States and Territories of Australia) that, as of 1 July 2020 anyone who keeps a hive, even backyard (hobby) beekeepers, has to register as an apiarist with the DPI. I've noticed that a couple of queen/nuc suppliers (in Australia) are specifying that unless you provide your DPI (or equivalent) number, they won't sell you any queens/nucs. Has FlowHive and/or Bee Org been involved with other commercial apiarists developing the new (Australia-wide) rules and standards for beekeepers? Either way, can you please help out with some clarity about this. Thanks.
It is important and required to register your hive in Australia, all states in Australia have different rules in regards to beekeeping that you will need to follow. -Kieran
