Beginner in need of help

[Erichalfbee]

I don’t know about the scraping off. How rigid is the plastic?

 

[Jb.robert]

I am in Welling in Kent? I would love the chance to get up close to a hive!

I am near Welling myself and happy to give a hand (work and weather permitting).
I run on Nationals with Hoffman frames like most people I know around. So if you want some compatibility with other beekeepers that’s the way to go.
There is a beekeepers association in Ruxley (Ruxley beekeepers) but they are at the end of the course for this year. Would still be good to go meet people and bees down there.
When are you to receive your bees?
Did you plan your hive location?

 

[B+.]

One of the advantages of a Flow Frame, as used in a Flow Hive, is that the Flow Frame is fairly easy to take it apart. Once apart the crystallised honey or heather honey can simply be scraped off. There's a bit of a technique to re-assembling the Flow Frame, but once mastered, its easy enough. Unlike the liquid honey from a Flow Frame, it does need to be filtered.

Just a question: if you scrape the frames, does it damage/deform them in any way? I'd hate to think of bits of plastic floating around in the honey as this would defeat the purpose - not having to process it. All the ads I've seen show liquid honey flowing from the hive.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just a question: if you scrape the frames, does it damage/deform them in any way? I'd hate to think of bits of plastic floating around in the honey as this would defeat the purpose - not having to process it. All the ads I've seen show liquid honey flowing from the hive.

and also, can you imagine Murray McGregor sending his teams up to the moors every five minutes so scrape out all these frames of (probably) unripe heather honey to make room for more?
It's definitely a gadget for the one hive owner to fiddle around with in the back garden.

 

[nerak99]

Ignoring the off-topic material. my advice is Keep thing very simple. Experienced bee keepers often don’t realise just how many separate bits of knowledge come together to manage a hive. I have been working for four years and have four hives. I still count myself a beginner

Here is a list of priorities-pointers.

1. Keep it simple and aim to expand your knowledge slowly. For example when inspecting look for eggs, brood, stores. Do not worry about seeing the queen (I hardly ever see a queen). For Other more obscure things you will develop an eye for anything odd happening. If you have nice brood patterns then you almost certainly have a healthy hive.. from what I have heard diseases are generally obvious fairly soon, in which case get advice.
2. try to do the BBKA basic assessment in year two or three.
3. change three brood frames for new ones in each season.
4. do not worry about complex procedures until you have been to a mentor or class and actually seen the thing done.
5. work up to more than one hive ASAP. A second hive gives you the ability to help a queen problem very easily.
6. I would avoid buying in queens, rather, get a local queen or queen cell from someone at your club. Definitely join a club. A lovely buckfast colony can turn into a monster when the queen is superceded.
7. do not worry about people who say things like “this is the way, no other way, end of …”. Bees would not have lasted this long without being able to fix things to a large extent on their own. There are loads of ways of doing just about anything with a hive.
8. if you do not know what to do, do nothing. get advice Or at the very least read.
9. a swarm is not the end of the world, it means a healthy hive has bred.
10. Carry out simple end of season-winter varroa prevention.
11. do not worry about fancy equipment. A hive is just a box with a base and a lid and frames. Probably a varroa floor is a good idea but most other Stuff you can survive without.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Good stuff apart from 3 and 6.
IMO
2 not really much help by the time you’ve managed through to year 3

 

[nerak99]

Good stuff apart from 3 and 6.
IMO
2 not really much help by the time you’ve managed through to year 3

I refer my learned friend to point 7

 

[Erichalfbee]

I refer my learned friend to point 7

None of which I said and I didn’t disagree with it

 

[Norton Caff]

Just poking the ants' nest (bee colony) further. The people I have met with Flow hives fall into two categories.

1, Those that were given them - they hate them​

2, Those that bought them - they like them​

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Just poking the ants' nest (bee colony) further. The people I have met with Flow hives fall into two categories.

1, Those that were given them - they hate them​

2, Those that bought them - they like them​

I had a filtration salesman bending my ear once. He was pushing an alternative to Gore tex bag filters. Amongst his spiel was the gem " If you had persuaded your board of directors to let you spend n times the cost of a substitute on genuine Gore tex would you admit to making a mistake?"

 

[nerak99]

None of which I said and I didn’t disagree with it

Well ok. So far as changing brood comb goes, I aim to change brood comb every three years. What do you do?

 

[nerak99]

Well ok. So far as changing brood comb goes, I aim to change brood comb every three years. What do you do?

Also, ref basic course, I think of you want to do qualifications you have to start with the basic assessment. I have no intention currently of progressing though

 

[nerak99]

Just poking the ants' nest (bee colony) further. The people I have met with Flow hives fall into two categories.

1, Those that were given them - they hate them​

2, Those that bought them - they like them​

From what I can tell, if you are in some areas, like in the middle of a Californian orchard, then these can work really well but in an inhomogeneous environment you have to do a lot of management to ensure no honey gets in unless it is runny

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well ok. So far as changing brood comb goes, I aim to change brood comb every three years. What do you do?

They get thrown out when they fall apart
I’m never suggesting anybody else does though

 

[Erichalfbee]

Also, ref basic course, I think of you want to do qualifications you have to start with the basic assessment. I have no intention currently of progressing though

Indeed. If you want to go onto modules the basic is necessary. Would it not be of more use after the required one season of keeping bees though? By the time you are in your third year you have the basics in your pocket. Again, just my opinion which is what I said.

 

[Erichalfbee]

From what I can tell, if you are in some areas, like in the middle of a Californian orchard, then these can work really well but in an inhomogeneous environment you have to do a lot of management to ensure no honey gets in unless it is runny

I used to frequent the Flow forum and they do work very well where you have an almost constant flow and can tap the frames often.

 

[Boston Bees]

Well ok. So far as changing brood comb goes, I aim to change brood comb every three years. What do you do?

It's a good aim. Three or four, anyway.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I refer my learned friend to point 7

You could add
12. Register on Beebase
13. Make friends with your SBI if you can. I know they are very busy but often they will find time to go through the hives with you on a sort of introductory basis. At least mine did.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Good stuff apart from 3 and 6.
IMO
2 not really much help by the time you’ve managed through to year 3

I refer my learned friend to point 7

Well if they follow point 7 they will be going dead against the ethos of the BBKA 'qualifications'

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well ok. So far as changing brood comb goes, I aim to change brood comb every three years. What do you do?

It gets changed when it needs to be changed, not when some calendar tells me