Flow hives?

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
It's such a pity that you didn't get to see my Flow frames being drained...Icanhopit. I agree that using it without first having some experience in beekeeping would be a recipe for disaster. Interestingly...all the honey extracted from the Flow frames is still liquid but the honey from the other hives which was put through the extractor and spun out has all crystallised....strange.
As regards the flavour.....I can only say that the honey did have something special about it...still has compared to all the other honeys extracted from the other hives....perhaps it's the extra 'scent' from the plastic....ha ha ha ...
 
Tremyfro;566660I agree that using it without first having some experience in beekeeping would be a recipe for disaster[/QUOTE said:
I'm wondering how well they scale. They seem quite expensive to have on more than two or three hives. Clever idea none the less.
 
It's such a pity that you didn't get to see my Flow frames being drained...Icanhopit. I agree that using it without first having some experience in beekeeping would be a recipe for disaster. Interestingly...all the honey extracted from the Flow frames is still liquid but the honey from the other hives which was put through the extractor and spun out has all crystallised....strange.
As regards the flavour.....I can only say that the honey did have something special about it...still has compared to all the other honeys extracted from the other hives....perhaps it's the extra 'scent' from the plastic....ha ha ha ...


The trouble is ... our minds play tricks on our taste buds - I ALWAYS think the honey from my bees tastes better than ANYONE else's .... the true taste can only be decided in a blind taste test - Like the honey show. My belief was confirmed by the judge at our show who commented 'Lovely floral honey - pity about the bubbles !' - Well, I had only extracted it the night before and into jars the same night !! Hardly great show technique ....

So ... honey bragging rights need to be backed up by an independent taste test .... take it along to an event where there are more honeys on sale and are being tasted - if yours sells better than others - your flow hive has been vindicated and then you truly have indisputable bragging rights ...
 
Hi all. My wife wants to get me a flow hive for Christmas but would it be ok for the bees as I have heard that it is made of plastic and it may upset the natural flow in the hive? Any ideas before I give my wife the go ahead!!

Thanks for that, Anduril. I will give my wife the go ahead!!

Check the size. I could be wrong but I think the frames are Langstroth, and your profile says you use nationals.
 
Check the size. I could be wrong but I think the frames are Langstroth, and your profile says you use nationals.

They are manufacturing a national size Flow frame now as well as the original Langstroth size. They are also making the super in pine with all the cut outs ready made too.

I was surprised about the taste of the Flow frame honey too as I thought that bit was just some hype...but it is truly a different taste...and we did taste it along with other honeys...although not at a show...and you could pick it out easily.
I was thinking about the comment about Spring honey, summer honey, crystallised honey and creamed honey....with creamed being the most tasteless....so perhaps the amount of 'disturbance' to the honey whilst harvesting does have a much bigger effect than previously realised.
I bought my Flow frames because I was curious about such an amazing harvesting tool...and I had a small windfall to spend. Although I have answered many questions and explained how my first harvest experience was like.....unless you try it yourself....it would be impossible to to realise the advantages. Many people thought it was a new type of hive...not so....the hive is the same as any hive along with the same beekeeping responsibilities...which are slightly different depending whereabouts you are in the world.
Set up correctly...according to instructions....the Flow frames do exactly what they claim to do. If the beekeeper is lax and the bees harvest rape or Heather...then there could be some extracting problems. I am going to use my frames this spring....and I am fairly sure that this year we will have some rape nearby...so the frames will be tested. I think that with timely extraction and hydrometer testing...it will be possible to harvest the honey. I don't have a plan for Heather as we don't get any around here.
Despite the dire warnings that the frames will contain baby killing germs...nothing so far. The channel is really easy to clean....well the parts the bees can't reach....and a few hours on the Aga top and they were dry again. All the rest of the frame was cleaned by the bees prior to taking them off.
I have tried to be an impartial tester of the frames and to bear witness without bias. I have often been put in the position of defending the frames...although that was not my intent.
Above all.....it has been enormous fun.....even though the summer was poor we did get a small harvest. The bees used the frames just the same as any other frames to store the honey. There was very little disturbance when we harvested...the bees carried on as usual.....on the frames and flying. We didn't see any bees at the back of the hive whilst we harvested...only a couple of wasps. We sat in a Bee Yard with 7 busy hives in the middle of a very sunny day. Although we suited up....we didn't need to...the bees flew up and away on their missions....as the honey flowed into the jars.
Personally....I think the Flow frames are worth every penny...fascinating and practical and fun. Probably beyond the pocket and economics of the commercial beekeeper but for the hobbyist who balance their books rather differently.....a wonderful addition to their experience of keeping bees.
 
Last edited:
I was surprised about the taste of the Flow frame honey too as I thought that bit was just some hype...but it is truly a different taste

And next year it will be another different taste. Nothing to do with spinning or not, simply depends on forage.
 
And next year it will be another different taste. Nothing to do with spinning or not, simply depends on forage.

...if you wish to think that.
Each frame had a slightly different taste...as in different forage but collectively there was something fresh, floral ....which was common to to each frames individual honey. Still...I'm not trying to convince you just saying what we thought about it.
 
I did my first honey extraction at home this year. The whole of the rear of the house was filled with a wonderful aroma. All the potentially different flavours and aromas from each frame were mixed - in a sort of "regression to the mean" rather than some brilliant honeys and some maybe not so good.

It occurred to me that the scent and aroma in my house should have stayed in the honey. Flinging honey about in air at high speed is going to remove some of the volatile aromatics (which I smelt in my house). None of this occurs with a Flow™Hive and may account for Tremy's view that some of her honey is really high quality with great aroma.

To respond to Pargyle's point, maybe Tremy could put some of her honey into a competition so that she can find out if an independent blind tasting would find these great aromas too.

CVB
 
And next year it will be another different taste. Nothing to do with spinning or not, simply depends on forage.

All very subjective... I have one customer who only buys honey from natural comb produced in my TBH... says everything else tastes "Boiled" !

Like with "off road" vehicles... some would really struggle with the manual gearbox on mine... with its 15 forward and three reverse settings in 3 different ratios... and go out and spend a fortune on a "crossover auto" that is not fit for purpose!

Each to their own!

Yeghes da
 
Perhaps I might put some honey in a competition next year...if we get a better harvest. I'm not trying to convince anyone....just telling what I think. You don't have to believe me.
Comparing a smelly old gearbox to a Flow frame is a bit silly....but there are some of us who cling to Dear Ole Faithful and some of us who are willing to try out new technology. It's whatever you feel comfortable with.
I'm thinking of converting one of those Dartingtons I bought to include the Flow frames. I can cut out a window in the side for the extraction.....:spy:
 
Perhaps palates need to be factored into the discussion too!:cheers2:
 
All very subjective... I have one customer who only buys honey from natural comb produced in my TBH... says everything else tastes "Boiled" !

Like with "off road" vehicles... some would really struggle with the manual gearbox on mine... with its 15 forward and three reverse settings in 3 different ratios... and go out and spend a fortune on a "crossover auto" that is not fit for purpose!

Each to their own!

Yeghes da

well, I sold my series 111 land rover as it will fell foul of the london poltion control's 4 speed, two ratio and fairey overdrive...16 gears

one person came round and freaked out at three nobs to change gear

miss it .....so has anyone got a pre 1972 series 11a for sale as they are exempt of the london rules
 
Last edited:
well, I sold my series 111 land rover as it will fell foul of the london poltion control's 4 speed, two ratio and fairey overdrive...16 gears

one person came round and freaked out at three nobs to change gear

miss it .....so has anyone got a pre 1972 series 11a for sale as they are exempt of the london rules

We had a 50's Austin Gypsy... drank fuel like a hive of Carniolians going into the June Gap and had a combination of four forward gears and two low ratios with all gears available in reverse... also a combination of front drive, rear wheel drive or fourwheel drive.
Best bit was the winch AND the tow bar on the front as well as rear.
Chopped it in against a WW2 Bedford Ambulance... complete with bell!!!

Yeghes da
 
I did my first honey extraction at home this year. The whole of the rear of the house was filled with a wonderful aroma. All the potentially different flavours and aromas from each frame were mixed - in a sort of "regression to the mean" rather than some brilliant honeys and some maybe not so good.

It occurred to me that the scent and aroma in my house should have stayed in the honey. Flinging honey about in air at high speed is going to remove some of the volatile aromatics (which I smelt in my house). None of this occurs with a Flow™Hive and may account for Tremy's view that some of her honey is really high quality with great aroma.



CVB
Same here, it probably has a lot to do with the stack of supers.
 
I was surprised about the taste of the Flow frame honey too as I thought that bit was just some hype...but it is truly a different taste...and we did taste it along with other honeys...although not at a show...and you could pick it out easily.
I find comb honey tastes slightly different to the bottled stuff even from the same harvest. So not too daft at all.
 
Back
Top