for the doubting thomas's

[Tremyfro]

The cells are all slanting down towards the centre rib. The advice is to turn the key in sections a few inches at a time...this helps prevent the flood of honey which can then backup and overflow down the face of the comb. Done correctly....the honey flows more gently into the trough and out the pipe connector.
It is clear that the flow frames work...and they work even better once the operator has some experience.
As to whether they can be used in the uk....well that depends on whether you get a good flow in your area...and I know some people do because they make the rest of us jealous hearing about the number of supers they have on their hives!

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Can't see how the flowhive will ever work without leaking and risking serious flooding of the hive with honey and that's all because you can't cheat the laws of physics. When the plastic cells are split to form channels this automatically tears any capping and simultaneously creates a hydrostatic column above all of the cells at the base of the frame. Honey will therefore always pour out of the front of the lower cells and flood the hive. If the honey is low viscosity because of either water content or elevated temperatures then the flooding might reach such proportions that it will force the bees out of the hive.

You may be right as far as the physics is concerned but there's a bunch of kids on this video who haven't got that far in science, so it didn't know it shouldn't work!

https://www.facebook.com/flowhive/videos/945158158915749/

CVB

 

[Karol]

So you didn't spot the leaking honey in the clip?

Oh for the power of editing.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Dexter's Shed is alive and well!

Although he is not active on this forum, Steven (Dexter's Shed) is back into beekeeping and has set up a website to record his escapades. Have a look and see what he's been up to:
http://stephenjstubbs.wix.com/thesecretbeegarden

CVB

 

[Erichalfbee]

I look at FB sometimes and the pictures are there.
The Daily Mail is doing an article featuring three ladies with Flow hives and I see he has offered to put on the lipstick and be a volunteer
Tremyfro.......are you joining in?

 

[Tremyfro]

I suppose it depends on what the reporter wants to include in the article....if it's just sensationalism...well no...but if the intended article is genuine and an informative piece....I would like to be included. I'm not interested in scoring points....but the Flow frames do seem to do what it says on the box.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The Daily Mail is

..................an awful rag, one below the sun I wouldn't let my budgie sh!t on it

 

[psafloyd]

..................an awful rag, one below the sun I wouldn't let my budgie sh!t on it

Quite right, too, JBM.

 

[Tremyfro]

Seems the editor wants pictures of a Flow harvest in action. Ha ha...I can't help with that ATM....no nectar flow to speak of. We have sat in the clouds for days. Today it's sunny and humid and hot. So the bees are out in force....probably replacing what they gobbled whilst the clouds sat on us!
The newspaper asking for this may not be the newspaper of choice but a lot of people read it.....the article will reach a lot of people...so giving them good information to use in their article can be a good thing. Personally, I think the editor is only interested in the spectacular/sensational. So going to the effort of supplying information is probably a waste of time.

 

[pargyle]

Seems the editor wants pictures of a Flow harvest in action. Ha ha...I can't help with that ATM....no nectar flow to speak of. We have sat in the clouds for days. Today it's sunny and humid and hot. So the bees are out in force....probably replacing what they gobbled whilst the clouds sat on us!
The newspaper asking for this may not be the newspaper of choice but a lot of people read it.....the article will reach a lot of people...so giving them good information to use in their article can be a good thing. Personally, I think the editor is only interested in the spectacular/sensational. So going to the effort of supplying information is probably a waste of time.

They won't worry - eventually they will twig that you can just pour some Asda honey down a tube inside a hive and out of the side and with some clever editing it will look like the answer to every beekeepers prayer !

They certainly won't be using the video I watched earlier from the USA where the beekeeper could not get the door open on the hive because the bees had propolised it shut and the flow frames were also stuck together with propolis .. not to mention the fact that at an earlier inspection he mentioned there were SHB in the flow frames and he was worried whether the detritus they have left behind might contaminate his honey if he ever gets any ... other than that he was quite positive !

 

[Tremyfro]

Ha ha...stop it now...you are slaying me!
Why didn't I think of that.....the reporter would be organising her trip to South Wales as we speak!
If we get a few more days of this weather....I won't have to cheat...I will be able to extract the Flow frames by turning the key.....who is wanting an invite?

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Ha ha...stop it now...you are slaying me!
Why didn't I think of that.....the reporter would be organising her trip to South Wales as we speak!
If we get a few more days of this weather....I won't have to cheat...I will be able to extract the Flow frames by turning the key.....who is wanting an invite?

Unfortunately, Tremy, you won't be the first UK Flow™Hive harvester. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j96gPnpg3ss

He admits he made mistakes in his first harvest last month but you now know it can be done. Flow have put up a checklist to avoid obvious errors and omissions at http://www.honeyflow.com/resources/harvesting-checklist/p/197

All the best but remember the reporters adage of "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

CVB

 

[enrico]

Just a question, how do you know the cells are capped?
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just a question, how do you know the cells are capped?
E

You can see an outer frame from an observation window so I suppose the presumption is that if the outer frames are capped the inside ones are too.
The only way you can tell is to take them out for a look

 

[Tremyfro]

They are easy to lift out to check if they are capped and also to take a sample if concerned about ripeness in the case of OSR honey...or similar. I don't think they would be suitable for thixotropic honeys....as they require agitation to make them run...but I might be wrong...frequently am!

 

[Karol]

Unfortunately, Tremy, you won't be the first UK Flow™Hive harvester. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j96gPnpg3ss

<snip>
CVB

From the video it looks like some of the bees at the base of the first cracked frame actually drowned in honey!

 

[For want of a better word]

You can see an outer frame from an observation window so I suppose the presumption is that if the outer frames are capped the inside ones are too.
The only way you can tell is to take them out for a look

Now that seems like too much effort and too higher skill level for yer average Flow's bee people!

Yeghes da

 

[Tremyfro]

Now that seems like too much effort and too higher skill level for yer average Flow's bee people!

Yeghes da

No skills required and IQ not tested for anyone deciding to keep bees.
I seem to remember ...when looking through a super of honey...that the central frames were filled and capped first...has this changed? Do the bees do it differently in a Flow frame then Icanhopit?

 

[MuswellMetro]

They won't worry - eventually they will twig that you can just pour some Asda honey down a tube inside a hive and out of the side and with some clever editing it will look like the answer to every beekeepers prayer !

They certainly won't be using the video I watched earlier from the USA where the beekeeper could not get the door open on the hive because the bees had propolised it shut and the flow frames were also stuck together with propolis .. not to mention the fact that at an earlier inspection he mentioned there were SHB in the flow frames and he was worried whether the detritus they have left behind might contaminate his honey if he ever gets any ... other than that he was quite positive !

Do you think a flow hive can cope with propolised slugs, I couldnt get the last brood frame out today because the bees had built brace comb around three propolised slugs between the outer brood frame and the wall

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm sure they may work. I would think, though, that to cope with the ebbs and manic flows of British nectar you would need a spinner as well. Otherwise what might you expect if you had a flow frames full with nectar still piling in?