New Beekeeper - Flow Hive

[TwodogsTW16]

There lies the issue, most flow hives advertised are as a kit brood and super and you could buy about 6 comparable nationals. If you brought a flow with enough boxes for a normal season it would cost you about a grand a hive. They are also a different size to standard Lang’s just to make things interesting, so no popping to thornes for a spare super/brood. And yes I have a flow, I gave a beginner 2 Nationals with bees to get her away from the stupid thing, it’s currently sitting in my garage.

Hi Ian I may be interested if you want to sell the flow hive in your garage.

Chris

 

[TwodogsTW16]

Hi All,

I'm a brand new Beekeeper based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

Never kept bees before, but something I have always wanted to do. I have purchased and built a Flow Hive, no bees yet - just waiting for my NUC Box to be delivered.

Joined my local bee keeping society and looking forward to joining some classes, once lock down is lifted. Done a load of reading/watching videos to learn what i can.

Looking forward to learning a lot from this community.

Take care

Lee

Hi Lee

Marmite and Honey - I hope you had a good season, and I'd be interested to know how you've got on with the Flow Hive.

I too have an original 6 flow frame super on 8 frame Lang Brood.

My main concern with it is the size of the brood box, at 49000 cells.

This is small it terms of modern UK colony needs - 14 x 12 are very popular with brood cell count of 80000. National at 54000 cells, seem to need a 2nd brood box, and I don't like the idea of 2 box inspections.

As you've found out 8 frame Langstroth hive parts are not generally available here in UK, while 10 frame hives are widely available.

Flow now recommend their 7 frame super on a 10 frame brood for colder climates. 10 frame Lang brood box has 61000 cells, and the jumbo brood has 85000.

I've modified a 10 frame jumbo Lang brood box to fit mine with 8 frames giving about 68000 cells.

As others and Flow suggest, don't put the super on until the brood box is established. Keep an eye on the flow frames and empty when they are capped. Pop a standard 8 frame super on for them to fill with winter stores if you wish.

Put a hose on the tube and a pest proof lid on you collection jar - and enjoy the girls hard work.

And as others say if you can avoid the rapeseed, and ivy at the other end of the season getting into the flow frames that'll be good - but if not don't worry too much, leave them as stores or wash out with really hot water.

Hope some of that helps.

Chris

 

[thorn]

Welcome, Lee. Don't let the negativity of some of the replies put you off beekeeping or the forum. There's a lot of help here if you pick your way round the naysayers.

 

[Heather]

Flow hive,,, Noooooooooo. Some plonker trying to reinvent the wheel.... Just get a basic National/WBC hive and learn, practice, watch and learn again. You will give yourself stupid problems with that hive and it is tricky enough in your first 2 years. We are here to help and advise. And NO question is daft, so don't worry. have fun.

 

[gmonag]

Flow hive,,, Noooooooooo. Some plonker trying to reinvent the wheel.... Just get a basic National/WBC hive and learn, practice, watch and learn again. You will give yourself stupid problems with that hive and it is tricky enough in your first 2 years. We are here to help and advise. And NO question is daft, so don't worry. have fun.

Not a plonker. I agree that the Flow Hive is probably not suited to the UK but I'm sure it works very well in some situations, such as Australia, where it was developed.
I'm sure we can do without the derogatory terms.

 

[Heather]

Ha ha..

 

[ericbeaumont]

Flow hive,,, Noooooooooo. Some plonker trying to reinvent the wheel.... Just get a basic National/WBC hive and learn, practice, watch and learn again. You will give yourself stupid problems with that hive and it is tricky enough in your first 2 years. We are here to help and advise. And NO question is daft, so don't worry. have fun.

Easy, tiger!

The FH is a valid piece of kit that works well if the beekeeper knows the flows. Our Treasurer is an FH addict and allows his customers to fill from the hive at about £12 for a 340; he's so keen that the company made him the UK FH ambassador; believe there's a Facebook FH page which may be of help, Lee.

Follow Ian's advice and check the compatibility of Lang frames, bear in mind that the FH will not reduce beekeeping work in the brood box, and smile when the honey flows into the jar: you'll have saved on the labour and costs of extraction.

 

[Erichalfbee]

OP not been here since June

 

[Heather]

We were given one and gave away as more trouble than worth it.

 

[ldwgs]

Flow hive,,, Noooooooooo. Some plonker trying to reinvent the wheel.... Just get a basic National/WBC hive and learn, practice, watch and learn again. You will give yourself stupid problems with that hive and it is tricky enough in your first 2 years. We are here to help and advise. And NO question is daft, so don't worry. have fun.

having been given 1 and tried for 1 year decided flow hives are for those who want honey but are not interested in Bees

 

[Apple]

I did an experiment last season as I had managed to get a few flow hive frames for free.
Cobled together a Lang super to fit on a National and put the flow frames in it.
To make up the space fitted in some Lang supers with wax foundation.... bees totally ignored the plastic "Flow Hive frames and drew out the wax.

Q.E.D.

Whatever happened to Trefumeo or whatever her name was.... the forum's

senior Flow Hive expert???

Chons da

Phil Chandler managed to get one jar off according to one of his blogs!

 

[The Poot]

OP not been here since June

That’s a shame - it would be good to hear his/her feedback.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That’s a shame - it would be good to hear his/her feedback.

@Paras has posted recently
I’m sure he has a few flow hives.

 

[ericbeaumont]

@Paras has posted recently
I’m sure he has a few flow hives.

That's our man...

 

[Erichalfbee]

That's our man...

Ah. I remember him from the Flow forum.

 

[Paras]

Hello

I was told that my name was called, .

I have 7 FlowHives (FH) in my garden been operating them for the last 5-6 yrs now. We have successfully harvested every year.

As any beekeeping you need to learn the basic skills, the knowledge you learn from your beekeeping club can then be applied to with your FH. The FH super is the only thing difference to between the traditional hive and the FH.

On a healthy strong colony on double brood and the FH super we are harvesting between 35-37 kgs, I don't harvest any honey which is left in the two brood boxes as this is left for the bees to winter in.

It's not the tools that makes a bad beekeeper it is the beekeeper himself.

I also teach beginners basic course, raise queens and sell Nucleus colonies.

 

[Erichalfbee]

You seem to have made a success of them, well done
7? Phew!
I always wanted to try one.
Do you have to dismantle and clean the whole super for winter or do you just leave it the way the rest of us leave our ordinary supers?

 

[pargyle]

You seem to have made a success of them, well done
7? Phew!
I always wanted to try one.
Do you have to dismantle and clean the whole super for winter or do you just leave it the way the rest of us leave our ordinary supers?

There must be dozens languishing in sheds around the country.. I know of at least 6 beginners down here that bought in to the idea that are no longer keeping bees, I wonder what they have done with the kit they bought on the basis of the dream.

There is one complete genuine super on ebay at the moment and more Chinese knock offs for just over £100 than you can shake a bee brush at ! I wonder how they get away with it ... I thought ebay were supposed to be toughening up on fake merchandise ...

 

[Erichalfbee]

There must be dozens languishing in sheds around the country.. I know of at least 6 beginners down here that bought in to the idea that are no longer keeping bees, I wonder what they have done with the kit they bought on the basis of the dream.

There is one complete genuine super on ebay at the moment and more Chinese knock offs for just over £100 than you can shake a bee brush at ! I wonder how they get away with it ... I thought ebay were supposed to be toughening up on fake merchandise ...

Yeah I don’t know if I can be bothered with all the extra faff as well as extracting in the normal way. I’m just curious and I’d probably be adding to the languishing ones.
Perhaps I should just pop down to paras and fill up a couple of jars

 

[Erichalfbee]

Easy, tiger!

The FH is a valid piece of kit that works well if the beekeeper knows the flows. Our Treasurer is an FH addict and allows his customers to fill from the hive at about £12 for a 340;

I think that is unbelievably enterprising.
Well done him