New Beekeeper - Flow Hive

[LeeBargh]

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

 

[enrico]

Look forward to the comments! A flow hive would not be most people's choice! Best of luck and welcome. Let us know how it goes
E

 

[LeeBargh]

Look forward to the comments! A flow hive would not be most people's choice! Best of luck and welcome. Let us know how it goes
E

So my local society have pointed out to me -)

I like the idea though, so don't care lol

 

[enrico]

Which is why I would love to know how it goes! Don't close your mind to other types of hives! Do you have oil seed rape crops within a couple of miles of you? If so a flow hive may be a disaster!
E

 

[For want of a better word]

Just put Langstroths waxed up frames in!
Put the flow frames in a cupboard... and forget about them until you have some beekeeping experience

Chons da

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just put Langstroths waxed up frames in!
Put the flow frames in a cupboard... and forget about them until you have some beekeeping experience

Chons da

Dave, that's not a bad idea.
Lee, I would consider doing just that till you get your eye in with the bees. The Flow bit is, after all, simply a super and you have to manage the bees just as in any other set up.
Your super won't be getting any use this year after all. You won't be putting it on till next year.
Google "Flow Hive Forum" which has a useful community, albeit from Australia and California, if you really insist on trying it.
And keep us all in the loop as most people who started with Flow hives here on the BKF seem to soon abandon them......Or maybe they just abandoned us here. It would be interesting to see how you go

 

[Erichalfbee]

Which is why I would love to know how it goes! Don't close your mind to other types of hives! Do you have oil seed rape crops within a couple of miles of you? If so a flow hive may be a disaster!
E

It isn't a problem. You don't put the Flow super on till the rape has gone

 

[Ian123]

It isn't a problem. You don't put the Flow super on till the rape has gone

Yes and by that time they have swarmed....lol

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes and by that time they have swarmed....lol

Do yours? Or do you misunderstand? You put a super/s on just not the Flow

 

[Ian123]

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.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ian. I agree with you.
I think they are an abomination, a sharp salesman’s dream, but some people have made a success of them. I suspect fewer than haven’t though.

 

[For want of a better word]

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.

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

 

[enrico]

But welcome leebargh from us all!!!!!!!!!

 

[LeeBargh]

Thanks,

I didn't plan on using the Flow Frames this year. I have the Flow Hive Classic and i'm going to buy a normal Langstroth Super with shallow Frames to let them build up this year and get them through the Winter...

 

[LeeBargh]

Does anyone know if this will fit a Flow Hive Classic Araucaria 6 Frame?

https://www.thorne.co.uk/index.php?...&filter_name=langstroth super&product_id=1609

 

[bingevader]

The Langstroth dimensions are on the website you posted:
Size (L x W x H): 411.00mm x 508.00mm x 141.00mm
Got this from t'interweb:
Flow Hive Classic Araucaria 6 17.5 kg / 38.6 lbs L 640 mm / 25.2 in W 480 mm / 18.9 in H 240 mm / 9.4 in
If those are the dimensions of your flow hive, I'd have said not.

 

[LeeBargh]

Yup..that's the 10 frame, I needed an 8 frame - sorted, thanks

 

[Ian123]

https://eu.honeyflow.com/products/flow-hive-classic-pine-6-frame it’s a joke and a bad 1 can’t see any info about addition boxes required. You get a 6 frame nuc box with a honey super. Any beek here go look at your big hives now, I’ve got some on 3 broods and a couple of supers full and they will require supers when the main flow starts. How much would that lot cost you in flow terms.

 

[Xtrema]

Welcome.
I hope your flow hive is a success.

 

[LeeBargh]

Welcome.
I hope your flow hive is a success.

Thank you