UPDATE: In January of 2023, at the Hive Life Conference down in Tennessee. The Honey Judges reported the largest submission of honey and bee-products they had seen in more than 10 years. The BLUE RIBBON in the Dark Honey Category went to... drum roll... a jar of Flow-Honey. The blue ribbon winner was Rollyn Abberle and all he has are flow-hives. The judges were not even on the fence about the winner. Flow-Honey was also a solid winner in Australia for preserving floral nectar traits and experts referred to the "mouth feel" of honey that has not been through traditional extraction processing. Think of all the surfaces and materials that honey processing exposes your honey to. It makes sense, doesn't it. Read more here: Cleaner aftertaste in honey from Flow-Hive: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture Vol 100 issue 55 19 Dec, 2019 Vol 100 Issue 5 p.2027-2034 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jsfa.10221
Hey Frederick. Just ordered a package and they arrive April 20th. I'm super stoke to get back into it all and with my new Flow Hive 2. I can't thank you enough for all the lessons and friendship. Very grateful.
This is one of the best videos I've seen on these Flow Hives. They look really good. I hope the company maintains the quality. I removed my question because I found your video #27 which answered it.
3rd year here with a Flow Hive. Harvesting honey now in June in Tennessee. I just got 3 1/2 quarts from just 1 flow frame. Much more than I expected and I had to run back to the house for more jars. I'll be better prepared for the next frame. Anyway I am super satisfied with the Flow Hive. I really enjoy all your videos and your videography is quite superb. Thank you for all your work as it truly helps the rest of us.
I'm not a bee keeper, but I like to watch an occasional bee keeping video. I've been wondering about these flow hives and how they work...and this video managed to answer every question I had about them. Thank you!
Super appreciate your flow hive videos (and all the others). I just ordered a 7 frame cedar 2+ this weekend to experiment with along side my Layens hives - looking forward to comparing, experimenting, and more. This is my first foray into anything langstroth!
I'm putting that new Flow-Hive 2 + out in the yard in the coming week when the weather breaks. I think you're going to really enjoy that! I do enjoy having lots of different options and examples of hives. I hope you like it!
Perfect! Just sat down with a coffee with some honey n beeswax in it.. delicious! Very interesting about the cap and the resonance test... Thanks.. that was my biggest curiosity question. Excellent info as always!
thank you mr dunn for another very enjoyable presentation! i need to get better situated for the 2020 year and thinking hard on the flowhives! you make it seem so easy and i know so many people who have problems with them thank you always
Great Video Sir! I love my FlowHive! First year having bees and I have one traditional 8 frame Langstroth hive and one Flowhive. It has been a blast watching both and with regular inspections seeing how both hives behave. And thanks to your link, I’ve recently added another Flow to my numbers! I won’t add that one til next spring, but getting ready now. LoL!!! Plan is to have four hives, 3 Flow and one traditional by next spring. Naysayers beware! LoL!!! This invention is the future of Beekeeping and the future is NOW! 🐝😎
Larry - are your Flow Hives as productive as Fred's? I have one Flow Hive that I put on this Spring on my most robust hive but the bees haven't taken to it at all. I'm amazed how Fred is getting multiple honey draws from his Flow Hives and mine is a complete bust. Just curious how yours is doing and any thoughts on why mine are not catching the bees interest.
Fred S - This is my first year as a new beekeeper. I researched Beekeeping for about 4 or five years after I retired from the Army and this year I took the plunge. I was told I wouldn’t get honey my first year and would need to build up the hive enough to get them through their first winter. Well this has been an incredible year for the honey bees in my area. Not only did they fill up their honey super before I added the Flow super, but they have filled a second honey super and the flow super! I have harvested twice and have two full boxes of honey for the bees for winter. They are also filling the Flow up again and I expect I’ll be harvesting a third batch in the next couple of weeks... My mind is blown with how much they have produced this year. And we haven’t had a summer dearth yet. They are still bringing in a lot of resources. I also primed my Flow frames with some comb and honey from the boxes below by smearing some into the center of each Flow frame on both sides. The girls moved up into the frames and cleaned the wax and honey and then started sealing and filling everything.
Dan Ski's Bees - Thank you Sir! It has been a fun first year. And Fredrick Dunn has been more of a mentor than folks in my local beekeepers association. I love this channel! LoL!!!
@@fortnus Hey Fred S... sorry to hear that the bees haven't taken to the Flow Hive yet. YET! Small comfort in knowing that once they start using the frames you'll be over the hump. One great resource for me (other than this channel) has been the Flow Hive Forum. I did the following: washed the frames (as you would taking any glass or plate or pot or utensil out of the box - gets rid of oils and dusts picked up during the manufacture process - and then I melted wax, of which some was burr comb, and brushed that across the face of the frames, and then for good measure I sprayed the frames with sugar water. I did push some burr comb into the combs - you can see Cedar Andersen (Flow Hive) doing this, but I'm in Ireland where it is cooler and this felt less than ideal (wax was rather hard). Then I waited... thought they were moving up and finishing the comb YAY! and then booooo! looks like they were simply taking the wax then YAAYYY!!!!!!! within another week they were up and busy and miracle of miracles I pulled honey off last week. Best of luck. It's a bit of a knuckle biter.
*Nice invention.* Makes the beekeeping as simple as possible. We can be happy about it. The original flow-hive is a grantee for the better plastic material, that is more healthy. There are also copy products, but one does not know how toxic their plastic is.
Bloody brilliant Fred!! Sadly this presentation will not stop the naysayers unfortunately. Unless you really like the older procedures to extract honey, the Flow Hive is the way to go for beginner bee keepers who would like to harvest honey. Pure, unprocessed honey untouched by human hands or machinery. Doesn't get any better than that (imho). Well done, well said 🇦🇺 🍺🍺 🐝🐝
When did I ever say it's a "set and forget" system? The sort of beekeepers who could ignore the interior of their hives would do that no matter what the honey removal process is. Likewise those who conduct thoughtful inspections will do those also no matter what honey removal practices they use.
@@FrederickDunn i am very sorry if you were offended by my comments . I dont think i suggested that you have said its a "set and forget system " - however by suggesting that u dont need smoke and gloves etc some ppl may get the wrong impression that they dont actually need to do hive inspections etc - i have deleted my comments and apologise for any offense that i made to you
@@Misssssysparkles NO problem at all MIssy, I've always enjoyed seeing your comments through the years. :) my "frustration" if any, is for what the flow-inventors find themselves up against and how hard it is to turn the tide of "first opinions". Not smoking the bees is a big advantage as it doesn't interrupt their foraging and in-hive routine. It is in my opinion, much better for the bees overall. When I pull whole supers off, or remove frames for uncapping and extracting, I have to make sure we don't have any photo clients coming over for that entire day as the guards go on patrol for hours after that hive invasion. With the Flow-Frames, we don't have to worry about any security responses on the part of the guard bees so it's a win for me and them. Some keepers smoke the hives so heavily that honey production is halted for hours and that's a critical event during a nectar flow. I'm not offended, I just thought that after all of my videos, the message would be eventually coming through that we care about the bees as much as traditionalists do :)
Hi Frederick @FrederickDunn ... great to see a Flow Hive-specific video. I'm 3.5 months in, having weathered a swarm, a few casts (I believe) and a supersedure... not to mention adapting the National (I'm in Ireland) nuc frames to the Langstroth. Just spent the week at Gormanston (week-long bee camp in Ireland) and brought jars of my first extraction. I've gotten great feedback on the honey-hard to identify some of the flavors... to me, it's clear that what people are tasting are MORE flavors due to less oxygenation. Short story is I'm on my way to the Dublin (and possibly) London Honey Shows. Why not, as long as it's fun? My question(s) relate to cleaning the frames for winter. Where I liveI needed to pull off the FH supers last week as I am near heather (thixotropic = gels and won't flow) and in their place I put on some medium supers, with thin foundation, for cut comb. I now know that I should have done is had the bees draw out the comb in the spring and set those frames aside (either pull them out as they are drawn or extract the honey and set the frames aside... but the whole point is to NOT be messing w/ extraction... so next year I will do it differently). What I am doing for now is putting the nearly empty FH frames, and one that is fairly loaded, above the medium box, with a crown board (and a smaller hole) between the medium and the, let's call them, wet supers. One person suggested putting a deep empty super in between... others said no... it would be a honey break, I suppose. It's now robbing season - the wasps are out and about - so I won't put the frames to the side of the hive for them to clean up, as I might at other times. You make mention of a feeding station ("I remove the entire box and set it at my feeding station for the bees to clean up" ) after driving the bees off with a fume board. Can you describe how your feeding station can be controlled against robbing? and then, I had to look up what a fume board was, and wonder if you've ever used an escape board... I had modified an eke last week so as to attach a (rhombus) bee escape to get the bees down prior to adding the medium super. Lots of questions and non-questions, so I'll take any comments you care to add. Or anyone else for that matter. Also, how long should I give the girls to remove honey from the supers I wish to store, before I pull them off. Someone said not to leave them on too long, but that's such a relative comment. In closing, thank you again for your ever-informative videos. I'd like to add something I just learnt: at this time of year (end of summer) the bees don't always cap their honey, as they may need it soon enough.If I had peeked at my frames prior to extracting, I wouldn't have drained my frames. I now have a refractometer which I'll use to determine which FH frames I wash and dry and vac pac, which I vac pac and freeze (not yet ripe) and which I decide to go ahead and extract (ripe)... and the good news is the honey I did pull off is around 18% (some less).
I had the same problem. Starting with a national with super deep frames. Didn't get any honey supers with it so after using it to start 5 other hives with langstroth frames I did neglect it thinking it was queen less. In early July finding brood in it and it being honey bound I removed 4 frames of honey and fitted a flow super with 8 frames. It is now out performing my flow hive 2.
I am open feeding now and bumblebees and wasps and ants and butterflies come. The honeybees get 99 percent of it. I would not worry too much about wasps. I am not open feeding because I took too much honey. I am open feeding because I want to help out my splits as much as possible as well as trying to draw out more comb during a dearth.
@@weasleoop Thanks... I just added an empty super BOX to give some space between the brood + medium super and the frames I want them to clean up or pull out of. I'm afraid that they are inclined to refill the lovely (FH) frames they have already completed. By the end of the week I should have everything pulled off and sorted... I certainly learned a lot this year. Not sure I'm up to letting the bees clean off and empty the frames in an uncontrolled fashion as the hive is already exhibiting defensive attitudes, which is highly unusual. Even as I work on the supers and then down through the brood I'll be aiming to cover each element as I go. And keep it quick. There is definitely a frenzy in the air. And likewise, I'm not feeding bc I took too much, but rather to find that balance... which may come in the form of frames frozen and ready for spring... all to be revealed when I get down in the brood box. I half expect it to be jammers.. go bees!!!
So here is an observation. I made some splits back in June. I gave them all equal resources. 3 frames of brood..2 honey and nurse bees. These were beeweaver bees. I then gave half the splits a beeweaver queen and the other half Saskatraz queens. Flash to today. The beeweaver colonies are still working on drawing out comb but the Saskatraz colonies have drawn out 8 frames fully and capped them during a dearth and minimal feeding. Also when I put out feed the Saskatraz colonies seem frenzied like they have to get to the feeder NOW NOW NOW. The other colonies seem to forage naturally. So to me it seems the Saskatraz are way more aggressive towards nectar but calmer to work. I go into the hives with no smoke and they are so calm. I saw some hive beetles in there so they do not seem to be as hygienic as the beeweavers but they get a positive rating from me so far. Combined with Fred's input the Saskatraz bees seem to be honey hogs and should produce more than Beeweavers. Now will thier overwintering ability be enough to offset the hygiene nature that is lessened time will tell. Better to have a less productive hive than a dead hive. But just them being so calm and bigger producers and love the cold they are a strong contender.
Great videos Fred. I keep two 5-frame hives (3 Flow Frames on each) in my backyard in a densely populated neighborhood. I wouldn't feel comfortable keeping honeybees without the Flow Frames. Getting into my hives to collect honey frames the traditional way would have thousands of bees flying all around and into my neighbors yard. I live in the desert southwest and have found my bees are less aggressive if I keep them in the smaller 5-frame hives versus the larger 8 or 10-frame. Now if I can only convince the folks at Flow Hive to produce one of their beautiful hive systems in 5-frame version (3 Flow Frames)... :)
Have you heard of anyone who has configured a flow hive so that it is more like an observation hive. This would allow non beekeepers to use it like a soda fountain. Thoughts? BTW - I appreciate your integrity and professionalism. I also am expanding my pollinator habitat and closely follow your thoughts.
Great video as always. Noticed today one of my flow supers has wax cappings at the extract point. But still don't think I can get honey this year. But next year is going to be a good year lol
Mr Dunn hello. I just yesterday purchased a flow hive classic from a lady here in PA that has never been used. I just watched your video and was curious about the landing board roof deal you have attached to your hive. Is it homemade? How is it done? Do you have a video about it? I’m totally new so I’m just now starting videos. Thank you
Thank you Sir for the video. I have just purchased a Flow Hive 2 and haven’t put it together yet. Am anxious to get started after watching your video. Very informative. I would like to know where to purchase the elbow and tops for the jars . Thank you. Looking forward to watching your other videos.
Hi Mr Dunn, Our honey flow is just about over but my bees are just now really working the frames so when I pull the flow off for winter how do you get the bees out of the flow frames? Do I just pull frames out of the wood box and let the bees clean up the honey? Appreciate all your help your my video mentor lol!
Hi Abbey, I use fume boards to get the bees out of the frames after the final draw off. Then I remove the entire box and set it at my feeding station for the bees to clean up during the coming dearth. Then just store them through winter and start over in spring.
I've had my flow hive for 2 years and not a single drop of honey. I've used everything I can think of. I grew so many bees they flew away rather than go into the supper I painting the frame with wax, enticed them with food on top of the frames, remove the queen excluder and shook bees off wood frames on top of the flow hives. I would have never got into bees if it were not for Flo Hive's advertising. Help! You appear to have the answer; could you please share it with me? The concept fits my needs and I'd like it to work next year. Thank you for your great work. I'm sure the whole bee community share my opinion
I'll try to give some tips here, but you haven't described how you're configuring your flow hive. If we're talking about the full size 7-Frame Flow Super, remember that's a huge super when thinking about bees and the cavities they occupy. I'll just give a simple rundown... as with any oversized super, the colony needs to be heavily populated first. This is why Flow-Supers don't go on all of my hives, just those that are overachieving. Once your brood box is nearly full as in 8 of 10 frames, I put the medium super on and they fill that will a combination of brood, honey, and pollen. I don't do anything at all to prepare my flow-frames but you can spritz them with a heavy sugar syrup so the bees go into the cells to work them. #1 Reason that I've found bees not working flow-frames, or flow-supers (not saying you've missed this) but they forget to cycle all of the frames completely and return them to the closed position. If they are even partially out of alignment the bees simply don't use the cells. If the bees aren't even occupying the upper frames, check in on the venting situation. If you have upper venting, this also slows progress up in the flow-super. No venting, just what's available at the entrance, and the control vent on the back. Keep the tray clean and empty down in the bottom. During the brood build up in spring you can boost them with pollen patties such as those available from Hive Alive, or Global Patties. The flow-super is not a normal sized super, it's a deep with larger than normal frames. I have 32 colonies at the moment and only 5 of them have flow-supers on. The rest have normal medium supers on. My most productive flow hive has two deeps, and then the Flow-Super. Abundant nectar flows are necessary for your bees to build up while the growing season lasts. This time of year is my strongest flow and hive population combination that fills these supers. Spring time doesn't provide enough to really fill a flow super. Last, maybe a hybrid super would be better. That's a mix of Flow-Frames centered, with standard deeps on either side. Insulation in the cover also helps. If all of that doesn't work out, I'm out of suggestions I'm sorry to say.
Thanks Kathleen.... I'm used to seeing crossed arms and stern expressions when I'm invited to give a flow-hive presentation. Par for the course these days, many beekeepers just don't want change and they really don't want their doubts to be remedied through meaningful conversation. (';') Good news... lots of hive design choices and uncapping and spinning is still the primary honey harvesting method.
@@FrederickDunn yeah...I totally get it. I have left more than one Bee Group because they were mean & doubted my Commitment to my Bees due to my hive choice. Saying it makes for lazy Beekeeping. Luckily I have found a Women's Bee Group and even a Women's Flow Hive Group. and You and Kamon Reynolds & Daz n Mandi, whom you know so I am getting the Learning & advice I think I need. and I hope to get honey both ways... from the Flow Frames and I also want to add a shallow just for honey & comb. but Right now all I am trying to do is make them Happy & keep them Healthy. I just nipped a robbing sitch in the bud with help from Daz & a screened entrance reducer my husband made & simulated Rain. I think it worked. The colony seems to be calm again. *fingers crossed* & Eyes & ears open... Thanks for your knowledge & calm way with your Bees. and as Daz says...Happy Beekeeping
So, I live in the City, and am looking at getting a small hive (after I check with my City to see what the Ordinances are that is), and I feel like the Flow Hive is the way for me to go. With that being said, I live in Michigan where we have pretty harsh Winters sometimes. Looks like some of the research I have been doing says that I would need a setup like yours, with the Flow Super on top, and Honey Super in the middle that would be left for the Bees to eat during the colder months, and the lower brood box... my question is (along with getting your opinion on the setup I mentioned above), how often do you actually have to crack the hive open and do "maintenance" on the rest of the Hive? And, would it be possible to do 2 Flow Supers, harvesting both during the warmer months, and as Fall/Winter approaches, leave the middle Super alone for the Bees to get through the Cold Months?
Hi Chris, I'm sorry that I'm only seeing this comment now. Two Flow-Supers is likely too much for most colonies to support. Particularly since you're in Michigan. You can harvest as they cap the frames, and keep them with plenty of new storage space. So, the configuration using the deep brood box, then a medium super that's full of honey is a good start. If that medium super is partially brood, then two medium boxes can be used and then place the flow-super on that when there is an established honey bridge. No upper entrance, no upper venting. I also highly recommend that you put an insulated inner cover on, such as the one by BeeSmart Designs. It makes a big difference in colder climates and benefits the bees in summer as well.
The inspection intervals remain the same. I highly recommend that you inspect prior to the nectar flow, and during any dearth periods. A final inspection in September after you've removed the flow-super is also a great time.
You can stack them, as to how long they last, unknown... I'm starting to swap out the frames at 5 years until I find a very good method to clean and refresh them.
How do you handle your flow frame box(s) at the end of your last flow? I assume they are removed from the hive as with traditional supers. Do you let the bees clean them at a remote location before storage?
That is exactly what we're doing this week. All flow-supers are being removed and will be put out at the end of this nectar flow to help offset the dearth that is coming in a few weeks. The feeding station is 100 feet to the west of the apiary. After that final cleanup by the bees, they go to storage.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you for the reply. That was SOP when I kept bees, before I foolishly damaged my back. This may be an option as a hobbyist since I would not be lifting full deep supers.
I would like to know when you put your saskatraz package in your hive what month? And where did you purchase them they really built up fast for a package
The bees do a great job of cleaning them up, but I do put the frames in the open position and then soak them in a 10% bleach solution so all the crevices get santized as needed.
Hi, I was wondering if you remove the caps after harvesting? If not, do the bees know that the honey is gone- or do they have a hard realisation when winter comes?
Fred- when we pull the flow honey super for the winter how have you cleared the bees out before you store? Just smoke? I am also assuming any remaining honey in the flow frames can stay in the frames over the winter in storage.
@@cpreston1134 You didn't miss it... I did an afternoon of filming - then I had clients show up, grabbed the same cameras and formatted my hard work away. I have to redo the topic and it was a lesson learned about having too many irons in the fire. I use a fume board sprayed with HOney-B-Gone.... blythewoodbeecompany.com/product/fume-board-8-10-frame-boxes/
Is it true that some people who are very much against Flow-hives, who keep bees the old-fashioned way, have taken to deliberately smashing the hives of people who use flow-hives out of spite and / or anger that people are moving away from the traditional hive-keeping?
In the upper frames, the bees fill the cells from the top down and center out, so when you see the edges capped you're pretty sure. They also fill the outter most frames last and that's why the side window(s) are helpful as you can see their capping progress as well. In lower honey supers (directly above the brood box) the bees are often using the honey directly above the brood and will empty some of those cells during periods of rain or cold and the center cells may then actually be uncapped or filled with fresh unripe nectar. This is why I establish a "honey-bridge" before adding my Flow-Supers. The lower super is also left for wintering.
Hi Judd, sorry for any confustion there... when I start on a single frame, I condinue until that frame is completed. I open the cells in increments so the drain tube isn't completely full which results is surplus honey running down the face of the frame at times, so by opening 1/3 or 1/2 at a time, then opening the remainder when the flow gets lower, you have less waste and it all goes through the tube. In theory, you "could" just drain off the first half of a single frame and leave the rest, but you may forget which frames you worked fully and which are only half drained. So if you did just open the first half, the remaing back half would remain in tact and the honey would be undisturbed for the unactivated section.
No questions are silly at all. The honey pulls away from the capping, and the surface feels different to the bees, they pierce a cap and when no honey is below it, they clean it out and begin again. It happens very quickly, as they are often uncapping cells while the honey is draining.
@@danskisbees7348 The bees are great. The splits I made from beeweaver stock are headed by Saskatraz Queens now. They are fast builders and rival the numbers of older hives.
@@danskisbees7348 Making my first batch of mead this weekend. If you would have asked me 6 years ago if I would have been a beekeeper or mead maker I would have laughed at you. Yet here I am lol.
@@weasleoop Lol, me too! I lost 2 of the hives I was going to harvest from, so I'll have to wait until next year. I treated my other hives with OA while the supers were on.
Each frame yeilds 1/2 gallon of honey, where I reside you can expect 3 cycles of honey harvesting while still leaving 50-100 lbs in the lower boxes for the bees to winter with.
Frederick Dunn micro plastics are from age, the chemicals come out sooner. That’s why I think side by side testing honey results from a wax frame and a flow frame would be nice to see. All plasticizing chemicals should be tested for.
Dixotube - Actually, the honey tastes more like comb honey because it flows straight from the hive and is not spun and aerated like traditional honey harvesting methods. The really cool part is each frame can taste different because the bees are bringing in specific nectars to each frame giving incredible specific unique tastes out of each frame when you harvest. The plastic frames do nothing to the purity of the honey because the bees coat the seams and edges in their wax.
@@LarryLeesBees So, you're saying that the bees will line each plastic cell in the flow hive with their own wax so that the honey doesn't have direct contact with the plastic when it's sitting in each cell until it's harvested? (Sort of like lining a muffin tin with a paper cup?) If so, then that would mean the honey would be in actual contact with the plastic for a very short time, just long enough for it to flow down between the cells and through the inserted tube in the back of the hive. Is my assumption correct?
SpiritBear12 - My observations so far would validate your statement Sir. The bees coat everything in wax and propolize the seams. So when cracking the flow super at harvest it took about 15 minutes or so to fill a half gallon glass jar, a 10oz glass jar and an 8oz glass jar from just the one frame. No spinning and aeration of the honey, just hive to jar, 15 minutes, one frame. I’ve harvested twice this season and gotten just over 6 gallons of honey. Probably closer to 7. I will probably get one more harvest before pulling the flow super off.
Bring the 2 key up to company mayb u can suggest different design on key if u get it thru don't forget my suggestion dibs on anything on giveaway or double testing products 👍🏽👊🏽🙏🏽🤞🏽😊 nice vid
They haven't done that "yet"... but it's certainly possible and in my opinion wouldn't hurt the honey at all if they did. It would just make operation a little stiff.
Sometimes you do have to smoke the bees and it does interrupt their production for a period of time. Over-smoking the bees can result in the honey production stopping for several hours. But it's not technically harmful to the bees. :)
H Noel, I've demonstrated the refractometer evaluation in several other FlowHive Videos if you'd like to take a look. This question about flowhives persists while it's no different than the traditional method of seeing the frames capped and proceeding with a draw off or extraction. I've never drawn off flow honey that was above acceptable limits.
James Rhymer - You can add another traditional honey super with frames above or below the Flow super. I’ve seen it done both ways and it doesn’t seem to make a difference. And when you harvest the Flow, it opens all those cells back up to be refilled.
@@LarryLeesBees My point is it needs to be a flow super. Adding a regular super, whether above or below the flow super, means I have to harvest my honey manually. Flow supers should be on the market for expanding flow hives and they're not. What's the use of having a flow super if you have to add regular supers? It makes no sense. They only sell frames for the flow super without the exterior box.
@@FrederickDunn You're missing the point. If I have a flow hive and need to add a super, it should be a flow super so I can harvest using the flow method. Adding a regular super defeats the purpose.
@@precepts8893 HI James, I thought I said you can add another flow super, that would be two flow (mechanized) supers on the same hive - the configuration here would be the brood box - then a medium for winter stores, then the Flow-Super and another Flow-Super on that one. I'm sorry I didn't come across clear enough unless I'm still not understanding your question - ?
@@FrederickDunn I get that and understand what you are saying, this is on a micro level and won't stop it. This need to be on a macro level and being pushed by world governments. You as a person doing experiments with bees I thought you would have done a breakdown because I love your honesty on how good or bad a product is and how much faults it had that's why I asked. I'm still working my way through all your videos sir, so thanks for answering yet again.
I bought a Flow Hive last year and installed it first thing this spring on my most robust hive. Now it is August and the bees haven't hardly touched it. The first honey super is full using regular medium frames as you suggest but they haven't taken to the Flow Hive. My other three hives using regular frames are doing well filling the frames. Any thoughts on why my Flow Hive is a dud? I live in Dayton Ohio.
Fred (or maybe another UA-camr I've watched) mentioned before that he gave his bees a choice and the majority of the bees used the old hive frames, avoiding the new flow hive frames. They only used the new frames when they had no other choice. The bees warmed up to the new frames over time though.
Fred S - I took some of the comb honey from the traditional honey super and smeared it in the center of each side of each frame and the bees came up cleaned it all up and started sealing the cells and then filling them. I know some folks don’t “cheat” but it worked fantastically for my hive this year. I have harvested twice so far getting about 6 gallons of honey, with more on the way. I live just outside of Spokane, WA and we have pretty cold winters too.
When the hive populations are high and resources are coming in, they will eventually build comb and put honey anywhere they can, it's possible the the hive with the flow-super on doesn't have adequate numbers? For example, people have had the bees fill cut comb containers (all plastic) for many decades and it happens when they have filled all of the lower frames. When I first started off, I had one hive not use them while another did, then when I put the used flow frames back onto the "non using" hive, they went right to work. Our bees are different and there isn't always an obvious way to get them to do what you may want them to.
@@AmulekkofWOW90 Good suggestion. I'll remove the other super so they don't have another option but to use it. I also liked Larry Lee's suggestion which I'll also try out. Thanks!
Smoking bees is easy -- the hard part is rolling them. I have the original and it's still working is meaningless to me. I would prefer to know how many months or years they last.
We don't know how many years they last, being that we haven't worn any out yet. I've had mine for 7 years and with the flow-frames specifically there are no measurable signs of wear.
I'm proud to be a honey bee hobbiest though I don't consider the flow-hive or flow-supers to be "toys"? They are extremely well designed tools for honey removal. Sounds like your mind was set before watching.
Daisy's Honey - When you consider the cost of additional equipment like an extractor or paying someone to extract. Then having to filter and having the space to do all of the honey processing, the initial investment of the Flow system is kind of a no brainer. The FlowHive is the capper, extractor, filter and bottler all rolled up into a nice clean unit. Maybe not ideal for a commercial operation (although I understand the Flow folks have this option as well) but for the backyard bee enthusiast, it is a game changer.
@@thehiveandthehoneybee9547, My Friend, the Flow Hive is a toy if you are not serious about making honey for family and friends. If you have lots of time and money buy Flow Hives. I run over a hundred hives as a hobby. I don't have the money for too many toys.
@@LarryLeesBees try crush and strain. Your Bee club should have an extractor to use if needed. For a cost of a flow hive I can buy an extractor. I mean if you want a flow hive to enjoy, than go for it.
UPDATE: In January of 2023, at the Hive Life Conference down in Tennessee. The Honey Judges reported the largest submission of honey and bee-products they had seen in more than 10 years. The BLUE RIBBON in the Dark Honey Category went to... drum roll... a jar of Flow-Honey. The blue ribbon winner was Rollyn Abberle and all he has are flow-hives. The judges were not even on the fence about the winner. Flow-Honey was also a solid winner in Australia for preserving floral nectar traits and experts referred to the "mouth feel" of honey that has not been through traditional extraction processing. Think of all the surfaces and materials that honey processing exposes your honey to. It makes sense, doesn't it. Read more here: Cleaner aftertaste in honey from Flow-Hive: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture Vol 100 issue 55 19 Dec, 2019 Vol 100 Issue 5 p.2027-2034
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jsfa.10221
Hey Frederick. Just ordered a package and they arrive April 20th. I'm super stoke to get back into it all and with my new Flow Hive 2. I can't thank you enough for all the lessons and friendship. Very grateful.
You're welcome Brad, and I hope you have a fantastic beekeeping year! Thanks for the nice compliment!
This is one of the best videos I've seen on these Flow Hives. They look really good. I hope the company maintains the quality.
I removed my question because I found your video #27 which answered it.
3rd year here with a Flow Hive. Harvesting honey now in June in Tennessee. I just got 3 1/2 quarts from just 1 flow frame. Much more than I expected and I had to run back to the house for more jars. I'll be better prepared for the next frame. Anyway I am super satisfied with the Flow Hive. I really enjoy all your videos and your videography is quite superb. Thank you for all your work as it truly helps the rest of us.
Hi Rick, wow, that just may be a flow-frame record! It's great to receive a positive flow-comment. I'm glad it's working as designed for you.
I'm not a bee keeper, but I like to watch an occasional bee keeping video. I've been wondering about these flow hives and how they work...and this video managed to answer every question I had about them. Thank you!
That's great! Thanks for taking the time to post and let me know :)
Super appreciate your flow hive videos (and all the others). I just ordered a 7 frame cedar 2+ this weekend to experiment with along side my Layens hives - looking forward to comparing, experimenting, and more. This is my first foray into anything langstroth!
I'm putting that new Flow-Hive 2 + out in the yard in the coming week when the weather breaks. I think you're going to really enjoy that! I do enjoy having lots of different options and examples of hives. I hope you like it!
Perfect! Just sat down with a coffee with some honey n beeswax in it.. delicious! Very interesting about the cap and the resonance test... Thanks.. that was my biggest curiosity question. Excellent info as always!
thank you mr dunn for another very enjoyable presentation! i need to get better situated for the 2020 year and thinking hard on the flowhives! you make it seem so easy and i know so many people who have problems with them thank you always
Great Video Sir! I love my FlowHive! First year having bees and I have one traditional 8 frame Langstroth hive and one Flowhive. It has been a blast watching both and with regular inspections seeing how both hives behave. And thanks to your link, I’ve recently added another Flow to my numbers! I won’t add that one til next spring, but getting ready now. LoL!!! Plan is to have four hives, 3 Flow and one traditional by next spring. Naysayers beware! LoL!!! This invention is the future of Beekeeping and the future is NOW! 🐝😎
Larry - are your Flow Hives as productive as Fred's? I have one Flow Hive that I put on this Spring on my most robust hive but the bees haven't taken to it at all. I'm amazed how Fred is getting multiple honey draws from his Flow Hives and mine is a complete bust. Just curious how yours is doing and any thoughts on why mine are not catching the bees interest.
Fred S - This is my first year as a new beekeeper. I researched Beekeeping for about 4 or five years after I retired from the Army and this year I took the plunge. I was told I wouldn’t get honey my first year and would need to build up the hive enough to get them through their first winter.
Well this has been an incredible year for the honey bees in my area. Not only did they fill up their honey super before I added the Flow super, but they have filled a second honey super and the flow super! I have harvested twice and have two full boxes of honey for the bees for winter. They are also filling the Flow up again and I expect I’ll be harvesting a third batch in the next couple of weeks... My mind is blown with how much they have produced this year. And we haven’t had a summer dearth yet. They are still bringing in a lot of resources.
I also primed my Flow frames with some comb and honey from the boxes below by smearing some into the center of each Flow frame on both sides. The girls moved up into the frames and cleaned the wax and honey and then started sealing and filling everything.
Wow Larry, that's awesome!
Dan Ski's Bees - Thank you Sir! It has been a fun first year. And Fredrick Dunn has been more of a mentor than folks in my local beekeepers association. I love this channel! LoL!!!
@@fortnus Hey Fred S... sorry to hear that the bees haven't taken to the Flow Hive yet. YET! Small comfort in knowing that once they start using the frames you'll be over the hump. One great resource for me (other than this channel) has been the Flow Hive Forum. I did the following: washed the frames (as you would taking any glass or plate or pot or utensil out of the box - gets rid of oils and dusts picked up during the manufacture process - and then I melted wax, of which some was burr comb, and brushed that across the face of the frames, and then for good measure I sprayed the frames with sugar water. I did push some burr comb into the combs - you can see Cedar Andersen (Flow Hive) doing this, but I'm in Ireland where it is cooler and this felt less than ideal (wax was rather hard). Then I waited... thought they were moving up and finishing the comb YAY! and then booooo! looks like they were simply taking the wax then YAAYYY!!!!!!! within another week they were up and busy and miracle of miracles I pulled honey off last week. Best of luck. It's a bit of a knuckle biter.
*Nice invention.* Makes the beekeeping as simple as possible. We can be happy about it.
The original flow-hive is a grantee for the better plastic material, that is more healthy.
There are also copy products, but one does not know how toxic their plastic is.
Fred, that is so easy! No mess to clean up.
My wife loves that aspect :)
im with you dan less mess is best!
Bloody brilliant Fred!!
Sadly this presentation will not stop the naysayers unfortunately.
Unless you really like the older procedures to extract honey, the Flow Hive is the way to go for beginner bee keepers who would like to harvest honey. Pure, unprocessed honey untouched by human hands or machinery. Doesn't get any better than that (imho).
Well done, well said
🇦🇺 🍺🍺 🐝🐝
When did I ever say it's a "set and forget" system? The sort of beekeepers who could ignore the interior of their hives would do that no matter what the honey removal process is. Likewise those who conduct thoughtful inspections will do those also no matter what honey removal practices they use.
@@FrederickDunn i am very sorry if you were offended by my comments . I dont think i suggested that you have said its a "set and forget system " - however by suggesting that u dont need smoke and gloves etc some ppl may get the wrong impression that they dont actually need to do hive inspections etc - i have deleted my comments and apologise for any offense that i made to you
@@Misssssysparkles NO problem at all MIssy, I've always enjoyed seeing your comments through the years. :) my "frustration" if any, is for what the flow-inventors find themselves up against and how hard it is to turn the tide of "first opinions". Not smoking the bees is a big advantage as it doesn't interrupt their foraging and in-hive routine. It is in my opinion, much better for the bees overall. When I pull whole supers off, or remove frames for uncapping and extracting, I have to make sure we don't have any photo clients coming over for that entire day as the guards go on patrol for hours after that hive invasion. With the Flow-Frames, we don't have to worry about any security responses on the part of the guard bees so it's a win for me and them. Some keepers smoke the hives so heavily that honey production is halted for hours and that's a critical event during a nectar flow. I'm not offended, I just thought that after all of my videos, the message would be eventually coming through that we care about the bees as much as traditionalists do :)
@@FrederickDunn Set & forget? Have I missed something?
@@PilotMcbride No, I was responding to another comment. :)
Hi Frederick @FrederickDunn ... great to see a Flow Hive-specific video. I'm 3.5 months in, having weathered a swarm, a few casts (I believe) and a supersedure... not to mention adapting the National (I'm in Ireland) nuc frames to the Langstroth. Just spent the week at Gormanston (week-long bee camp in Ireland) and brought jars of my first extraction. I've gotten great feedback on the honey-hard to identify some of the flavors... to me, it's clear that what people are tasting are MORE flavors due to less oxygenation. Short story is I'm on my way to the Dublin (and possibly) London Honey Shows. Why not, as long as it's fun?
My question(s) relate to cleaning the frames for winter. Where I liveI needed to pull off the FH supers last week as I am near heather (thixotropic = gels and won't flow) and in their place I put on some medium supers, with thin foundation, for cut comb. I now know that I should have done is had the bees draw out the comb in the spring and set those frames aside (either pull them out as they are drawn or extract the honey and set the frames aside... but the whole point is to NOT be messing w/ extraction... so next year I will do it differently). What I am doing for now is putting the nearly empty FH frames, and one that is fairly loaded, above the medium box, with a crown board (and a smaller hole) between the medium and the, let's call them, wet supers. One person suggested putting a deep empty super in between... others said no... it would be a honey break, I suppose.
It's now robbing season - the wasps are out and about - so I won't put the frames to the side of the hive for them to clean up, as I might at other times. You make mention of a feeding station ("I remove the entire box and set it at my feeding station for the bees to clean up" ) after driving the bees off with a fume board. Can you describe how your feeding station can be controlled against robbing? and then, I had to look up what a fume board was, and wonder if you've ever used an escape board... I had modified an eke last week so as to attach a (rhombus) bee escape to get the bees down prior to adding the medium super. Lots of questions and non-questions, so I'll take any comments you care to add. Or anyone else for that matter. Also, how long should I give the girls to remove honey from the supers I wish to store, before I pull them off. Someone said not to leave them on too long, but that's such a relative comment.
In closing, thank you again for your ever-informative videos. I'd like to add something I just learnt: at this time of year (end of summer) the bees don't always cap their honey, as they may need it soon enough.If I had peeked at my frames prior to extracting, I wouldn't have drained my frames. I now have a refractometer which I'll use to determine which FH frames I wash and dry and vac pac, which I vac pac and freeze (not yet ripe) and which I decide to go ahead and extract (ripe)... and the good news is the honey I did pull off is around 18% (some less).
I had the same problem. Starting with a national with super deep frames. Didn't get any honey supers with it so after using it to start 5 other hives with langstroth frames I did neglect it thinking it was queen less. In early July finding brood in it and it being honey bound I removed 4 frames of honey and fitted a flow super with 8 frames. It is now out performing my flow hive 2.
I am open feeding now and bumblebees and wasps and ants and butterflies come. The honeybees get 99 percent of it. I would not worry too much about wasps.
I am not open feeding because I took too much honey. I am open feeding because I want to help out my splits as much as possible as well as trying to draw out more comb during a dearth.
@@weasleoop Thanks... I just added an empty super BOX to give some space between the brood + medium super and the frames I want them to clean up or pull out of. I'm afraid that they are inclined to refill the lovely (FH) frames they have already completed. By the end of the week I should have everything pulled off and sorted... I certainly learned a lot this year. Not sure I'm up to letting the bees clean off and empty the frames in an uncontrolled fashion as the hive is already exhibiting defensive attitudes, which is highly unusual. Even as I work on the supers and then down through the brood I'll be aiming to cover each element as I go. And keep it quick. There is definitely a frenzy in the air. And likewise, I'm not feeding bc I took too much, but rather to find that balance... which may come in the form of frames frozen and ready for spring... all to be revealed when I get down in the brood box. I half expect it to be jammers.. go bees!!!
Fantastic Fred...gr8 endorsement. Very strong nectar flow. Liked the ending... kinda like a horrors movie... “The Swarm”...🤭😃🤣😉🍺🍺🍻
So here is an observation. I made some splits back in June. I gave them all equal resources. 3 frames of brood..2 honey and nurse bees.
These were beeweaver bees. I then gave half the splits a beeweaver queen and the other half Saskatraz queens.
Flash to today. The beeweaver colonies are still working on drawing out comb but the Saskatraz colonies have drawn out 8 frames fully and capped them during a dearth and minimal feeding.
Also when I put out feed the Saskatraz colonies seem frenzied like they have to get to the feeder NOW NOW NOW.
The other colonies seem to forage naturally. So to me it seems the Saskatraz are way more aggressive towards nectar but calmer to work.
I go into the hives with no smoke and they are so calm.
I saw some hive beetles in there so they do not seem to be as hygienic as the beeweavers but they get a positive rating from me so far.
Combined with Fred's input the Saskatraz bees seem to be honey hogs and should produce more than Beeweavers. Now will thier overwintering ability be enough to offset the hygiene nature that is lessened time will tell.
Better to have a less productive hive than a dead hive.
But just them being so calm and bigger producers and love the cold they are a strong contender.
Great videos Fred. I keep two 5-frame hives (3 Flow Frames on each) in my backyard in a densely populated neighborhood. I wouldn't feel comfortable keeping honeybees without the Flow Frames. Getting into my hives to collect honey frames the traditional way would have thousands of bees flying all around and into my neighbors yard. I live in the desert southwest and have found my bees are less aggressive if I keep them in the smaller 5-frame hives versus the larger 8 or 10-frame. Now if I can only convince the folks at Flow Hive to produce one of their beautiful hive systems in 5-frame version (3 Flow Frames)... :)
Another fabulous video. Many thanks!
Great video; you answered many questions. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Also, thanks for all the links!
I want to support the channel so I watch the entire ads before each video starts. This video had a 5 minute 15 second ad ... lol.
That's dedication Shawn, I hope it was at least entertaining!
We need another harvest soon !!! ❤️
Great content! Never seen honey so transparent.
Guess these hives are good for people with a lot of free time!
Definitely, backyard beekeeping shouldn't be rushed :)
I love your flow hive videos!!
Thank you Fred
Have you heard of anyone who has configured a flow hive so that it is more like an observation hive. This would allow non beekeepers to use it like a soda fountain. Thoughts?
BTW - I appreciate your integrity and professionalism. I also am expanding my pollinator habitat and closely follow your thoughts.
That would be interesting, but none of my Observation Hives are for harvesting resources. That doesn't mean that it can't be done.
Great video as always. Noticed today one of my flow supers has wax cappings at the extract point. But still don't think I can get honey this year. But next year is going to be a good year lol
Mr Dunn hello. I just yesterday purchased a flow hive classic from a lady here in PA that has never been used. I just watched your video and was curious about the landing board roof deal you have attached to your hive. Is it homemade? How is it done? Do you have a video about it? I’m totally new so I’m just now starting videos. Thank you
Hi Matt, I think you'll find all the information you're searching for right here: www.fredsfinefowl.com/theflowhiveexperience.html
Well done !!
Thank you Sir for the video. I have just purchased a Flow Hive 2 and haven’t put it together yet. Am anxious to get started after watching your video. Very informative. I would like to know where to purchase the elbow and tops for the jars . Thank you. Looking forward to watching your other videos.
The tops are ReCap Mason jar lids... the elbows you'll have to search for on google 3/4 inch clear food grade elbows. Thanks Tom!
Hi Mr Dunn, Our honey flow is just about over but my bees are just now really working the frames so when I pull the flow off for winter how do you get the bees out of the flow frames? Do I just pull frames out of the wood box and let the bees clean up the honey? Appreciate all your help your my video mentor lol!
Hi Abbey, I use fume boards to get the bees out of the frames after the final draw off. Then I remove the entire box and set it at my feeding station for the bees to clean up during the coming dearth. Then just store them through winter and start over in spring.
@@FrederickDunn Mr. Dunn do you use a spray along with your fume board too? If so what kind? Thanks Lora
@@loralogudice2557 Yes, this year I'm using Honey B Gone... here is a link blythewoodbeecompany.com/product/honey-b-gone-honeybee-repellant/
I've had my flow hive for 2 years and not a single drop of honey. I've used everything I can think of. I grew so many bees they flew away rather than go into the supper I painting the frame with wax, enticed them with food on top of the frames, remove the queen excluder and shook bees off wood frames on top of the flow hives. I would have never got into bees if it were not for Flo Hive's advertising. Help!
You appear to have the answer; could you please share it with me? The concept fits my needs and I'd like it to work next year. Thank you for your great work. I'm sure the whole bee community share my opinion
I'll try to give some tips here, but you haven't described how you're configuring your flow hive. If we're talking about the full size 7-Frame Flow Super, remember that's a huge super when thinking about bees and the cavities they occupy. I'll just give a simple rundown... as with any oversized super, the colony needs to be heavily populated first. This is why Flow-Supers don't go on all of my hives, just those that are overachieving. Once your brood box is nearly full as in 8 of 10 frames, I put the medium super on and they fill that will a combination of brood, honey, and pollen. I don't do anything at all to prepare my flow-frames but you can spritz them with a heavy sugar syrup so the bees go into the cells to work them. #1 Reason that I've found bees not working flow-frames, or flow-supers (not saying you've missed this) but they forget to cycle all of the frames completely and return them to the closed position. If they are even partially out of alignment the bees simply don't use the cells. If the bees aren't even occupying the upper frames, check in on the venting situation. If you have upper venting, this also slows progress up in the flow-super. No venting, just what's available at the entrance, and the control vent on the back. Keep the tray clean and empty down in the bottom. During the brood build up in spring you can boost them with pollen patties such as those available from Hive Alive, or Global Patties. The flow-super is not a normal sized super, it's a deep with larger than normal frames. I have 32 colonies at the moment and only 5 of them have flow-supers on. The rest have normal medium supers on. My most productive flow hive has two deeps, and then the Flow-Super. Abundant nectar flows are necessary for your bees to build up while the growing season lasts. This time of year is my strongest flow and hive population combination that fills these supers. Spring time doesn't provide enough to really fill a flow super. Last, maybe a hybrid super would be better. That's a mix of Flow-Frames centered, with standard deeps on either side. Insulation in the cover also helps. If all of that doesn't work out, I'm out of suggestions I'm sorry to say.
Awesome Video. Thnx Mr. Dunn. I always tell poo pooers of the Flow Hive to look up your vids on the subject. Mind Changer.
Thanks Kathleen.... I'm used to seeing crossed arms and stern expressions when I'm invited to give a flow-hive presentation. Par for the course these days, many beekeepers just don't want change and they really don't want their doubts to be remedied through meaningful conversation. (';') Good news... lots of hive design choices and uncapping and spinning is still the primary honey harvesting method.
@@FrederickDunn yeah...I totally get it. I have left more than one Bee Group because they were mean & doubted my Commitment to my Bees due to my hive choice. Saying it makes for lazy Beekeeping. Luckily I have found a Women's Bee Group and even a Women's Flow Hive Group. and You and Kamon Reynolds & Daz n Mandi, whom you know so I am getting the Learning & advice I think I need. and I hope to get honey both ways... from the Flow Frames and I also want to add a shallow just for honey & comb. but Right now all I am trying to do is make them Happy & keep them Healthy. I just nipped a robbing sitch in the bud with help from Daz & a screened entrance reducer my husband made & simulated Rain. I think it worked. The colony seems to be calm again. *fingers crossed* & Eyes & ears open... Thanks for your knowledge & calm way with your Bees. and as Daz says...Happy Beekeeping
no way we are 30 already oh time really fly
So, I live in the City, and am looking at getting a small hive (after I check with my City to see what the Ordinances are that is), and I feel like the Flow Hive is the way for me to go. With that being said, I live in Michigan where we have pretty harsh Winters sometimes. Looks like some of the research I have been doing says that I would need a setup like yours, with the Flow Super on top, and Honey Super in the middle that would be left for the Bees to eat during the colder months, and the lower brood box... my question is (along with getting your opinion on the setup I mentioned above), how often do you actually have to crack the hive open and do "maintenance" on the rest of the Hive? And, would it be possible to do 2 Flow Supers, harvesting both during the warmer months, and as Fall/Winter approaches, leave the middle Super alone for the Bees to get through the Cold Months?
Hi Chris, I'm sorry that I'm only seeing this comment now. Two Flow-Supers is likely too much for most colonies to support. Particularly since you're in Michigan. You can harvest as they cap the frames, and keep them with plenty of new storage space. So, the configuration using the deep brood box, then a medium super that's full of honey is a good start. If that medium super is partially brood, then two medium boxes can be used and then place the flow-super on that when there is an established honey bridge. No upper entrance, no upper venting. I also highly recommend that you put an insulated inner cover on, such as the one by BeeSmart Designs. It makes a big difference in colder climates and benefits the bees in summer as well.
The inspection intervals remain the same. I highly recommend that you inspect prior to the nectar flow, and during any dearth periods. A final inspection in September after you've removed the flow-super is also a great time.
So nice, thank you!
What time of day is typical for you to extract honey from the flo hive? I've read that dawn or dusk is safer.
I prefer noon to 3 pm because I want it to be hot out :)
@@FrederickDunn that makes perfect sense, especially for your area. Thank you.
Fred, Do I need to pre-wax the Flowhive frames? If so, how do you suggest it be done?
I never have, I just wait until the brood box and one super is full before putting the flow-super on.
Well my question is how long do the flow hive last and can you stack 2 to gather or more . Rob.
You can stack them, as to how long they last, unknown... I'm starting to swap out the frames at 5 years until I find a very good method to clean and refresh them.
Just traveling back in time Fred.
Is your contractor still keeping bees today?
Nope, he never got started. Probably a good idea he didn't get bees... far too busy with other things.
How do you handle your flow frame box(s) at the end of your last flow? I assume they are removed from the hive as with traditional supers. Do you let the bees clean them at a remote location before storage?
That is exactly what we're doing this week. All flow-supers are being removed and will be put out at the end of this nectar flow to help offset the dearth that is coming in a few weeks. The feeding station is 100 feet to the west of the apiary. After that final cleanup by the bees, they go to storage.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you for the reply. That was SOP when I kept bees, before I foolishly damaged my back. This may be an option as a hobbyist since I would not be lifting full deep supers.
@@rooster3019 Yes, pull them right after the last draw off and the box is very easy to manage.
I would like to know when you put your saskatraz package in your hive what month? And where did you purchase them they really built up fast for a package
First week of May ua-cam.com/video/x_HE4DEzLUc/v-deo.html
Do you ever clean it? Or do the bees such a good job that it will not be needed?
The bees do a great job of cleaning them up, but I do put the frames in the open position and then soak them in a 10% bleach solution so all the crevices get santized as needed.
Well done.
Just so happened that I needed more flow frames, for another hive (bought mine used), so I used your link! Happy $50.00 for you!
Hi, I was wondering if you remove the caps after harvesting? If not, do the bees know that the honey is gone- or do they have a hard realisation when winter comes?
They do themselves and yes, they know the honey is gone and often start working the cells within minutes of the draw off.
@@FrederickDunn Thats amazing- thank you so much!
Fred- when we pull the flow honey super for the winter how have you cleared the bees out before you store? Just smoke? I am also assuming any remaining honey in the flow frames can stay in the frames over the winter in storage.
This Friday in my FAQ Video, I'll show you how to clear the bees from the super :)
Frederick Dunn Fred did I miss this or was it it one of your videos?
@@cpreston1134 You didn't miss it... I did an afternoon of filming - then I had clients show up, grabbed the same cameras and formatted my hard work away. I have to redo the topic and it was a lesson learned about having too many irons in the fire. I use a fume board sprayed with HOney-B-Gone.... blythewoodbeecompany.com/product/fume-board-8-10-frame-boxes/
Is it true that some people who are very much against Flow-hives, who keep bees the old-fashioned way, have taken to deliberately smashing the hives of people who use flow-hives out of spite and / or anger that people are moving away from the traditional hive-keeping?
I have never heard of that. If they did that, they are in line for felony vandalism.
How do you define if all cells are capped and honey is ready to harvest?
In the upper frames, the bees fill the cells from the top down and center out, so when you see the edges capped you're pretty sure. They also fill the outter most frames last and that's why the side window(s) are helpful as you can see their capping progress as well. In lower honey supers (directly above the brood box) the bees are often using the honey directly above the brood and will empty some of those cells during periods of rain or cold and the center cells may then actually be uncapped or filled with fresh unripe nectar. This is why I establish a "honey-bridge" before adding my Flow-Supers. The lower super is also left for wintering.
I’m a bit confused. Are you suggesting you can drain only a portion of a “frame”. Is it dependent on how far you insert the metal “keys” ?
Hi Judd, sorry for any confustion there... when I start on a single frame, I condinue until that frame is completed. I open the cells in increments so the drain tube isn't completely full which results is surplus honey running down the face of the frame at times, so by opening 1/3 or 1/2 at a time, then opening the remainder when the flow gets lower, you have less waste and it all goes through the tube. In theory, you "could" just drain off the first half of a single frame and leave the rest, but you may forget which frames you worked fully and which are only half drained. So if you did just open the first half, the remaing back half would remain in tact and the honey would be undisturbed for the unactivated section.
Frederick Dunn < thanks for the clarification!
Silly question how do they know its empty with wax caps on??
No questions are silly at all. The honey pulls away from the capping, and the surface feels different to the bees, they pierce a cap and when no honey is below it, they clean it out and begin again. It happens very quickly, as they are often uncapping cells while the honey is draining.
What year was the first flowhive? I don't know when they started
2015 is when I purchased my first FlowHive and went into production in my apiary in 2016.
Nice Fred.
Hello Carlos! How are your bees!
@@danskisbees7348 The bees are great. The splits I made from beeweaver stock are headed by Saskatraz Queens now. They are fast builders and rival the numbers of older hives.
Wow Carlos! Good deal!
@@danskisbees7348 Making my first batch of mead this weekend.
If you would have asked me 6 years ago if I would have been a beekeeper or mead maker I would have laughed at you. Yet here I am lol.
@@weasleoop Lol, me too! I lost 2 of the hives I was going to harvest from, so I'll have to wait until next year. I treated my other hives with OA while the supers were on.
How much honey from each draw and how many draws per season??
Each frame yeilds 1/2 gallon of honey, where I reside you can expect 3 cycles of honey harvesting while still leaving 50-100 lbs in the lower boxes for the bees to winter with.
Thanks
Could you send some honey you collected from the flow hive and an all wax frame(as a control) to a lab for plastic chemicals testing?
We've done that several times and no micro plastics in the honey so far.
Frederick Dunn micro plastics are from age, the chemicals come out sooner. That’s why I think side by side testing honey results from a wax frame and a flow frame would be nice to see. All plasticizing chemicals should be tested for.
So the beekeeper wears a veil but his guest does not... Wassup with that?!?... - waw -
Totally off topic but.... You should do the narrating for audio books. Just saying hahaha
I would be very happy to do that some day :)
Does natural comb add any extra flavors to the honey that the Flow Hive plastic cant recreate?
Dixotube - Actually, the honey tastes more like comb honey because it flows straight from the hive and is not spun and aerated like traditional honey harvesting methods. The really cool part is each frame can taste different because the bees are bringing in specific nectars to each frame giving incredible specific unique tastes out of each frame when you harvest.
The plastic frames do nothing to the purity of the honey because the bees coat the seams and edges in their wax.
Larry Lee Great explanation! Thank you!
Great answer Larry Lee :)
@@LarryLeesBees So, you're saying that the bees will line each plastic cell in the flow hive with their own wax so that the honey doesn't have direct contact with the plastic when it's sitting in each cell until it's harvested?
(Sort of like lining a muffin tin with a paper cup?)
If so, then that would mean the honey would be in actual contact with the plastic for a very short time, just long enough for it to flow down between the cells and through the inserted tube in the back of the hive.
Is my assumption correct?
SpiritBear12 - My observations so far would validate your statement Sir. The bees coat everything in wax and propolize the seams. So when cracking the flow super at harvest it took about 15 minutes or so to fill a half gallon glass jar, a 10oz glass jar and an 8oz glass jar from just the one frame. No spinning and aeration of the honey, just hive to jar, 15 minutes, one frame. I’ve harvested twice this season and gotten just over 6 gallons of honey. Probably closer to 7. I will probably get one more harvest before pulling the flow super off.
Bring the 2 key up to company mayb u can suggest different design on key if u get it thru don't forget my suggestion dibs on anything on giveaway or double testing products 👍🏽👊🏽🙏🏽🤞🏽😊 nice vid
Thanks, I've shared that with them years ago and they don't see the need :)
@@FrederickDunn just flies over some people heads Sir but glad u communicate to all company and subs that's how u know appreciated 👍🏽👊🏽🙏🏽
I'd like to see honey collection at "60 frames per second."
this video is at 60 fps.
OOOOOHhhhhhh..... got it :)
I see what you did there :)
what do you do if the bees start storing pollen in the flow super? or how do you avoid it?
They haven't done that "yet"... but it's certainly possible and in my opinion wouldn't hurt the honey at all if they did. It would just make operation a little stiff.
What are your views on smoking the bees? Is it harmful to the bees in anyway?
Sometimes you do have to smoke the bees and it does interrupt their production for a period of time. Over-smoking the bees can result in the honey production stopping for several hours. But it's not technically harmful to the bees. :)
Thank you!!
How was moisture content of flow hive ascertained and what was the actual moisture reading
H Noel, I've demonstrated the refractometer evaluation in several other FlowHive Videos if you'd like to take a look. This question about flowhives persists while it's no different than the traditional method of seeing the frames capped and proceeding with a draw off or extraction. I've never drawn off flow honey that was above acceptable limits.
Frederick Dunn
EAAAAAA GREEEAAAT
What happens when the bees need more room since you can't add another flow hive super?
James Rhymer - You can add another traditional honey super with frames above or below the Flow super. I’ve seen it done both ways and it doesn’t seem to make a difference.
And when you harvest the Flow, it opens all those cells back up to be refilled.
You can add supers, if they are going to stay on, put them under the flow super, you can also add another flow super on the same hive.
@@LarryLeesBees My point is it needs to be a flow super. Adding a regular super, whether above or below the flow super, means I have to harvest my honey manually. Flow supers should be on the market for expanding flow hives and they're not. What's the use of having a flow super if you have to add regular supers? It makes no sense. They only sell frames for the flow super without the exterior box.
@@FrederickDunn You're missing the point. If I have a flow hive and need to add a super, it should be a flow super so I can harvest using the flow method. Adding a regular super defeats the purpose.
@@precepts8893 HI James, I thought I said you can add another flow super, that would be two flow (mechanized) supers on the same hive - the configuration here would be the brood box - then a medium for winter stores, then the Flow-Super and another Flow-Super on that one. I'm sorry I didn't come across clear enough unless I'm still not understanding your question - ?
Do you have a video on the Amazon Chinese Made flow hive vs the real flow hive 2 comparison?
I don't, and that's because I don't support patent pirates.
@@FrederickDunn I get that and understand what you are saying, this is on a micro level and won't stop it. This need to be on a macro level and being pushed by world governments. You as a person doing experiments with bees I thought you would have done a breakdown because I love your honesty on how good or bad a product is and how much faults it had that's why I asked. I'm still working my way through all your videos sir, so thanks for answering yet again.
I bought a Flow Hive last year and installed it first thing this spring on my most robust hive. Now it is August and the bees haven't hardly touched it. The first honey super is full using regular medium frames as you suggest but they haven't taken to the Flow Hive. My other three hives using regular frames are doing well filling the frames. Any thoughts on why my Flow Hive is a dud? I live in Dayton Ohio.
Fred (or maybe another UA-camr I've watched) mentioned before that he gave his bees a choice and the majority of the bees used the old hive frames, avoiding the new flow hive frames. They only used the new frames when they had no other choice. The bees warmed up to the new frames over time though.
Fred S - I took some of the comb honey from the traditional honey super and smeared it in the center of each side of each frame and the bees came up cleaned it all up and started sealing the cells and then filling them. I know some folks don’t “cheat” but it worked fantastically for my hive this year. I have harvested twice so far getting about 6 gallons of honey, with more on the way.
I live just outside of Spokane, WA and we have pretty cold winters too.
When the hive populations are high and resources are coming in, they will eventually build comb and put honey anywhere they can, it's possible the the hive with the flow-super on doesn't have adequate numbers? For example, people have had the bees fill cut comb containers (all plastic) for many decades and it happens when they have filled all of the lower frames. When I first started off, I had one hive not use them while another did, then when I put the used flow frames back onto the "non using" hive, they went right to work. Our bees are different and there isn't always an obvious way to get them to do what you may want them to.
@@AmulekkofWOW90 Good suggestion. I'll remove the other super so they don't have another option but to use it. I also liked Larry Lee's suggestion which I'll also try out. Thanks!
@@LarryLeesBees I don't mind "cheating" if it works. I'll give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
Hi
Can I buy in india...??
You'll have to follow the link in the description. They do ship all over the world.
Шкода що у нас такого чудо вулика немає, 😒
Я сподіваюся, що у вас буде якийсь день, їм приємно керувати. Дякую за перегляд.
Smoking bees is easy -- the hard part is rolling them. I have the original and it's still working is meaningless to me. I would prefer to know how many months or years they last.
We don't know how many years they last, being that we haven't worn any out yet. I've had mine for 7 years and with the flow-frames specifically there are no measurable signs of wear.
LIKE #875 and Subbed
Thank you very much! :)
Honey Flow Supers are expense toys for a hobbyist.
I'm proud to be a honey bee hobbiest though I don't consider the flow-hive or flow-supers to be "toys"? They are extremely well designed tools for honey removal. Sounds like your mind was set before watching.
Daisy's Honey - When you consider the cost of additional equipment like an extractor or paying someone to extract. Then having to filter and having the space to do all of the honey processing, the initial investment of the Flow system is kind of a no brainer. The FlowHive is the capper, extractor, filter and bottler all rolled up into a nice clean unit. Maybe not ideal for a commercial operation (although I understand the Flow folks have this option as well) but for the backyard bee enthusiast, it is a game changer.
pretty certain daisy is a troll or a trollette? not here to learn obviously
@@thehiveandthehoneybee9547, My Friend, the Flow Hive is a toy if you are not serious about making honey for family and friends. If you have lots of time and money buy Flow Hives. I run over a hundred hives as a hobby. I don't have the money for too many toys.
@@LarryLeesBees try crush and strain. Your Bee club should have an extractor to use if needed. For a cost of a flow hive I can buy an extractor. I mean if you want a flow hive to enjoy, than go for it.