A Brutally Honest Review of the Flow Hive | Who Should NOT Buy a Flow Hive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
- A Brutally Honest Review of the Flow Hive | My Experience With a Flow Hive
Thinking about buying a flow hive? I hope you watch this video first because I will discuss the differences between a flow hive and a regular Langstroth style beehive, what I like and do not like about a flow hive, who should NOT buy a flow hive and when the flow hive has come in handy. I'll also talk about my experience harvesting honey using their new technology.
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⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - What is a flow hive
00:39 - Price difference between flow hive & other hives
28:35 - Who should NOT buy a flow hive
29:45 - When the flow hive came in handy
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#flowhive #flowhivereview #beekeepingwithaflowhive - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Bee people have the longest comments and replies I have ever seen.
Because we are as excited about our process as anyone. And our shi!t is cooler.
@@GoodmanMIke59 strange mine is hotter after a good taco bell have you tried a doctor?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@Dan you just won the best comment award 🥇
That’s because they’re trying generate a lot of…buzz
I ALMOST bought a flow hive 2+ then realised I can get every piece of gear I need for 2 full hives with 4 boxes each complete with a fancy base, feeder, queen excluder, escape board, inner cover, outer roof and all 80 wired frames with foundation . On top of that I bought a bee suit, smoker, electric embedder, hive tool, brush, queen clip, marker and a T-shirt that says "I'm a keeper" with a picture of a bee. All of that was still cheaper than the flow hive 2+ with shipping.
the flow hive is pricey. I recently had to buy that little tube you need for harvesting. A month went by and it didn't arrive. I email them and learn that they won't have that item in stock for another 3 months! They didn't mention that on the website. When you buy a flow hive, you pay their higher prices and are stuck dealing with just them when it comes to ordering certain parts. I prefer the simpler parts that I can fix with my table saw or wood glue if needed :)
Hi instead of talking about price . i think we wanted to know technical things about flow hive. like Performance of bees is same as other beehive? bees likes to live with flow hive? how to clean it after some times? or any other real problem. flow hive mostly bough as hobby and for hobby nothing expenssive.
I think the comments she gives us in her video are sufficient. I don't feel like there's a better yield or anything like that that's worth saying more about.
We had a beehive in our wall when I was a child. A beekeeper came and removed the bees. I'm not afraid of bees, so it was really fun to watch. We got all the leftover honey extracted from the combs by scratching the caps with a fork and setting the combs over cake and pie pans to drain. It worked pretty well, even with the old honey. Unless you have several hives, an extractor is not really necessary
I now have 3 flow hives, super happy with them. I harvest some honey from each one every month, straight into the jar.
Now 4 Flow Hives.
@@thehiveandthehoneybee9547 😂
Thank you to everyone who has watched the video. I created it with the hopes of making sure people understood a few things about the flow hive, the 3 main ones being that 1) you still need to open and inspect a hive no matter if you have a flow hive or a traditional hive. 2) the flow hive honey super is heavier than a traditional langstroth honey super. If weight is not an issue, than this point means nothing to you, but as someone who was not allowed to lift items over 35lb at one point, the flow super weighed almost 20lb more and it was a problem for me. 3) The Flow Hive does not save the bees. It is not bad for bees and it is not a magic hive that makes bees happier. It allows you to pull honey from a frame without having to take it out of the hive.
In the end, the flow hive is a gadget that makes harvesting honey faster especially if you have just a few hives. In order to prevent myself from the unnecessary anxiety and annoyance I've been having by reading some of the rude comments calling me names and telling me I shouldn't be a beekeeper, I have decided to keep this video up, but won't be responding or reading any future comments related to this video. I encourage people to add their experience but to please be polite and respectful of others. After all, this is just a honey harvesting gadget.
all the people who are rude either bought a flow hive, or have decided its the thing for them and the notion that they may have made a sub-optimal decision causes them mental anguish so their default instinct is to make you less credible in their own mind by attempting to reduce your confidence in what you're saying as well inviting others to agree with them by being rude.
in other words, forget the haters. They're lost. this video was amazingly informative to a novice like myself. subbed.
you seem to know what you're talking about. I always thought a flow hive wouldve been cool i might get one as a novelty but you put the price into perspective and i didnt think about having to lift it to inspect the hive. after I started beekeeping last year its surprising how much a medium super full of honey can weigh.
@@junovhs4646 All is the stupidest word on the internet. The majority maybe nut not all. you are dumb for not understanding grammar, english and most importantly the context of your words. This is literally why you should put your kids in a good school.
Guys in all fairness, l do not question this person’s experience she obviously is very knowledgeable nor am l rude, however with all due respect there is plenty of information on how to properly manage your flow hive IF you follow Flow Hive advice it works simply. I bought the 6 frame super Flow Hive as l have a bad back and l am able to move it without issue being an average sized male. I am new to bee keeping you always learn something new so watched video but have done both methods l personally found the Flow Hive a better option regarding faster harvesting, less mess, less expensive buying other equipment. It also means l can harvest on my rooftop in a high density urban area and not upset my neighbours. I have no issue harvesting with bees or wasps or other Robbers as l use a fly screen and rubber band over jar, (big jar) l still watch as l am always fascinated by the process. I also inspect my (brood box) every 2 to 3 weeks living in Australia.
Well, it might work in Australia but not here. DOES NOT WORK. We have 12 master beekeepers here who cannot make these damn things work and we do not allow their use in our club apiaries. Period. When 12 beekeepers with over 300+ years of combined experience cannot make them work while trying every trick the factory people tell us to try, there is a big problem.
Plus, there is the fact that they took in tons of crowdsourced funding and still charge insane prices for their product. Ethics? Not in Australia business I guess. Good luck!
Heavy is good here. We have a lot of spring storms and heavy doesn't fly.
Some people might prefer heavy equipment if they don't mind the lifting, for others it makes beekeeping a hobby they have to give up.
Heavy things do fly in storms.
@@jcraigshelton it depends on the storm. What we have mostly here is straight line wind storms, but in a recent video of ours you can see our apiary was spared with a tornado 1 mile away.
There’s a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding in this video. The “3 frame flow hive” doesn’t really exist. Flow sells a honey super with 3 flow frames and 4 langstroth deep frames that fits on any other company’s 8 frame deep brood box. I bought a standard 8 frame langstroth hive from Betterbee, and a hybrid honey super from Flow, and it wasn’t terribly expensive. Plenty of people use two brood boxes, then a medium standard super, then the flow super WITHOUT a queen excluder and the flow frames get filled without concern about where the queen is since she routinely won’t cross the honey super. When I harvest from my flow supers, it only takes about 15 minutes for the 3 frames, and my bees don’t harass me at all or come around back where I work. The drama of having a ratty busted down box as your example is hilarious.
I have had success with a flow hive, having purchased just the 7 frame super for a 10 frame Langstroth hive. I do think that this review was rather harsh in that it raised issues that are largely addressed by methodology of using and attending to a hive with a flow super per instruction from Flow, and seemed to skim over some of the advantages. Also there were times where the reviewer raised a query about why things were a certain way without doing any investigation or research into the reasons for things to be so.
Further I think it should be noted that this was more a commentary on an experience with a very obviously old, tattered Flow Super and not an actual complete Flow Hive as tagged.
The reviewer mentioned the flow frames being wider than standard Langstroth deep frames, yes they are, this is by design, it was unclear why this was a problem.
The reviewer weighed an empty flow frame and compared it to the weight of a deep frame, I do not understand the purpose of this experiment. As the flow frame is not comparitively empty, it contains partially formed cells, AND the cells are longer than cells in a standard frame, would it not be more appropriate to compare it to a deep frame with wax formed cells multiplied by a factor of 10/7?
The reviewer complained that it was difficult to perform inspections because the flow super is heavier than a standard deep super. When both supers are full, yes the Flow super is heavier. However this is where methodology comes in. The Flow super can be lightened. If it's too heavy, drain a frame or two. You can't do that with a standard super.
The reviewer complained that you have to use a queen excluder. That is not the case. Although it is recommended because in Australia we generally only use one brood box and one super, a "Honey Bridge" can be used as a virtual queen excluder, in fact the reviewer held a medium super as an example of a super, this can be used as a honey bridge between the brood box and the Flow super and keeps the queen down where she needs to be (see videos made by Frederick Dunn).
The reviewer complained that the handle was too short. I don't know why there was a handle cutout on the long side of the super that the reviewer had (perhaps it was an old version) but in Cedar Anderson's videos he demonstrates how to hold the Flow super using the front and back not the sides. The reviewer very unfortunately had her hand right were the cutout was that you use as a handle but said there wasn't a handle. By holding the super at the front/back, the centre of gravity of the super is closer to the body and hence easier to lift and carry and place down on the lid when performing an inspection.
The reviewer expressed concern about the Flow frame cells being plastic rather than wax and surmised that normal frames are better because the cells are wax. This seems to be speculation rather than based on any evidence. What the reviewer did not mention is that in terms of resources and bee work efficiency, it takes 5kg of honey to make 1kg of wax. So using Flow frames is more efficient for the bees to save making wax and rather store the unmetabolised honey. Further, in the process of a normal extraction procedure (the reviewer mentions "crush and strain" several times), wax is taken from the hive as well as honey. Whereas draining a Flow frame does not extract wax from the hive, the bees are able to recycle the wax cappings and cell joints to prepare the frame for refilling with nectar. Also the honey from a Flow frame does not need to be filtered. So you get more honey output for nectar input and you get raw unfiltered honey.
The reviewer expressed frustration about the time it takes to drain a frame. It is true it takes about 1 to 1.5 hrs to drain a full frame completely. Given that the reviewer said she sets it going and then comes back later, I'm not sure what the problem is. That's pretty much how it's done. What are the expectations here? If the reviewer just quickly wants to get a portion of honeycomb, then again Cedar Anderson has shown a video of removing the outermost frame from the brood box, cutting out a chunk onto a plate, and then placing it back in the brood box. Such a chunk could be 'crushed and strained' as the reviewer seems to like. But this is nothing to do with a Flow super, it can be done on any hive, including Flow Hives. At least on a Flow Hive you have the option of doing either, which is not available on a standard hive. Back to the draining of Flow frame, the reviewer's method of using an alternative pipe and 5 Gallon bucket sounds like an excellent solution.
The reviewer was very critical of the cost of a complete Flow Hive, but performed no analysis of the unique features of the Flow Hive nor the quality of workmanship compared with other hives more cheaply available. I was certainly impressed by the quality of just the super I received. A complete Flow Hive has the brass hardware, the cedar wood, the precision laser cutting, the observation windows, the pest management, the self-levelling feet and adjustable legs with ant traps in the base of the Flow Hive 2, all things the reviewer does not mention at all. Whilst I agree a Flow Hive is certainly more expensive than other hives, I think it is to be expected somewhat. Do you expect to buy a Mercedes for the same price as VW? Many of those features of a Flow Hive may not interest an experienced beekeeper who might build their own hives. Some people don't want a Mercedes and are happy with a VW.
The reviewer states that she does not know why the Flow company doesn't sell their hives with two brood boxes and two supers. Some research may reveal the answer. Cedar Anderson addresses this issue in a couple of his videos on TH-cam. There is a school of thought amongst beekeepers that one deep brood box is enough, thereby encouraging smaller colonies, easier to inspect, easier to manage pests and diseases. Other beekeepers are of the opinion that two broodboxes and larger colonies are better. My understanding is that there is research suggesting the former to be more fashionable nowadays with academic beekeepers. With regards to the super issue, because the Flow frames can be drained individually, there is no advantage/purpose in having a 2nd super. You drain the frames as necessary, once they're drained they're available to be refilled. If you have a packet of biscuits that keeps getting refilled, does it matter if there are 7 or 14 biscuits in the pack? Again, this is methodology different from traditional deep frames where you might, for efficiencies of scale, have two deep supers and harvest the whole lot at once when they're full.
The reviewer does identify that she had difficulty in getting her bees to use the Flow frames initially. This is a common issue, but again has common solutions available on investigation. One method is to scrape burr comb from inside the hive and smear it onto the flow frames. The bees then recycle this wax for use in/on the Flow frames. I experienced this issue myself and that was the solution I used, a solution incidentally that was found by my use of the community forum on the Flow website. One wonders if the reviewer availed herself of that community forum when issues arose for her. It doesn't sound like it, but perhaps some angst could have been avoided had she done so.
The Reviewer is DEFINITELY ANTI-FlowHive-
I agree with much of the information stated above👆👆- What exactly is the point of her video (?) very opinionated- if it’s too heavy- then don’t. Get assistance. The FlowHive is easier on the bees... with her “crush and strain method”- that’s harder on the bees- I’m tired of this video. Maybe if SHE actually purchased the FlowHive herself, instead of having an old broken one thrust upon her she might enjoy it.
@Jennifer Taylor I guess the first question for you Jennifer - Do you ACTUALLY HAVE FLOWERING IVY by you? If you are interested in a Professional/Commercial Bee Keepers view.. please check out Frederick Dunn he has an entire series on Beekeeping- he host weekly Q&A sessions... I think his has last session might have been #115... and they average one hour in length- he lists all the questions and the Timestamps.. so you can go directly to any specific issue... no random ,vague , Unsubstantiated criticism
@Jennifer Taylor Hi Jennifer, I disagree that the bees cap randomly. I generally see a pattern of cappings where the centre of the frames tend to be capped earlier (not completely but more often) and the pattern spreads outward concentrically so in this way the cells at the ends and top/bottom tend to be the last ones to be capped. In this way when one looks at the end window of a flow frame and sees the end cells capped, one can generally be assured that the frame itself is at least 70% capped. When a frame is 70% capped, it is generally considered OK to harvest, that is the same for a flow frame or a standard wooden/plastic frame. So considering this for a flow frame if it is 70% capped then you will always have some bees working in cells. And I think it is this point that you are most concerned with rather than the capping. This is completely normal and although it seems counterintuitive, the mechanism is designed to allow for bees working inside the cells at the time you harvest. There is room for bees when the cells are opened. This is something that is mentioned in Flow videos and on their help forums. I have seen myself worker bees in cells when I have extracted honey. Some move out of the cells themselves, whereas others have stayed in the cells and continue working once the cells are reset to the non-flow position. There are gaps in adjacent sections of the flow frames to allow for these circumstances as it is expected that bees will be working in cells.
It is certainly true that highly viscous honey will not flow in a flow frame. As you mention Ivy honey is one of these and there are also several other types. Beekeepers in areas where their honey is highly viscous do need to take this into account when considering using flow frames. But equally it can be said that standard frames aren't going to flow either of course. Whilst a season may have produced low viscosity honey that was able to be extracted directly from a flow frame, the storage of high viscosity honey at a particular time of year when a certain nectar source is flowering does not mean that honey cannot be extracted from a flow frame. There is still the option to extract the high viscosity honey via the more traditional centrifugal extraction method.
Spot on critique of the video. Another criticism I have is how much she talks about “breaking” the Flow frames, resulting in buying an expensive new 5 pack. Again she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. When she says she “broke” one, I presume the metal wire came off and the frames fell into pieces. You can reassemble them and reinstall the wire and they are as good as new. If you happen to break an end piece or the wire, you can buy those pieces separately. Also, a queen laying eggs in a frame does not render them worthless either. Nor does crystallized honey. They are plastic, just wash it out.
Hi there. Although, yes, I could go to forums and research how to care for bees in a flow hive despite already being a beekeeper and having 10 years of experience working with bees, I do see that as a flaw in the flow hive. If someone is used to keeping bees in a traditional Langstroth style hive, they probably do not want to go down the rabbit hole of flow hive forums. Additionally, if you are new to beekeeping, you should know that what you learned in your beekeeping class and the advice most beekeepers will be giving you at meetings, will be different than what you will be doing with your flow hive.
The purpose of my video isn't to teach people how to keep bees in a flow hive nor am I interested in learning how to alter my way of keeping bees to fit this 1 flow hive I have. The purpose of my video is to show people how I, as a beekeeper with traditional Langstroth hives, likes keeping bees in a flow hive. It is great to hear your response to my issues, but it is also important for people to know, before they buy this equipment, that they will have to look for beekeeping help and get advice from people who use a flow hive. Just like people with a top bar do best when they have other top bar beekeepers to go to with questions.
I still have not heard a reasonable response to the weight issue of a flow super. The box is heavy when empty. When full, it is over 50lb. A shallow box when full is roughly 35lb. To say you can just drain some of the honey from the frame to make the box lighter is not a reasonable solution. How can you harvest honey in the summer before you know your bees have enough to get them through the winter?
Finally, you mention some topics I bring up such as using a 5 gallon bucket to harvest. I'm not sure why, but you have it in your head that I hate the flow hive which is not true. Everything I say in this video IS NOT NEGATIVE. I say that it takes awhile for the honey to pour out and then I mention an easy solution to this problem!!! You'd think that if you like the flow hive, you would like that I do this. I'm not just being negative, but also bringing up easy solutions to potential problems. But instead you use it as another thing wrong with my video. IT'S NOT ABOUT WHETHER YOU ARE FOR OR AGAINST THE FLOW HIVE. The purpose of this video is to show how I've used it, the things I've learned from using it for 2 years (yes, this means my hive is over 2 years old!), what I liked and didn't like about it and how it is different from the standard Langstroth hive set up. Sheesh!
👍💜🐝🎶 I'm glad I found you. Thinking to take the plunge into beekeeping since our garden flowers seem to be attracting so many wild bees to them. You've really helped to clarify some questions I've been having about which hive style would best suit our needs. To not have to pay for honey anymore, would be well worth the investment. Thank you for being here and sharing your beautiful bee wisdom. 🐝💜✨
@@fredfable5655 After harvesting from BOTH types of hives, I concur with your belief Fred. However, there is one tiny thing not mentioned with Flow hives when harvesting. I don't recall ever being told to place wedges under the front of the hive to give an angle leaning towards the back, to allow quicker flow of the honey to exit. I did this because it took forever to harvest the honey, flow rate was sooooo slow and that in a 31 deg C sunny day too.
bad mistake to buy hive for free honey, perhaps you are eating too much, i have 12 hives plenty of honey for myself, however i buy orange blossom honey from interstate and it costs me 60 dollars for 3kg....
Interested in Flow Hive, but have not purchased or experienced yet. It looks effective in warm climates (where I live) but perhaps not so much in colder climates or cold days. Will monitor video reviews more before deciding. Anything easier/less labor intensive to collect honey is appealing to increase profit margins.
8:55 the "three frame hive" is a hybrid, there are traditional langstroth frames beside the flow frames. You should be better informed before making an extended review.
Indeed
if the queen lays in the flow frame it definitely does not ruin the frames while you shouldn’t harvest when there is brood you can wait for the brood to hatch.
I’m relatively new to bee keeping, flow hive owner, some of the comments in the vid didn’t make sense. For example, queen excluders are always needed if you are harvesting honey. Without one you would end up with brood mixed in with a honey harvest, the queen will lay wherever she wants. Harvesting honey from 5 or more supers using a 2 frame extractor, 5 X 8 = 40 frames 2 at a time….messy. Any super is heavy when full of honey. Pulling the flow frame supper apart and using it as a prop was a pretty obvious trick, letting frames fall out when moving it around was great theatrics. But not entirely ‘honest’, a more accurate title for the vid -My brutal biased view of flow hive😬😬. I’m guessing the vid was produced by someone making/selling honey extraction gear. Flow hives aren’t for everyone, I did my research before buying mine, no need to store any extraction gear, washing up after extraction goes away, no need to put a one way bee excluder to prior to removing each super, etc. I’ve just ordered my 2nd one, the grandchildren really like looking in through the side panels, makes it an easy conversation about birds & bees😂😂😂
Just a note: I've never used a queen excluder and my honey supers have been just fine. I have one, but the queen has never moved up to the supers to lay eggs beyond the two deeps. Maybe just luck?
You don’t need a one-way bee excluder to harvest honey from a standard langstroth hive. You just shake the bees off the frames. Flow Hive seems nifty but inefficient.
You missed the trick of lifting by the tension wire on a frame. " This handle is terrible".
@@josephsastre464 the hole point of flowhive is the flowframes you DONOT need to take tham out of the super just turn the key to exstract honey it does away with the need of a contafuse (spinner) shives bucker takeing frqmes out and the messy cleanup
@@Wayne_Stream yes I know that. I was speaking to the person who suggested that you needed to use a bee escape to harvest honey from a standard hive. That person made it out to be more complicated than it is. That’s all.
Thanks for your video. Different courses for different horses. my Daughter her Father in law and myself have had flow hives for over 5 years absolutely love them. So much easier to extract honey we have 8 flow hives between us and get so much honey for our family and to sell. Had not problems with the very high quality and their after sales service is excellent.
Why would you need "after sales service" if these are such a great product. Also, I'm sure you're creative enough to come up with a few more positive comments to list, which of course lets the world know what is true about the comment you've posted. If anyone is looking for one of these, please, pretty please, with sugar on top, go talk to an actual beekeeper before you waste your money.
@@JimWellman - Flow Hive is not the only company that has "after sales services"...The fact that they offer after sale services does not indicate there is a problem with their product or that it isn't a great product...Your car, refrigerator, washer/dryer, lawn mower, television, furniture, house...this list goes on and on of products and companies that offer after sales services...what a ridiculous comment...
Also...with over 5 years of beekeeping under her and her family's belt, I'd say she is an actual beekeeper and is qualified to speak on her experience with the Flow Hive...
@@emelsee2831 you name ordinary, everyday items people have at their homes. These items, people understand in great depth. A beehive is not an everyday item.
A blow hive is an overpriced and complete piece of junk, marketed to the ignorant. Example: my mom called me one day saying she may get one.
My guess is that you fall into this category and feel ashamed at yourself for falling for deceptive marketing.
There's always time to shift to the more universally accepted method of beekeeping, where you don't get ripped off.
Ive been dealing with a very experienced beekeeper (2,500 colonies) and he recommends only ever over-wintering with a single broodbox. It keeps the colony very tight and they keep warm better in the UK climate.
Yes, by winter time, the queen has stopped laying and the brood gets consolidated to just one box, but in the summer, when the population is high, is he still just running one brood box? I find that it leads to the bees swarming.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple Beek in Wales here: no, we start adding Supers in Spring. Some people use double brood, but others use various other techniques to prevent swarming. The major issue is to make sure that late in the year you have enough bees to over-winter. Flow hives are no good for UK - honey runs at about 36C: we rarely get to 30C.
I bought the Chinese knock-off Flow Hive for $199.00. It came with 1 brood box and the super. I bought a second 10 frame deep box to add a 2nd brood box for the bees to use to winter. I probably won't even add the flow super until next year. But I guess we'll see how well the bees do. It's my 1st time trying this. But when my frames do need replacing, I will just by the frames for the flow hive and build my own boxes if needed. Much cheaper and easier to deal with harvesting the honey.
how is it?
We are now using flow frames in long hives and many of issues of weight and bee management go away. We’ll let you know how it develops.
The quality of the flow hive boxes has taken a bad hit recently with QC issues, but the frames are first class.
I bought a flow hive and used it on one of my hives last year... I run two deeps for the brood box like you suggest. I use all deeps, even above the excluder for the honey. Trying to keep it simple. The weight isn't an issue for me yet :-).
I got significantly less honey out of the flow hive than I did from a full deep using an extractor. I yielded in the neighborhood of 4.5 gallons from a full deep. The flow hive yielded about 2.5 and some of it was thin.
I'm not a big flow fan either. The marketing caught me. I'll probably use it again this year but I won't be buying another.
Thanks for the vid.
Interesting. That's does makes sense you wouldn't harvest as much honey from a flow super than a regular deep box. They say one flow frame (on their website) yields about 6.5lb of honey and a 10 frame box only holds 7 flow frames. I'm assuming the flow frames take up more space not just for honey storage but also so the honey can drip down the center of the frame and therefore space for honey is lost. Not really a huge deal for most hobby beekeepers, but interesting to hear.
I'm curious, what about the flow hive are you not a fan of?
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple damn Chris stood you up that's ruff.
She is so right about the flow hives weight they are freaking heavy!! I wish I had seen some of these videos a year ago when I started beekeeping.
AI know!! It's the worst hive for people who don't want to lift a heavy box.
Thank you for your video but I would have to disagree. I’ve had a flow hive for three years now and love it. Weight has never been an issue for me. Doesn’t seem much heavier that my 10 frame hives. So easy to use. I remove the honey super and set on end then do the inspections. I would definitely get more flow hives if I expand.
Attaboy. Flex on those weaklings.
And at the end of the day weight is never an issue. If it's too heavy for an individual then just remove frames, put them aside until the super is light enough. It's not rocket science.....if a builder can't carry 20 bricks he'll carry 10 bricks!!!!
I have 3 Flow Hives - one is a 'Hybrid' (the 3 frame mentioned) - and just for clarification, the Hybrid super has 3 'flow frames' and 2 regular frames each side of the flow frames - so 7 frames in total.The brood box has 8 regular frames (it was almost half the price of a full Flow Hive, and is probably the best choice for someone who already has other beehives and wants a taste of a flow hive - but for a newbee, i would recommend springing for the full size flow hive). I removed the queen excluders for winter, as is recommended by Flow hives so that the queen can move up with the nest and stay warm, and, when i opened my hives for inspection in spring, I found the queen in the brood box, and replaced the queen excluder. I also opened the plug in the roof just enough for bees to fit through and angled the roof sideways so that any drones I might have caught in the super could escape, for a few hours a day, at first every day, then every other day over a month. To prevent swarming, I also added a second brood box (a regular 8 frame deep brood box purchased from a different supplier, which cost about $20, and filled it with frames that cost a few dollars each). It's been over a month since I did that, so any brood that might have been laid in the super would have hatched, and, with no new brood being laid (if there was any) the bees have cleaned the frames and stored honey in them. I watched all 3 flow frames, which were partially full, fill completely and I harvested 2 days ago, without even having to put my bee suit on! The two ordinary frames either side in the super are also full of honey which I left for the bees, and which might be useful when I do a hive split in a couple of months. Unfortunately Australia is facing varroa - it somehow got into the country last year and in areas designated as 'eradication zones', all hives are euthanized. It's very sad
Thank you for sharing. Yes, it is very sad to hear that the varroa mite is now in Australia.
You completely missed two very important points, and both involve labor.
1. In order to extract the honey from a tradition beehive by scrapping caps and then using an extractor, it takes about 1 hour per super. If you value your time, this means a work cost of $20 EVERY time you empty a super. With a flowhive, this entire process is passive, so as your a draining one hive, you can be working on another hive. As I drain one hive, I am usually inspecting the brood box of the hive I just drained.
2. Bees use an incredible amount of energy and time making wax. It takes a bee about 3x as much time to build up the wax for a cell as it does to fill the cell. With a flowhive, the cells are already prebuilt for the bees AND the wax made for the cap remain in the hive. This means that after you harvest the honey, the bees only need to do a little maintenance and then they immediately start filling the cell with honey again. With a traditional beehive.. you are removing all of the wax, which requires the bees to completely start over. Those bees might take an entire month until they start refilling honey, compared to 2-3 days with the flow hive. Because of this, you can harvest twice as much honey in a year with a flowhive as your bees are constantly producing honey, not wax.
If you include 1. Cost of the extractor 2. Time/labor involved with using the extractor for each super and 3. Extra honey harvests per season.... the flow boxes easily pay for themselves the first year.
And then there is just the mental part of it. It is a peaceful process to just tap the honey with a flowhive. You don't even need to mess with your bees at all. With a traditional hive, you have to lift off supers, pull out the frames, carry them all into your kitchen, sterilize your equipment, scrap the frames, drain the frames, clean up your kitchen.. It is not a fun process and it is time consuming. It is something you have to plan, and prepare for. With a flowhive, you can just grab a jar, go to your hive, drain one frame, and be back home with a jar of honey in 10 minutes. If you are serious about beekeeping, this just frees up time to do inspections and treatments.
Edit: I am not really sure why you are talking about the weight of a flowhive being so high when it is filled with honey.... I am sorry, but there is almost no situations where you will be lifting a flowhive super that is filled with honey. Drain it, then inspect the brood boxes below it...so then it is just 20lbs.
I am really surprised by that comment people make that they just empty frames before checking a brood box. I assume you do not live in an area where you need to leave your bees 50lb of honey to survive winter? To have to drain frames before an inspection also adds time to every inspection! If you want to talk about time, I would rather have a day of harvesting honey than having to add the extra time of draining a frame of honey before I inspect each hive. What it really comes down to is that I do not like working this style hive. It is not for me. Maybe it's for you. And if you like it, GREAT! But I wanted to put out there what I do and do not like about it because companies don't talk about the pros and cons of their product, they just talk about why it's so great. I don't want a deep box full of honey, I prefer a shallow. My hives have a high population, so I cannot drain honey from one hive and inspect another. They GO CRAZY when I start emptying a frame from the flow hive. What I have to do now is take the box off the hive and I empty it at home, on my porch where I don't have nay bees. It attracts a lot of attention which can also lead to robbing later in the season. Also, those frames do make building wax easier, in theory, but this comb is now made of plastic, not beeswax. Do bees prefer this? Who is to say. What I do know is that the bees will choose to build their own comb and fill it up with honey before they move to a flow frame. I'm just following what the bees prefer. I do sell my honey and beekeeping is my profession, but my goal is not to harvest as much honey as possible. I want to follow the lead of the bees as much as I can.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple "They GO CRAZY when I start emptying a frame from the flow hive."...Well you must be doing something wrong, every harvest from flow hives I've seen is without gear and peaceful.
I have 4 flow hives. All work well. Bee keeper of 14 years and counting. I do have many traditional frame hives as well. I do like the simplicity of the flow hives but my reservation is that the plastic will rot from the sun aka dry rot eventually as all plastics do. But I believe that I will get my fair use out of the flow hives by that time.
And it will rot right into the honey or into the jar - you will be eating plastic.
Research shows bees do not like plastic. I would have been very happy to hear that it was something else but flow hive didn't really clarify that for me.
@@DebyAdairUnicornKisses haven't had any issues with my flow hives. Bees are happy and they easily produce the most amount of honey efficiency.
@@sickre It's probably food grade plastic
@@sickre What a stupid comment. It will not melt. Where do you people come from? FLow Hives are amazing.
The flow hive honey may flow out slow, but isn't it faster than harvesting honey from traditional hives? Plus you aren't spending the time working. You can sit with a cold drink and you kindle while the flow hive does the work.
I talk about this at the end of the video. I use my flow hive at the resort where I keep bees. It allows me to set up a hive to harvest honey while I check the other hives. I also recommend flow hives for people keeping a hive at a school and a few other situations where bringing frames of honey might be too much work, especially if you have fewer than 4 hives. For me, with a lot of hives, I'm not going to invest that money into making all my hives flow hives. So if I'm still going to set up the extractor to extract from most of my hives, having a few flow hives isn't worth it. It's really just your personal preference. If you want to have 1-3 hives and spend the extra money on a flow hive so you don't have to spend a day extracting, go for it! If you want more than 5 hives, have difficult lifting equipment over 40lb or want to keep your beekeeping expenses at a minimum, the flow hive is not for you.
Thank you for your honest review, it definitely has given my something to think about. I have been looking at purchasing a flowhive. I am wondering what your thoughts are if I am not looking at keeping bees for the purpose of honey. I am looking at keeping 1 hive for pollination. As it turns out I am not a very effective bee even when I buzz and wiggle. We just don't have very many pollinators in my area and my garden has suffered the last couple of years. Honey is just a nice bonus for me. The weight is not an issue, at least not yet.
It is really hard to just keep one beehive. The likelihood that your bees will survive year after year is pretty slim for a few reasons. If you want to encourage pollination in your garden, I would look into native bee hotels and what native solitary bees are in your area. Mason bees and leafcutter bees are pretty common. Also, you want to plant flowers that attract these pollinators. It takes 1-2 million flowers to produce a pound of honey so you might want pollinators in your garden for your flowers, but if there's not enough to feed them throughout the year, your bees (whether solitary or honeybees) won't do well or stick around.
I have two flow hives and I love them I am handicapped with one arm and love skipping all of the mess harvesting the honey ....
I just found your video. I have a lot of colonies, I did ( reading in the flow hive some ) . I found out it was not for me so some of the things you talked about I really do agree with you on it . The main thing was I really think people had the WRONG idea on it . Do not know how they were told about the flow setup but I think they thought all they had to do was purchase there equipment, purchase there bees , set it up then just turn the valve but not sure how they came to that . So thanks you , Thank you for going thru this video to try to explain that the bees STILL has to be inspected and taken care of just like ALL Bee colonies has to be . (2) and yes it is more money for the setup also that definitely depends on if you are going to get just a few colonies or a lot just like you said because if people needs a extractor and ALL THE OTHER EQUIPMENT that has to go along with bee keeping . SO EVERYONE PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Go and take a beginner bee keepers class BEFORE you even think about getting into bee and BEFORE you purchase ANYTHING. It is GREAT , GREAT that you are thinking about this hobby AND we need everyone that we can get to got into bees EVERYONE. BUT it get into ALOT of money and TIME . I just want everyone to get training and know what it is all about first . Thank you for doing this video. Keep your video’s coming when possible. Thanks
Thanks, Kathy! I have no issues with the flow hive BUT I do get tired of meeting beekeepers who bought a flow hive and thought they didn't have to do any work.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple mm you have my thinking flowhive is a good pruduct but even flow tham selfd said that your still reqierd to do the hard yards ie inspections etc its not a set and faqget thing keep up the good vids beekeeper since 2020
The easier way to keep bees is to ditch the stacked Langstroth hive and go with a horizontal hive with Layens frames. Also, you shouldn't put hives in the sun as it can easily cause the hive to overheat in the summer. This also makes it so you never bang the bees around and don't have to disassemble the hive to do inspections, which you also don't need to do as often with an horizontal hive. I'm not sure if you'll see this comment, given when the video was posted, but hopefully you do and check it out as I recommend to all beekeepers out there. They are also superior hives for keeping healthy colonies, especially if you use native bees.
I definitely agree with you about the Flow Hive. I don't think I'll ever buy one as they have movable plastic parts. Moveable plastic parts always break. Simple systems always are more reliable and work better. Can't get much simpler than a horizontal hive. Also, if you use a press for your honey, you get all the beneficial bee bread in your honey, which is much healthier for you.
Yes, plastic parts break and cannot be repaired that way wooden parts can. Nor can you make parts yourself. Most of my hives are in the sun because it is a very rainy area. Small hive beetles will destroy a hive in the shade. Without a frost, the small hive beetle population is very high.
Can’t wait for a super to empty because the honey is thick and funnels out slowly, yet you will waste an entire day or more the old way! Makes perfect sense to me!
Also once you crack open a flow hive frame, you can't stop it until it's empty, correct?
That is correct, but if you only want a small amount of honey you can only crack open half or 1 third of the frame by not inserting the bar all the way in.
I entered beekeeping after seeing a Flow advertisement but decided to work with an experienced beekeeper for a year to learn the hobby before diving in. Having kept bees a while now in traditional Langstroth hives , the things that I wonder about is 1)how you’d know when the honey has reached the desired moisture content before “turning the crank” and 2) how you would clean the propolis and extra wax out of the plastic combs each year.
That's great! Learning from an experience beekeeper is the best way to learn!
1) If the frame is 70% capped, you're ok to "turn the crank". Some people look at the frames through the windows to judge if its ready. I prefer to look at each frame individually.
2) There's not much wax or propolis on the frames. The entire comb is plastic, so there's only the capping which is broken when you turn the crank. I leave mine in the shed and bugs eat most of the wax by next year. If I am concerned about wax moth I would freeze it before putting back in the hive. Since it's not used for brood, there's not much propolis. I believe someone made a comment about what to do if the queen lays in a flow frame. They say you can save the frame. Luckily I haven't had the problem yet.
Alan Garrett... Moisture can be measured with a Honey Refractor. ✓
Device that's : Easier to Google, than describe in words: (Torch/Flash light esq shaped handheld Gadget !) with a View Finder. With a Moisture % Reading Scale .... Make any sense ? 🙄
About £40, or $60 on Amazon, eBay, Beek Shop.
You add a drop of Honey... And take a reading.
Tip :
If it's a bit 'Wet' keep the taken Honey in a Warm, Dry (Dust Free !) Location.... And Stir it a bit, to even out that extra % moisture loss It will evaporate down a bit more... Before you Bottle or Jar it !
Moisture will taint and mold up Honey.... If it's sealed when it's to wet....
Here in the UK, we have x2 plants that can result in "Concrete/Cement" Honey 🍯
1) Is Oil Seed Rape (Canola Oil in US.)
2) Winter Ivy (Evergreen Garden Creeper type.)
Both these will make Solid Honey in a matter of Weeks !
So ...
Take a mental note, of your Area, re weather, month it's growing, in bloom etc ...
And take 'this honey' out' of your Wooden Frame (Extract or Crush) and or Flow, Crank those Cells open, about 3 to 4 weeks after the Bees lay it down, on Nectar collection.... (Max time before it sets.) It doesn't need to be 100% Capped either !?! 😏
(If Honey is still a bit Wet, eg not under 20%, a dry room will bring this moisture down, after harvesting.... No big deal. If it's Set, it's SET !!! 😱
(Any Honey in a Natural Wax Comb, can be warmed a little, to make a 'hard honey' run again... But you lose beneficial nutritional traits, and the taste might make it kind of 'Shop bought' !
Bees wear Hard Hats, and can work their little heads off eating this in Mid Winter, say.
It's just us Humans who make it hard for ourselves. 🤭
Hope this helps. 🤗
Happy Beekeeping 2021
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
I don't have a Flow Hive, but you can "Crank about 5cm,
or say 2 Inches of a Flow Frame only ! How you ask....
Insert the Key into the Harvest Slot, about 5cm or 2 Inches in "only" [aka the First ten Columns of Plastic Vertical Cell'd Faux Comb.]
Crank this very Front Bit ! No more Deeper Turning.... See what the Flow 'Moisture' Level reads in above device. It it under 20%, your good to Harvest, if not. Crank those Front Cells Closed, lick your fingers on Sugary Syrupy Honey. Let the Bees refill them up again... These Front ones will be Newer (Wet) compared to the Mid/Inner/Back (uncranked ones !)
Get the idea here .... ? 👍
I alas, don't want to spend about £600 / $1000 on a Unit, that can't be guaranteed to Work well in a Cold / Wet Climate.... Aka Scotland (!)
I did however buy an unwanted gift Auto Flow (Chinese knock-off) cheaply, to give the Key System a try...Next Year. Boxes are Boxes re Wooden Frame use etc... Guess the Faux Flow will be in use for only a Month !?! Max.... 🙄
Sorry, a real Flow only works good in Byron Bay, in NSW, where Flow are based ....
Mind you I loved living Down Under, for a while, decades back.... Certainly a better climate there ... 😆
cool response bro!
In order to get the bees above the Queen excluder you need to move one or two frames of brood above the Queen excluder, making sure the Queen is not moved up and then you will have bees above the excluder, which will start honey storage in the flow frames.
I second that ! Good tip. ✓
Thanks for the video. I was really curious how they made the bees accept the plastic, since ordinary plastic frames needs to be coated in beeswax first. Interesting that you said that the bees filled it up if they had no other option. Does that mean that they filled the broodbox with honey? Im really new to beekeeping, but couldn't that lead to a blockade and the bees just leaving?
Anders, you can brush warmed Bees wax onto Flow Frames, the more 'fragrant' the wax is with ex propolis, Queen phremones, former larva, egg, honey, pollen (used) it is, the better... It's a magnet to bees ...
Not sure if you could 'add' a couple of Wooden Frames, either side of the Flow, to get them to cross the Street (so to speak) or add A Flow into an outer position in the Brood Box.... for only a few Hours (get them smelling nice and Broody (Homely !) 😉
# A case of removing others, to fit others (!)
Just a thought.... I would prefer 'home baking' vibes, to bare gaunt empty space 'feel' !
Not sure I can think like a Bee, but I sure can buzz like one, if I'm on a roll doing new equipment prep... 🤣
Happy Beekeeping 2021.
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
What was the site you compared flow hive too?
Thanks for the opinion but I am going to go with the flow hive. Its not about lessening the work but rather treating the bees better. I like not having to disturb the bees when getting the honey. I also found new flow hives in my city in canada for $300 each for 7 frame kit with all included.
Go for it! Once you keep bees for awhile, you will see that there are a few ways to harvest honey without being mean to the bees. For example, bees are not fond of the smell of bitter almond oil. All you have to do is spray some Bee Gone (which is mostly bitter almond oil) onto a piece of fabric and lay it over the hive for a few minutes. Take the fabric off and that super is empty. Bring that box into your house and you can sit at a table and take your time harvesting the honey. Or you can pull each frame out one by one and brush the bees off. I use a turkey feather. It doesn't harm the bees nor do they seem all that bothered by it. If you want a flow hive, by all means purchase one. But I just want people to know that the flow hive doesn't really solve any real beekeeping problems like their marketing implies. Harvesting honey does not have to harm the bees or disrupt the hive like they make it seem.
I have twelve now and have never had one issue with any of the stuff mentioned in these comments. They are VERY bee friendly which is what attracted me to them from the start. I think the posters response to your comment was a velvet dagger (much like her other responses). She says there are a few ways to harvest honey without being mean to the bees and goes on to say for example they aren’t fond to the smell of bitter almonds oil lmao, so yeah, nuke them with something they don’t like to be “bee friendly” lol. To each his/her own but I know a ton of seasoned bee keepers using these with no issues. Oh, and who the heck leaves a flow hive super on for winter? It’s advertised as a harvesting super lol.
How has the flow hive been working for you?
@nancysaake6497 please share where you purchased flow hive for so cheap
I thought you would still stand on the side of the flow honey super and use the top of the arch where you take the viewing panel off on the back of the hive as one of the hand holds to lift it off? Does that make sense?
Good question. You'll see in the video that the box I had wasn't in the best of shape. It was given to me by someone who didn't put it together so well. I don't think he used glue but just screwed the boxes together, so I definitely was not going to use the side arch to pick up the box. I'm sure you could use that arch when the box was fairly light, but when it's 50lb+, I wouldn't recommend putting so much weight on it. The box isn't as strong as I'd like it to be with all those cutouts, but that's just my opinion. You would also then have to take the panel off in order to get to that arch, put it somewhere while the box is on the ground and then put it back on. None of this is terrible, but probably easier to just pick it up from the back.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple by the looks of it it isnt a flowhive but a knock off flowhives bare the flow logo and name on thare boxes
im looking at getting into bees, but i see most people say check the bees 3-4 times a year, but you said you check weekly? what exactly are you looking for when you check them? and how come you check them so often
How often you check your hives depends on 2 things - your personal beekeeping style and the time of year. I, personally, think it's important to prevent my hives from swarming. I do not want to anger my neighbors or think it's fair for them to have to deal with removing a swarm of bees, so when my hives are full, I'm splitting them and making space in the brood boxes to prevent swarming. We also have big nectar flows here, so the bees are filling up a honey super in just a few weeks. We also have bad small hive beetle infestations and get lots of rain. I'm checking beetle traps, preventing swarming, adding honey supers, checking for flooding and harvesting honey. When the hive is small and it's early spring, you could check your bees once a month. I've gone 1-2 months without checking my bees in the off season, but from February to September honey is coming in and I check my hives every 1-2 weeks.
I have always found it interesting how other beekeepers complain about the weight of the Flowhive. But then you said, and many others do the same, that the recommended configuration is two brood boxes and two supers. So you have to move two medium honey supers, one medium 10 frame holds as much honey as a Flow 7 frame, which is why they use deeps rather than mediums. You said a medium super is 40lbs (plus the box). A full Flow Hive super weights 44lbs (plus the box). With a Flow super, you can extract the honey frame by frame and then do maintenance the next day. Whereas with a standard medium, you would need it to be full before you can harvest. But let's not forget the second brood box. A deep brood box full of resources and larvae is just as heavy, if not heavier than a Flow super. So to recap, if I want to check brood on a Flow Hive and the supers are heavy, I could most likely drain a frame or two (6lbs per full frame) of honey out and lighten the load first. then I only have one brood box to deal with (or I could put in a second brood box if I choose). A conventional hive, I would need to remove one or two supers, then the top brood box in order to do an inspection. seems like a lot of work. Now don't get me wrong, they are not for everyone. But for people with a homestead that want one or two hives and check on the hive on a regular basis, yeah, they would be a smart purchase.
You mention having two brood boxes. I don't want to be that guy, but Flow Hive has hundreds of videos and nearly a decade of research showing that they can and do in fact only keep one brood box on the bottom. It is difficult to listen to so many "expert" beekeepers, claim the Flow Hive is bad, when I can log in every week and watch live as Cedar shows their apiary and goes through a hive or two while answering live questions. That sold me more than anything. They are doing their thing and are successful. yet for some reason Flow Hives are being flat-out banned by Bee Keeping Clubs all over America. Many Honey contests have taken to banning any honey collected from a Flow Hive. On one side I see a company showing with clear proof their system works, and engaging beekeepers, and the other side is spending time and energy bashing and banning for no clear reason. I personally have got nothing but grief since I bought my Flow Hive, but it works for me. So those who want to be jerks can bugger off, I don't need to be in a club and pay dues to people who I don't know and are of no benefit. They say "ask 5 beekeepers the same question and you will get 15 different answers." which tells me nobody knows what they are doing, so none of them are experts.
How does crystallized honey "ruin" a Flow frame? Or how does brood "kill" a Flow frame? You can take the frames out and soak them in warm water to undo crystalized honey. In the wild, bees store honey in previous brood cells. So if a queen lays, you exclude her, let the brood hatch and then let them store honey. I don't understand why you believe an "expensive" frame is ruined because of those things. You weighed an empty medium frame against a Flow frame that is basically a comb-filled frame,. Then you show the box... in order for a box to look that bad, it had to have been dropped from a significant height. Complaining about weight when you use "Small" supers, when the majority of commercial beekeepers use mediums. Yeah, you are not comparing apples to apples.
I made it halfway through... But it is obvious your position on the Flow Hive is slanted. That's unfortunate. I was looking for a fair "honest" review of the Flow Hive.
I don't know the climate where you have your bees, but if you are draining a frame of honey to lighten the load before picking up your super, you must be either in a warm climate with ample flowers or you're resorting to feeding your bees a lot of sugar in the winter. To just take honey whenever you want because your box is too heavy is not fair to the hive. There's a little bit more to harvesting than just taking when it's convenient for you. You, first, have to consider how much honey the bees need and then you can take the excess they do not need at the end of the season. That is a common complaint beekeepers have with people who own a flow hive is that they seem to think they can take honey whenever they want and not consider how it can harm the bees.
Also, a full flow super does not weigh 44lbs. The frames alone are 2.5lb each, plus the box and according to the flow website, each frame holds 6.5lb of honey. For a 7 frame box, you're looking at a box that weighs over 60 pounds!! That is a BIG difference.
Third, you can take a frame of honey out of a super anytime. You can harvest just 1 frame of honey from any kind of box any time you like. You do not have to wait until the entire box is full to harvest.
Fourth, I use only 1 deep box for my brood and it is the first box in my hive so it is almost never lifted up off the ground. The second brood box is a super and it is fairly light.
To be honest, it sounds like you're looking to yell at anyone who doesn't love the flow hive. In my video I talk about what I like about it and what I don't like about it. I mention how I've used it at properties with no kitchen so I can easily harvest without leaving the property. But i don't love it and I don't like that it encourages people to just take honey whenever they want as opposed to considering the hive and making sure they have enough first. It is a shame people are so angry about this product. It's just a gadget to make harvesting honey easier. That's all. There's no reason to be mean to people because they do or do not like it.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple THANK YOU SO MUCH for creating this video - I know nothing about beekeeping but would love to someday have a box or two. It seems that "MEAN Opinionated PEOPLE" are falling freely from the sky in these last 2 years. it is my prayer that you are able to IGNORE- IGNORANCE in any previous or nasty comments to come. Thank you for being different enough to create this video in this forum. I needed to see it and I needed to gather enough information to know that beekeeping withOUT gadgets will be the way I go - You have helped me immensely. I appreciate your honest review AND your opinion was SO WELCOMED!! may God continue to send prosperous bees your way. Thank you BMS
I think a lot of people forget who Flowhives target market is. Its going to be people like me who at max are going to have 2 hives. I know its recommended to have more. But some backyard bee keepers are limited by space. When I did a cost compareson my one flowhive was cheaper then buying the extractor, food grade buckets, a decapping knife, and not to mention the mess that comes with extracting honey.
I also dont have to worry about finding a large space to house all the processing equipment when im not using it. That for me is worth the money of the flowhive. As far as losing bees I am in a warm climate but I also feel that because I have less hives I can really tend to the hives I have. I am able to pay very close attention to whats goig on. If i need more education on seeing different hives i go and volunteer to help the bigger bee keepers in the area to do inspections for them and help them with any maintenance they need. This way i get a lot of exposure.
Also it was never mentioned about the flow hive drop board they have. I cant even tell you how helpful that board has been with wax moths, hive beetles, and verona mites(I still treat for mites every year but the ones the girls knock off never find their way back up to the brood chambers). I fill the tray with oil and the pests all fall in and drown. I can clean the board without bothering the bees too. Just saying if you have a bigger beekeeping footprint this probably isnt the product for you.
Thanks for the comment. That board under the hive can be purchased from any number of beekeeping supply sites for $30 and is a very helpful tool for pest management. Also, Im not sure why, but people seem to think they need an extractor when they have a couple of hives! If you see my crush and strain video, you'll see you can harvest honey with supplies you probably already have in your kitchen fairly quickly and easily. Extractors are for minimum 5 hives and uncapping knives are completely unnecessary even with 20 hives. Many local bee clubs also own an extractor and let members use the extractor on extracting days for free. I'm glad you like your flow hive, but it's totally not necessary or the cheapest option even with a couple of hives. Get yourself one honey bucket with a gate, a bread knife, fork and strainer and you are good to harvest frames of honey in an hour or so.
Right but that brings me back to my previous statement. Yes I can grab a bucket cut comb out crush it all and drain the honey. But then I'm left cleaning up the mess and the time it takes for setup. Also the left over wax is another issue at hand.
The target market for this product are urban and suburban bee keepers . It was a lot simpler and worth the extra money to just stick a key in and harvest the honey. From start to finish it took me 20 mins to harvest 21 3lb jars of honey and the girls can reuse the wax that is left from the cappings for whatever they desire (not to mention no stress for both myself and the bees) If I was looking to make myself a bigger production such as 5 plus hives absolutely the flow hive would not be a great investment or a great fit. But for people who are going to have 1-2 hives max it just makes sense. It was also such a great invention that brought way more people into the fold of beekeeping. I know for myself if there is anything or something that will make people care about the bees and get at least one person's attention then it's a win for us all in this community. I'm sorry you're experience was not a good one but I feel like you should have also included some positive points about it in your video as well.
I am curious why the Flowhive videos show that it takes an hour to fill 7 jars less than quart size jars and you can do 21 in 20 minutes? I also have to question your beekeeping expertise when you are saying 'verona' mites instead of Varroa mites. Dick Brickner @@staceyrodriguez6777
In Slovenia you can find from time to time some beekeeper trying to sell his flow hive to the next in line to be mugged.
What i take from this is you should use these flow hives for honey collection, but need to maintain excellent hygiene and health quality.
Oh my gosh! It sounds like I'm listening to myself with stuff that annoys me. Thank you so much again for the review. I would have hated this system. Plus the weight. Just like you said some people are wanting to do this into retirement well, that's me. Plus I've already had 2 knee replacements. I'm seriously going to marathon watch your vids!!
@resourcefulgirl
The weight "issue" (in this video) is actually quite comical. I find it hilarious that her biggest issue (that she mentions repeatedly throughout the entire video) is the WEIGHT because it just means that she isn't considering alternative options.
I would suggest looking into "Horizontal Hives". Layens Hives are also another good option (although this doesn't use the standard Langstroth size).
Horizontal Hives offer the best of both worlds. You don't have to worry about lifting up heavy boxes. You can easily access the brood area to check on the queen and the brood, etc... It literally solves just about almost every issue that she wanted to complain about, in this video.
Her complaints are specific to "Langstroth Hives" only. But Langstroth is not the only hive options available.
@@khione8044 Thank you. I just moved into my homestead 3 weeks ago and was discussing bees today.
@@resourcefulgirl You're welcome! Bees is something I definitely want to get into (despite the fact that I'm actually allergic to bees 😅)! So been researching different things to help reduce stress on the bees, etc... As well as safety gear.
While the Flow Frames is something that I have considered, I haven't made my decision on using them yet. (Yes, I know that a flow frame isn't a replacement from needing to open/inspect the hive)
Personally, I like the Layens style hives (they are a Horizontal Hive, but a different size frame). And I like the idea of using the cappings to get beeswax, so I don't mind the uncapping requirements. The larger frame (not the short frames shown in this video here) allows the bees to cluster together during winter, and allows more honey storage for them to feed off of, for each frame (since bees tend to not move around much during winter, depending on how cold your winter is). The deeper style frames allows for more food sources for them to navigate the cluster around, on each frame.
I'm currently researching on the different pests and diseases. What to look for during inspection and treatments, at the moment. Always something new to learn. 🥰 I'm loving how interesting beekeeping can be!
Also weekly inspections? Was under the impression inspections were a couple times a season, depending.
It is really up to the beekeeper. I've met people who almost never open their hive. I inspect my hives every 7-10 days in the Spring and Summer when there is a big honey flow. In the non honey seasons you can check less often but that is only assuming you don't have to worry about beetle infestations. Hive beetle can take over a hive pretty quick and it's best to see the early warning signs.
Sage, I agree with you. There is nothing to be gained by opening up hives on such a basis. Ask yourself, do proffessional honey producers drive out to their hives and open each and every one of them ever couple of weeks ??? Consider, they have 50 or even 100 maybe more. I don't think so. Once or twice a year, IMHO is good. By the way, when I first got my hives, I was told queens get kicked out after a year or two and is replaced by younger queen. After the fiasco with the wax moth, we opened up by first hive as well. This was TWO years old. Lo and behold, there was the OLD queen, glorius with her original markings on her back, proving they do not always get booted out. The bee expert with me, was lost for words.
@@itchyvet nothing unusual about a queen lasting 2 years, a commercial beekeeper would replace a queen 2 or older, i had 350 hives i never marked queens , just because shes young doesn't mean shes good. i would walk along row lifting lids any hive not as good as the best ones[ bee numbers thats where the honey comes from] she was bumped off , unless on inspection she was laying very well indicating vigourous young queen. if you had a wax moth '' fiasco'' you obviously weren't checking hive properly. wax moths take over when hive has or is dying out.queenless most likely. hobbyists should NOT use queen excluders. they make it faster for commercial beekeepers, and queen breeders need them. hobbyists are unlikely to delve into brood nest on a regular basis so they really have no idea about the health of the colony . there will usually be brood in second box ,quickly and easily checked .you can uncap around brood and extract it. a lot of hobbyists think grubs will fly out. only if your spinning too fast..
I’m tired of people giving bias opinion on the flow hive… it gets so much hate just because it may make people feel as though they don’t have to inspect the hives…. That’s like saying you don’t like safety belts because then you may feel you don’t have to drive safely.
I tried my best to be as specific as possible about the flow hive using scales and online bee supply sites to calculate weight and price differences. Honestly, if I was to complain about how the flow company misrepresents their product it is with how they show harvesting honey to be this inhumane act that kills tons of bees and then they show their flow hive magically pouring out honey without a single bee flying into the jar. That misrepresents honey harvesting. The beekeeper can put a fume board on a honey super and have that box totally empty of bees in minutes, no harming of bees necessary. And when you turn the tap on a flow hive, if your hive is heavily populated (which it should be if you're taking honey from it), there will be bees flying into your jars and in the tube where the honey is pouring out.
Saying to lift it by the wire lol, comparing a fully combed flow frame to an empty medium super frame, comparing a full flow hive super to a full medium super, on and on and on….
@@Noneya1775 I don't know where She got the the idea that Flowframes should be lifted by the wires from but it's certainly not from the manufacturers!!
My present from my son was 7 frame Cedar Flow Hive 2 over THOUSAND DOLLARS that went outside MAY 22 in MILD WEATHER of NEW JERSEY with few days of spring showers on & off. One of the reason paying for Cedar was that it would last longer. However, our brood box has split apart from one end to the other and 2 triangle part of the roof was splitting. ALL this within just few days, less than 2 weeks outside. This company blamed me for causing this by using Eco Wood treatment rather than using a natural wood for Cedar wood, literally calling me stupid. This company does NOT stand behind their product. Leaving me with a overpriced crap. At this point, rather than having a beautiful bee hive in my yard with my beautiful flowers & fruit trees (I planted them for my beautiful honey bees) I have this ugly brood box with shiny water proof caulking from one end to the other side. Also, the brood box has honey and nothing , there are flowers every day from early spring until the late fall here. My house is on the lake with water lilies, golden rods everywhere, flowers in my yard, flowers in my veg garden and flowering frees everywhere.
Also, Fred Dunn stated that the Eco Wood does NOT dry Cedar.
So at this point, I ended up with a overpriced broken Cedar Flow Hive.
you do relise fed dunn all so owns flowhives ie flowhiove clasic flowhive 2 flowhive 2+ all so i go on to say this even flow tham selfs recomend this It is important to protect the timber of your hive to ensure its longevity. We recommend painting all Araucaria hives and all roofs with at least two coats of good quality outdoor paint.
Western Red Cedar
Many beekeepers use oils such as Tung oil or Linseed, to treat their cedar timber components, however, when finishing with oils in wet climates, mildew (black mould) can grow on the surface of your hive. This will not affect the structural integrity of your hive and should not have any impact on your bees, but may not be the look you were anticipating.
It can be a challenge keeping wood outdoors looking like new, especially in wetter climates. If you wish for your hive to stay mould free and to maintain the natural timber look, we suggest you go to your local paint store and ask for a finish that will last outdoors.
Aside from mildew, wood outdoors will naturally turn to grey. If you want to prevent your hive from greying, it's recommended to use a finish with a tint. The tint helps shield the wood from UV which is what turns the wood grey.
When choosing a finish you'll have the choice of natural or non-natural finishes. If you go with a less natural finish we recommend you leave the inside of the timber boxes unfinished to keep the internal wood natural for the bees.
It is advisable to coat the inside of the window covers to stop these from expanding excessively in wet weather. If the finish has a strong smell it is recommended to leave it a few days before installing your bees.
It's important to note that we have had limited success in treating hives with varnish. If the treatment you are using is not breathable this can result in moisture from inside the hive affecting the external finish and producing mould or discolouration under the surface of your timber treatment.
We recommend painting all roofs, (even western red cedar), with at least two coats of good quality exterior paint for the longest and most effective protection.
Years ago I once saw an ad for a flow hive. Thinking to myself I thought WOW!! that's really an ingenious invention. The second thing I thought about was where is all the bees wax? Long story short, I bought a 6 frame Dadant extractor and saved a ton of money by not buying that ingenious flow hive invention. I still have the extractor and still works like it did the first time I used it. I also have lots of bees wax for candles which have come in handy a few times with power outages. I also use the bees wax on my boots, nuts & bolts, door hinges etc. Off the topic I bought a product in my 40's I'm 70 now, that gets ride of the moisture inside the beehive. It sits on top of the inner cover and you put the outer cover on top of this product, once it starts working it dumps the moisture outside the beehive. It requires nothing inside of it to work, no sawdust shavings or any type of wicking devices. This also is one ingenious invention, invented by an ingenious man, whom I'm sure has passed to the other side by now. Unfortunately I only bought one of these devices and it cost about as much as an outer cover at the time. All these years later I still have it and its still working :-)
Interesting! Thanks for sharing. I love it when you buy something and it lasts decades and you get a lot of use out of it. I'm not a gadget person or a fan of things that are mostly plastic and can't be fixed if a piece of it breaks.
Thank you.
I've bought one, based on (slick) marketing. Great idea that was destroyed by greed (my opinion).
Now I use top bar hive...more work but cost is also wayyyy less...
Top bars are super cheap to make. My first two hives were top bars. I find them a lot harder to overwinter and quite a pain to harvest but if you like them, go for it! They're great if you don't want to lift heavy equipment.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple thanks for replying!
If I may ask, is it ok to overwinter bees in.... garage? I live in New Jersey, and read somewhere that you can relocate bees for winter to a "warmer" place - I'm thinking about closing the hive and just feeding them during winter and then taking it out in early spring....
the WORK as you call it is the pleasure in beekeeping, not just turning on a tap '' BORING ''...
Thanks for your informative video 😊
My pleasure 😊
Please compare much time does it takes to harvest and bottle honey using traditional method versus flow hive. Include the time it takes to clean any harvesting equipment unique to each method, such as extractor, filters, tubing, etc.
The time it takes to harvest varies depending on the method you choose - extractor, crush and strain or flow hive - as well as how many frames you're harvesting from. To compare these items would be a little too time consuming and unnecessary in my opinion. I have extracted an entire super using the crush and strain method in about an hour and that did allow me to be inside, in a cool house, out of the sun and sitting down. Like I said, the flow hive is a gadget that can make the 1 day a year you harvest honey easier, BUT it can make other parts of beekeeping more difficult and it is more expensive. If you prefer to spend more money and save time, go buy a flow hive. If you'd rather not spend so much money on equipment, it can be done much cheaper using traditional, old-fashioned honey harvesting methods and a flow hive will neither prevent you from having to inspect your hive nor is it a necessary item in order to keep bees.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple L.O.L. I spent a small fortune in buying a centrifigal seperator as well as a press. The wax needs seperating, cleaning and processing. Quiet a task involved. Aside from the honey which also needs filtering numerous times to ensure all wax is removed. YES, you can HEAT the honey and make it easier, but doing that destroys the beneficial enzimes within the honey defeating the whole purpose of harvesting natural honey in the first place. And it's a very messy business.
It may be cheaper and easier to get honey. But a flow hive is bad for the bees in multiple ways and is trash when you have cold winters.
Gimmicks
@@alexklimox2036 Cold winters are not a problem in southern US. But I get what you mean.
Quickest, easiest harvest I’ve ever experienced, I pull up a seat, and fill the bottles i sell them from right there at the hive…no mess, no transferring from buckets and such to the bottles, straight from the hive to the bottle.
The point of flow hive is that you don't have to lift anything to harvest a full honey super.. you just have to crank a key..
Why is she picking up the box in the first place when the whole purpose of the flow Hive is to not have to pull frames or lift anything you're literally just putting the key in it turning it and cracking open the spicket and out comes the honey. So again my question to her is why is lifting the box to check your blue chamber even an issue when you shouldn't even have to check it at all. I've been keeping for 3 years now so I'm fairly new at it but I never check my brood Chambers. I'll check the frames on my top Super and when they're ready to pull an extract I'll pull them and extract them but if I had one of these flow systems then I would be constantly opening up the excess panel to check to see how full my frames are and extracting as soon as possible. I only extract once a year with the four hives I have, each of which have two supers on them so a total of eight supers that I extract every year and I only do it once a year.. but if I had one of these flow systems I would be checking them and extracting as much as possible. But it takes me an entire day to extract the honey using centrifugal extractor. And it's so messy and kills a ton of bees
The purpose of the flow hive is to make honey harvesting easier, but it does not mean you don't have to inspect your brood. The flow hive was invested in Australia where they don't have the varroa mite, so maybe a brood inspection is not necessary as often there, but in the majority of the world, you should be incorporating integrated pest management techniques to keep mite levels low. Or the very least, you should count your hive's mite levels and breed from the hives that handle mites well and merge the hives that cannot handle the mites. You should also be preventing your hives from swarming. This requires going into your brood boxes.
I strongly recommend taking a beekeeping class or reading the Beekeeping for dummies book. I think you need to learn what beekeeping is about.
Well, like you said, you are still new. I think you have some learning to do.
You have 4 hives and extract once a year and it takes all day, one whole day of your life wasted ,and you kill a ton of bees, what the F are you doing, i would not have expected any more than 30lbs of dead bees.....
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple how do you stop from pulling your hair out , i have been beekeeping 58 yrs most people won't listen to advice..
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple your wrong on that part wer reqierd by law to reguly check our hive not just for the brood but for other stuff such as chorkbrood and other ralated things only thing we dont have here in western australia is varroa
Who knew a gimmick from a small corner of the hobby world could cause such a stir? Thank you for your video! I've not tried the flow hive myself, but reviews I've had from a few people in SA say we have issues getting bees to accept the flow hives to begin with, so there's already a challenge out the gate. We keep over 500 hives at the moment and they're steadily increasing year on year. No way I'm standing in the sun waiting for 500+ hives to drain. I suppose the flow hive is great for the complete dedicated hobbyist, but I can't see this becoming a commercial setup. Just the cost of acquisition & maintenance will make the whole business difficult to keep going. Our climate in KZN is sub-tropical, so I hear you about plastic degradation. All of what I just said considered - I will say that I am happy to see that someone has tried something new and pushed the conventional and accepted way of doing things. If this makes beekeeping more accessible to people, then that's at least a win for the bees.
thank you so much for this in-depth review... I've been looking at the flow hive for some time, but was hesitant because of the plastic frames, I recently sampled some honey from a flow hive ( their 1st collection) & it seemed to have a slightly plastic taste... The biggest thing is the weight... I'm no "spring chicken" & I think it would spoil the joy of beekeeping having to weight lift each time ..
I have had my TWO Flo hives not for nearly three years. I have TWO brood boxes underneath either of the Flow boxes. The idea of the two, was to ensure enough supplies for the bees during winter. However, bees did not share this view as I was about to discover. Nearly 2 years ago, one of my hives was struck with WAX MOTH infestation. This happened so fast. One week during inspection there was no evidence at all of wax moth, two weeks later, just checking via the window supplied in the flow Hive, I saw large grubs crawling over the frame, I opened up the hive and discovered massive devastation therein on every frame. I lost the bees totally as a direct result. The frames were also a total loss. I manged to resurrect the Flow frames after cleaning and removing all pupae and larvae of the wax moth. Bought a new brood, instaled them in new brood box under the old cleaned out Flow hive. Getting to my second Flow hive, I discovered the second brood box was filled with honey on each and every frame. No brood or eggs at all, just straight out Honey. I was not geared up for harvesting honey from frames, the whole idea was Flow frames and harvesting that way. So I was quickly introduced into the OLD way of harvesting . IMHO, it is crude and cruel on the bees, upsets the brood immensely, and verifies my belief the Flow frame is the way to go, if you have respect for your bees and the job they do. When I harvest honey from the Flow frames, I don't kill/upset or loose any bees at all. Not a one. They continue doing what they do everyday, ignoring me harvesting their produce. Sure, the brood is still required to maintinance and over sight, I do this after harvesting the honey, the Flow box is much lighter then to remove. I replace FOUR frames every year to ensure frames are clean and spacious for brood. Touch wood, so far, no further issues and broods are thriving.
Since your second brood box is filled with honey why not just leave that for them over the winter that way you keep extracting out of the flow frames and never have to worry about them running out of honey over the winter.
I just bought a Flow hive on facepoop marketplace. I live in Hawaii too, Hilo. I was curious if you offer consulting services, as well as the purchase of a queen and colony of bees??
Hey there. I'm not selling bees anymore, and the new baby prevents me from making house calls. You're welcome to send me an email if you have a question or I have my online beekeeping class which includes mentorship. You can learn more about that at beekeepingmadesimple.com. For bees, I would go to the Big Island Beekeepers Association and see if anyone over there is currently selling bees. Last I heard, Peggy's husband was. He is in the volcano area. Keep an eye out for small hive beetles! They love that wet climate. Try to keep them in full sun.
The $499.00 3 frame flow hive they currently have , has 3 flow frames and 4 honey comb frames. It’s a hybrid set up they offer, so you can get both honey and honeycomb. It’s something I’m looking into, so thank you for your perspective!
Please provide an update. Interested too
Seems most people who want these are people looking for ways to obtain honey at home without the hassle of working for their honey, which seems like a bad mixup as these clearly still require a lot of maintenance. My opinion is, if the hassle of honeybee keeping with the traditional method is too much, likely the flow hive will be just as much a hassle for someone looking to half ass it.
Maybe take some inspiration from the hard working bee's your looking to profit off of, and put some effort in as well.
@@abraxsp5837 The BEES are making the honey, not the frame. There is still a lot of work to keep the bees healthy.
could u repeat the tube and bucket method?
I want a eco friendly/climate friendly/natural organic behave house. I do want to harm them . What do you all recommend
Thanks so much for this video! I was looking for reviews on the Flow Hive because I'm going to be new to beekeeping. They are offering really low prices right now and I've opted out of purchasing just between us :) Just subscribed. I'm almost done building on 20 acres and this will be one of my new adventures. Plus fruit trees, greenhouse, and chickens. I'm planning a farming retirement. I can't wait to watch your other videos and I know I will learn a lot!
don't go with the flow, is my advice , ex commercial, have a dozen hives in my retirement, 58 yrs beekeeping, i wouldn't take a dozen flow hives if they were free, i also would not take them and sell them, it would be unethical...
@@michaeljoncour4903 have you ever ow2ned a flow hive i mean the genuian artical if no i remend you quit dising flowhive when you dont know what your talking about
@@Wayne_Stream i don't need to own one to know they are a bad idea, over the last year i have helped a man in his mid eighties to establish a hive and teach him what i knew he bought a 2 frame extractor for 150 dollars and i helped him take off 10 frames and extract them , it took three quarters of an hour and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. he does NOT want a flowhive, i recommend'' you sit on it''.
Flo Hive have really good marketing which had me ready to buy... until i saw the price. Recently their marketing attracted me again and I was considering gifting myself a full kit $1600AUD). I have multiple locations where a hive could be placed and the cost of multiple hives is very high and I wondered if i will produce too much honey. Your video has me thinking about buying multiple bee "hotels" instead. I do wonder if bee hotels really work. Have you reviewed these?
I made a bee hotel and have one by my house. It has attracted leafcutter bees. what you should do depends on what you're trying to do. If you want to help pollinators, then planting food for them, especially plants that flower during the times of year that is a low nectar season is best as well as not spraying pesticides in and supporting organic farms. If you want to attract pollinators to your garden for the pollination, then putting some honeybees or buying a solitary bee hotel and purchasing bees for it would be best. The thing is, you should really consider why bees aren't in the area already. What I've found is that when people say they want bees on their property but rarely see bees, when I put hives there the bees don't do well. Bees go in a 3 mile radius around their hive. They can travel pretty far. If an area was attractive enough, they would be there already. The flow hive does not make it easier to keep bees in any way except the one or two days a year you are harvesting honey.
I may have missed it but in another video I saw, the guy was saying that when you try to release the honey and the grid moves, any bee that is in the process of filling one of the cells will be injured. It seemed to me that the bee would lose her head in the process...
When you turn the key to allow the honey to flow out, the frame is in the box, so it would be very hard to know whether this was happening. However, I will say that honeybees move fast. They detect motion differently than humans and it is hard to accidentally squish a bee by moving something slowly, especially if they are in a space that is not crowded and they are able to get out of the way. As long as you turn the key slowly, I would think this wouldn't be a problem. If you were still concerned about it, you could use a bee escape or put smoke into the box to get a lot of the bees to move to a different area of the hive.
Votre analyse est assez pertinente et c'est exactement ce que j'expérimente avec une Flow Hive, ça me parait vraiment trop cher, car j'ai les même arguments que vous sur l'autonomie, ou faire des économies.
Gurl, be grateful you are able to buy one to give it away. I dont have one yet but will buy if I am able to. You started the video with a negative attitude, there's many of us that can't afford to have all the other regular supplies needed to extract the honey. Fix those boxes, your bees deserve better!!
The best piece of advice I have learned for a beginner beekeeper was to join a local bee keeping association. Take that year and get educated. I just joined one in Tucson Arizona. I plan on following that advice!
Thank you for informations. I'm from Indonesian in Asia. Nice to meet you.
Excellent review. Thank you!
I have never seen such a jaded, one sided review of a product, I have 5 flow hives and I have never had any issues with any of them. The question I have to ask is, what the heck did you do to destroy you flow hives so quickly? It's not normal levels of damage!
I'm really just so confused by some of these comments like this. I guess you watched the beginning where I say what I am not a fan of, skipped over the part about what I like about the hive and now think it's okay to leave a rude comment? How can you possibly comment on a video when you didn't even watch all of it? To answer your question, I am in Hawaii, where we are closer to the sun and keep bees year round. The hive was given to me by someone else who bought and painted it, so possibly the paint used was indoor paint. But this hive is a few years old. He bought it when it was in the crowdfunding stage. This is what happens to plastic in tropical areas. Wood will last much much longer.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple I'm in Sydney, similar weather to Hawaii, I have a super on 365 days a year so the flow supers get used and drained regularly, it's possible the paint did cause a speed up of damage of your boxes, also the first owner might not have constructed the boxes correctly, all are possible in that respect. What I am more critical of is the way you have used the flow hive incorrectly, made it out like this is the fault of the product, instead of your own shortcomings.
1. almost all bee hives sold (regardless of the brand) sell 1 x super and 1 x brood box combo, so why should Flow hives sell a different amount? You can buy additional equipment from the flow website, so if you need an extra super or brood box, you can get it hassle free, so why complain about the number of boxes offered???
2. You place a standard super above the flow super and wonder why the bees bypassed it, bees build top to bottom, of course they are going to fill the top box first, so why is that the fault of the Flow Super??? That's a situation you caused.
3. In the manual and in multiple videos, it clearly states the super gets heavy when full, so why is that the fault of Flow Hives??? The same can be said for any full hive super, yet you neglect to mention that comparison, only singling out the Flow hives weight. Again, a problem you have, not the fault of flow.
The standard response from almost all established beekeepers, "don't get a flow hive" this response is so tiring and sad, I get it, you have invested in extractors, all the boxes, frames, gear etc, so why would you recommend the more expensive flow system, again, some perspective would be nice, instead of crapping on the flow systems in your passive aggressive manner.
If you dislike something, that's OK, I respect you have had a poor experience with your flow hive and welcome your experience in using it, but be fair as to why you dislike it, there is fine line between personal and fact-based reviews, if you are going to make it personal, be very clear that your review is not based on a fair factual comparison.
My only question is why do you hate the Flow Hive so much when it is actually a good product, expensive but good, most of what you talked about was either untrue or greatly exaggerated yes it does have it ups and downs but so do regular hives, it also appears that you didn't understand how to properly use the flow hive and you were actually doing some things wrong. In your demonstration you used a old, beat-up and broken hive box which can only mean you purposely meant to put down and degrade this product...... I have been bee keeping for 10 Years and had 20 hives and it was back breaking work I tried the flow hive almost 2 years ago and made 2 full harvests last year and about to make my second one this year so it does work and a lot easier on my back, my hive boxes are still in great shape and will last just as long as standard hive boxes, I will get more and I do recommend them.
This is exactly why I am looking into the Flow Hive. I had 3 hives in California at the base of our acre property. It was back breaking for sure! I am almost 60 and really need to scale down the amount of lifting. We live in a snowy state now so I need to learn about that. Did you start off with just 1 Flow Hive? or do you have other hives with it. My husband wants me to start off with 2 which I understand, but want to make sure I can do this hobby in Utah.
The bees eat the honey in the frames in the 2 brood boxes.
I live in an area with many bee keepers, both hobby and commercial. I buy my honey from a small local producer and am very happy. great taste and convenient. I have been invited to go with him when inspecting hives but stings are an issue for me
dont ware dark colers allways sute up and donot weare fragrence or deoradrents bees can easaly pick up on that kind of thing
We want our own hive so we can get honey to bake and cook with. I use a pint sized jar every 2 weeks
Hy am from india and want to honey so plz tell me should i purchase or not flow hive
All great information thanks for sharing this. Although we have a flow hive, I agree that you still have to work/inspect the whole hive. After all it’s called bee keeping not bee having. Sorry for the pun. Some of the new flow hives are better constructed now than the original one. When we do our next hive it probably won’t be a flow hive. Although I do like the look of the hybrid version they have. However they are expensive due to the patent they have on it. Great for the hobbyists, but like you said I can buy a normal hive for so much less. Thanks again TrickyTrev 🇦🇺👍🐝🐝🍯🍯🍯ps I do work with native Australian bees that are stingless. Not much honey but a lot easier to manage. It you have time you can see them on my TH-cam channel.
Good point! I'm not sure what year the flow hive I'm using was built, but I think it was one of the first models. I have heard that they continue to improve the design, and yes the design is really attractive. I have seen videos of stingless bees before. So fascinating! A friend of mine used to keep them in Brazil. I'll check out your video.
Stingless?? 😨 OMG. How is that? It would be better for them because they wouldn' t die if they get angry with me... But how do they defend themselves? 🙄 Could you please explain it to me... I am just curious.
@@isauracarrasco4752 yes they bite to defend themselves like ants do. But only if you really upset them they'll bite you. Also some of the different types of stingless bees don't normally bite at all. Hope this helps. I can let you know about almost anything on them if you like, if I don’t know the answer I’ll find it out for you.👍👍🐝🐝🍯🍯
@@TrickyTrev01 Thanks for the response, Trevor! I would absolutely love to see a stingless hive in person one day. Bees are so amazing!
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple I believe that there’s some stingless bees in South America, like Brazil and the Amazon also Phillipines, Africa, Asia and Papua New Guinea. There are eleven species of Australian native bees. 6 are Tetragonal and 2 of them are shared with Asia. 5 species of Austoplebeia which are both in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Hope this helps.👍👍🐝🐝🍯🍯
I bought the same ones from Alibaba at only a fraction of the price. I reckon they’re counterfeits, but work just as well in my garden here in the UK. Though the wooden roof doesn’t smell like a proper cedar as they claimed to be.
Dear Dr James Allen. I have yet to give an opinion on the suitability of the Flow hive from the bees point of view. I thought the timber roof needed much betterment so bent a piece of Corex to cover the timber roof with a decent overhang all round which in any case weathers everything under it thereby lengthening the longevity of the hive. As an engineer I liked the idea which was quickly copied by the Chinese.
I had to smile when someone said= in China it's like the wild west re patents!
Even Amazon are not immune from selling those hives at ridiculous money........
which can be upgraded without costing vast amounts of honey --- sorry money!
This review was ridiculous. MadDavo explains it perfectly.
There are flow hives on ebay with 2 levels.. for less than $300. Is this not the same "flow hive'?
I don't think her flow hive tutorial was harsh what so ever; instead very factual. We couldn't believe how heavy the flow hive supper and flow frame were compare to our traditional supper. It takes two people to left the flow hive supper to inspect the brood box, so your more likely to not want to inspect them. If I had known the pro's and con's, I wouldn't have bought a flow hive. Not an easy system and expensive then traditional bee hives!
Thanks for the response. Each individual flow frame weighs 2.5lb ! It adds up.
Do you think the bees will make a perfect hexagon if the frame key doesn't return back to closed position right? Thank you James
I know if the frames aren't returned back to position, the honey can flow out the back and won't be stored in the cells. If it's just slightly off, I'm not sure if that would be a problem. I doubt it would be a perfect hexagon would there would be a jagged edge on two sides, but I don't know if that would be a problem for the bees.
I disagree with you. The time you extract honey plus afterward washing is a big hassle and super time consuming. Time is money. Moreover, when you use an extractor, you are mixing all different flavors of honey together. On the other hand when using Flow Hive, you can jar different favor of honey separately at your fingertips and don't even need to suit up. Lastly, you seem to be quite rough to your equipment's.
If you're really going to say "time is money" when it comes to being a hobby beekeeper, stop yourself right there before you waste $1,000+ on your equipment and bees and just buy yourself some honey. Seriously, hobbies are something you do for fun. If what you want is to have a bunch of honey without having to do too much work, then just spend a few hundred dollars on a 5 gallon bucket of honey and be done with it. You'll save much more time and money.
Second, you maybe can harvest different kinds of honey with each frame. BUT, if your bees are in a good location (which hopefully they are), they should be going to one floral source for at least a few frames. Where I have my flow hive, the Kiawe trees go off and the flow super is full with pretty much all kiawe honey in 8 weeks. There's no different honey in each jar and I don't see why you would want a different tasting honey in each jar, especially if you were trying to sell it. People want to sample the honey at a market and then buy that honey they just sampled. They don't want to be told that every jar is different.
Third, beekeeping equipment is supposed to withstand a lot. It is kept outside in the elements. It is not supposed to be treated delicately. It is a wooden box that is used in farming. If you are going to pay a premium price for your bee equipment, you shouldn't have to be gentle with it. I have boxes that I built myself with a mini table saw 8 years ago that are still doing well and are used year round. It cost me $20 to make from some pieces of pine.
Yes, her review is full of velvet daggers, this system is as easy as it gets and harvest is the cleanest, quickest most bee friendly way you’ll ever find.
Thanks for the video. I liked hearing about some of the cons of the product the real people experienced.
Glad it was helpful!
So much great information! ThkQ 🙏
First Rate Comprehensive Review..... Your thoughts and experiences were just excellent to take into consideration... Much Much Gratitude!
You should weigh the Wooden Frames when they have been built-up
Yes, technically, but when you weigh a frame with foundation built on it, it weighs a couple ounces more. The point I wanted to make that the flow hive frames adds weight to the box and makes beekeeping more work when inspecting a hive.
I never heard of 3 frame hive
Probably a trial for 'Nuc' use...
I use Slovenian made Wooden Nuc Boxes as my Hive setup, here in Scotland... Brood, Super, Super, Super etc. "Skyscraper esq Hives." 🤗
All Deep Boxes, using Langstroth Deep Frames.
Just mix n match to who needs what, where. No brace comb, no random wild comb, no fragile bits hanging off under a shallower frame.... 😱
Works a treat...
Good Brood, good Nectar, good on my Back (!) And, 'super easy' to just take off each level, have a quick peek, re stack and leave.... Simples. 😏
I do regular new frame adding to the Brood Chamber, on a regular basis.... A Must in high season.... Poor Queen thinks, I just laid it only a matter of days back? Do it again !?! Perfect Swarm control... 'borrow' (steal capped brood) to make/donate to other Hive Bee populations, or do Splits.
Nice and easy...
Works for me. Who needs a x10 Box, or a Flow Hive.
Beekeeping need not be hard or costly ! (Sorry Flow Hive.) It's a pricey 'Fad' Bee Hive... 😱
We never considered bee keeping until we saw an ad for a Flow Hive. We are so happy with our Flow Hive purchase! I think there are a lot of people out there , like us, now caring for bees that never would've done it before had it not been for Flow Hive. And that is a great thing for the beekeeping community and our ecosystem.
Golly, there are some haters on this comment section and the percentage of downvotes.
I have never used a flow hive. Since I don't find extracting to be a problem, I have close to zero interest in using a flow hive.
I think you did a great job explaining the difference in pricing and usage.
Other notes: I have never had a problem with bees getting stuck in the queen exclude or have an effect on honey production. Are you sure the super poundage is correct? I have weighed mine and they generally weigh over 40 pounds.
LOL there are, isn't it funny? I assumed videos about treating would have negative comments, but wasn't expecting the outrage because I don't love the flow hive. I think since I don't use foundation, some of my hives just make drone comb extra large and that's why they get stuck in the queen excluder. I'm not 100% about the exact weight of the boxes. I looked on a few reputable sites and they said it was about 35lb for a super and 45 lb for a medium box. A flow hive honey box is a deep, so either way, it is going to be at least 10 lb heavier than a medium box.
The only reason-that I have-for splurging on a flow hive is it’s novelty and differentiation from typical langs. The price of them is a dead giveaway as to the level of efficiency and utility that the hive provides over a lang-the components that are unique over typical hives are all made of plastic… the price shouldn’t be extortionately high as a result. Seems like more of a bandwagon thing than an actual “revolutionary” idea.
Thanks ❤️👍
Very informative. I always look for reviews for products and so many are "This sucks because I know." Yours actually had pros and cons filled with you opinions and some facts to support it. Yes honey extraction is so much easier but the cost if you are going to continue growing more hives can offset any profits to support your hobby. The talk of heavy applies in my case but another is the very harsh winters here become a major concern. This is something you pointed out and I am very glad you did.
Thank you! It's a relief to see someone actually got what I was trying to say!
how long do these plastic things last under normal wear, please?
The honey flow in Hawaii probably occurs year round unlike our seasonal flow here in middle Tennessee. I saw in one comment that the flow hive produces about half the honey that a Lang does. Our main flow starts in mid April and runs through May, some of my colonies adding 200 of weight in this time frame. I don't see how a flow hive could ever hold a flow of this magnitude since you can not pull the honey out of the frames until it is cured and capped. I am also curious as to what the frequency of swarms is from the flow hives versus the Langs.
flow hive is just a langstroth hive the only diffrents is the super is modafyed to hold flowframes
That is what she mentions early in the video, so what is your comment on the pro or con of flow hives? @@Wayne_Stream
@@R_Brickner pro no more messy honey exstration during honey harvest no more needing to buy exspensive gare ie contrafush ( spinner ) strainers buckets filyter con if your into tradisinal honey exstracion than flowhive frams arnt for you as you love to be down and dirty or should i say sticky
You are missing the point I made 10 months ago about Flow Hives. If I wanted enough flow hives to harvest the volume of honey my 12 Langstroth hives produce, I would have to invest $30,000 US dollars in Flow Hives. It also would take 1 hour or longer to drain the Flow Hive, so setting up to drain all the hives simultaneously would be a night mare. I don't know why the bees in the Flow Hive videos are not all over the jar that is being filled. We have to do extracting in a closed building or we would have thousands of bees helping us. I also saw some contaminants in some of the jars in those videos. Would you want to sell honey with mites, bee legs, or small hive beetle parts in it. I will always filter my honey. Again, another main issue is how many times does a flow hive swarm with its single brood nest and honey super confining an expanding brood population.
@@R_Brickner and your missing my point flow do offer hints tips even views of thare live qna gives tips flowhive is just a hive only difrence is the exstraction prosess no need for strainers or contrafuge ie spinners since you harvest the hony from the fram tell me do you own any flowhives if not how would you know thares a saying in the beekeeping world dont knowck somting till you try it your self no offence but seriuasly most beeks dont have a flowhive yet thay knock it as being a bad product its not its a reguler beehive in my view each and every beehive has its pros and cons
Thank you for the highly informed tips and the exact information I'm looking for
Its interesting that you had this video. Just recently someone in my area had 2 flow hives. And over the winter (or late fall, or early spring) both absconded. They only had 2 flow hives. 100% Absconding looks sort of daunting to me to use something like that, that's also expensive.
It makes it look like things that don't look and smell natural can have extra problems. But I don't hate flow hives or have anything against them. But I do want to avoid problems.
It does seem like the biggest danger to me is that people who use this would be tempted to get the honey without paying attention to the natural nectar flow calendar of their area.
Your video is very valuable as we're not trying to either demote or promote but just to be aware and learn and know. So if people bothered you about this video they may have misunderstood this concept. You are always better off knowing as much as you can of anything.
Thanks! Yes, as I mention later on, I still use my flow hive! I have it at the resort and it's super helpful. I consider the flow hive to be a gadget that can make beekeeping easier, but can also make getting started harder. I recommend beginners buy an extra deep box and honey super to help with these common beginner problems.
I wonder if they were checking the brood box though. If they had and saw the queen cells they should have split the hive.
Good reply. Nice to see people just communicating.
I don't think one could draw the conclusion that having a FlowHive would cause them to abscond. My guess is that they absconded for some other reason, and they just happened to be in a flow hive. I have two of them. Not a big fan of them, and they have never done well. Live and learn I guess.
You lift that box where the window door was 😏 and you Don't lift a Flow Frame by the wire! 🙄 You lift it by the sides like other frames. 🥰 and I take an empty spare box to the work area and I pull frames. I don't lift a full box. 🥰
You are correct
Thank you for your insight
Interesting video. However the flow hive has made be interested in bee keeping.
Good video but a few observations;
1st you don"t have to lift the flow hive when full you remove honey from each frame. It only becomes an issue if you have to remove it to inspect lower boxes. Yes frames are pricey but how many have you broke and had to replace?
No problem with acceptance, they started working it but the box underneath it was 80% full before I added the flow.
I like not having to have all of the additional equipment such as extractors or wax cutters or space for processing.
Comes down to what works for you...
I agree completely. The flow hive is a great option for people with a few hives who don't want the extractor. Some bee clubs have a community extractor people can use for free as a member, which is what I did as a beginner.
It's up to the beekeeper how you choose to inspect your hives, but I lift my supers off the hive in order to check on the brood. Here in Hawaii, bees will swarm often if you do not continue to create space in the brood from Spring to Fall. At that time of year, I'm checking the bees every 1-2 weeks.
I broke 1 frame so far. Plastic doesn't last as long here in a tropical climate, so I'm not sure the life of the frames in other areas. I've been beekeeping for 10 years and we keep bees year round. I'm used to wooden frames that last 10 years and when an ear breaks, we use a frame saver to fix the side and get another 5 years out of it. If beekeeping is a hobby for you and you're fine with the extra cost, this isn't as issue for you. I think it's important that people who don't have a lot of money to spend on equipment know that there are other options.
Absolutely excellent video! (Except if you have already spent all your money on a flowhive) It is true that the flowhive is bit of a “gimmick” but it is one that may get more into the hobby. For me the take away is there is a reason the industry does it a certain way and you will not be taken seriously and be able to claim you raise bees with this method. It is better to learn from the ones who do it the traditional way and not rely on shortcuts that cost you much more to begin and locks you in to a single source system that will cost much more to scale and maintain. For me the answer is clear, as it is with almost any endeavour: “do it the right way to begin with”
Thank you. Yes, going with a flow hive, it will be a lot more expensive to scale up and you are locked into purchasing parts from them. The last time I ordered from their website, they were out of stock and I had to wait 2 months and there was nothing on the website saying it was out of stock, I had to contact them when it didn't arrive. I prefer simpler equipment that you can make yourself and fix if needed. You can definitely claim you raise bees if you have a flow hive. The flow hive doesn't make beekeeping easier in any way except the one day a year you're harvesting your honey. It doesn't care for the bees for you, so if you can keep a hive alive for a year in a flow hive, to me, you're just as good of a beekeeper as anyone else. I've, actually, found it harder to keep bees in the flow hive than the tradition hives, but that may be because I was taught beekeeping a certain way.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple flowhive the same as tradisnal hives only difrence is no need for an exstractor i my self have a langsroth hive and exstreactor decomer and my first year back in 2020 i exstrected about 8 jars of honey from one hive the only resen why im getting a flowhive is becose my langs is getting on and its shows all so you need to be shure to tell pepole flow hives are good like tradinasl hives but its not a set and forghet thing just like tradisinal hhives flowhives still reqier the standed beekeeping practice of inspection etc
i have both started out with tradisinal rout vary time contumeing and harmfull to bees ive got a flowhive 2+ gental to the bees no mess as i watch each of cedar vids
I thank you for your review video. It was helpful for me, because it gave me the answer I was looking for. I am certainly going to get one of those one day, because that is what bee keeping is all about and not saving time and letting some automatic robot system to take care of your bee colony. It is almost like buying a dog and then let a robot walk it, feed it, play with it, etc. I'm sorry to see it that way. You are correct to complain about the pricing, but is only because they don't have a competitor for such a product. So wait until it catches on and others will follow with a cheaper version of the same quality if not better. Remember Apple iPhone.
Thank you for the video. I’m sorry there are so many nasty comments. I agree the comparison of an empty wooden frame with an “empty” flow frame is not comparable as the wooden frame does not include the comb, but you also compared the weights of full frames. Like the idea that you can empty some frames before lifting to inspect. You made a lot of good points and gave good food for thought. Before considering one, I have more homework to do. I agree that the impression they give is that it is all as easy as the harvest; clearly it is much more complicated, especially if you do it right. I will continue with my research before I consider a purchase. Thank you again for your effort and sharing of knowledge.
Thanks!
Wow as a construction working 300 for a bee hive is alot