Thank you for sharing your experiences and informative information Fredrick. Although we’re in Australia 🇦🇺 in a warmer environment it’s great to see what happens elsewhere in the world.👍👍🐝🐝🐝🐝
Hi Fred ! I don’t use screened bottom boards , we never have , years ago we didn’t either and we flipped the small entrance upwards so the dead bees don’t block the entrance, years ago we had two small holes for the bees , one hi , one low, now years ago we didn’t have varoa mites to worry about, we didn’t have feeder shims years ago but we used a hive body for a shim , and we rarely added food for the bees , the bees did get fed around the beginning of March, our bees used mason jars , we cut the top panels to hold a mason jar or a pickle jar, and it seems like we rarely lost a colony out of 400 hives , and now just getting back into bees after a super long 25 years +its like the whole world is changed , there’s beetles , wax moths that have been around forever but our hives we’re always full and moths were never a problem, it seemed like our bees years ago were hearty and a tad larger , I guess what I’m saying is I’m more stressed out now over making sure I do everything right in this new world modern bee keeping with this new challenge of parasitic destructors and by god I’ve never seen so many professional bee keepers as you do now on RUclips and I don’t feel so prestigious as a beekeeper as I once did because in Maryland, Texas and Tennessee my family was in the respected hi ranks of beekeepers and natural gas wells , the Dentons were well known years ago and now everyone is a bee haver or bee keeper lol 😂 my youngest great uncle Parks Denton was my mentor, he made money with natural gas and made a living with honeybees, bees were the love of his life, I have always been fascinated with them and love honey 🍯 as much as Pooh bear but when I developed an allergy to bee venom I lost my nerve and the fear got the best of me but now I am over the fear and back into the bees , I keep telling myself I’m not going to have more than 30 hives and definitely not 400+ hives but I’m finding myself building and collecting 30+ hives in less than a year and just today I’ve talked myself into building a couple horizontal hives 🤣 and now I keep asking myself far too many questions and worrying about too many things , from to feed over winter or not feed , or how much ventilation to I keep over the winter ?? Just one small inverted entrance at the bottom?? I was going to make it simple and just keep bees like we used to but then my brain woke up and said I better research what works the best for well educated bee keepers like yourself and I should get with the times 😀
You gotta be near me with snow like that (ashtabula),,,im gonna put syrup feeders where theres honey in brood boxes an put 2 brood boxes-10 frames of honey above for Jan-Feb,,,watchin ur fav show,,McHales Navy,,im an ex-electronics engineer jarhead
Frederick I hope you are OK? Love the educational always interesting and entertaining videos . Normal cold weather here in the UK at freezing for a week. I have a bit of 70mm PVC pipe that allows 10 c to peculate into the underside of the open mesh floor. The lowest temp I've seen right above the cluster was 8.6 C so I believe they are still alive. I gassed 60 mites as I said but I'm anxious there were more left. I see the German's and others are into heating brood frames to 42 C to kill mites. One of their sessions is middle of April! I am still concerned on a warm day to Oxalic acid fume again at 160C. Fred when is the next time you will do yours again after the single treatment you did in the early winter of 2021? Best wishes and thank you sincerely.
I really appreciated your winter prep segment. For 2 years I have used a vivladi board with burlap thinking i wanted the moisture to escape up top. This winter I think will try R10 styrofoam right ontop of the inner cover. Is there any harm in putting newspaper and sugar ontop of the frames in the late fall?
Hey there, Oh I'm glad it was useful for you. We can't over emphasise the value of seeking local advice specific to your climate so hopefully someone closer to you can chime in here, otherwise maybe ask at your local beekeeping club? Best of luck and let us know how you go. - Danika
With my first winter 4 months away, this video was so helpful. Yet, I'm not certain which entrance or entrances you mentioned to keep open. Were you suggesting to only have a bottom entrance? Thank you my friend. I'm always grateful. Brad
Hi Fred- I'm down here on Saddlehorn drive, Erie. I've got two colonies that swarmed late in the season. Is it too late to combine them, and load them up with dry sugar? They're about 100 yards away from each other.
Hey Kent, Thanks for your question. If Fred doesn't see this comment here per chance, we can't emphasise enough the value of local beekeeping mentors/connecting with your local beekeeping club. You may find these yourself, or here are a couple of links to help too, our online directory of Flow affiliated beekeeping clubs and our online community forum, specifically the Connect With Locals section: www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory forum.honeyflow.com/c/connect-with-locals/23 Hope this helps! - Danika
Hi Mr Dunn, question about my hives when I went to them should I stack them on top of each other to keep the heat in or do you think it would be better to keep them single I'm in northern Michigan.
You can although the wind is only usually an issue in our climate when opening the hive. Check in with local beekeepers and week what they recommend for your climate :) - Sam
How do you work out the timing of adding emergency sugar in winter? There's the possibility that someone may have to do it. So if they do, how would you work out checks for emergency sugar, the timing, and doing it?
Noah, From watching his other videos, use a feeding shim (spl?) if you have no honey super on top of the brood box. He uses a round rapid feeder with DRY sugar. So, your configuration may look like: brood box, feeder shim, outer cover. I had to feed my bees, and i had no honey super. so my configuration was: brood box, inner cover/feeder shim combo, inner cover ( because i had no round rapid feeder), then bee smart insulated outer cover.
Hey there, Hmmm, it depends on various factors such as the unique climate, the developmental phase of the colony (ie. when they're first setting up and if you're letting them draw out their own comb, I'd recommend checking on them once a week as they build, to prevent cross comb) the time of the year, and health of that colony etc. For these reasons we can't emphasise enough the value of local beekeeping mentors/connecting with your local beekeeping club. You may find these yourself, or here are a couple of links to help too, our online directory of Flow affiliated beekeeping clubs and our online community forum, specifically the Connect With Locals section: www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory forum.honeyflow.com/c/connect-with-locals/23 I hope this helps! - Danika
So when I get my first nuc, (just 5 frames) should I wait to add the 2nd box until after they fill out the entire bottom brood box or can I add it right after the nuc has been moved to the hive? I am hearing different methods from different beekeepers in my area. I live in Northern Oklahoma if that helps......
You don't want to give a colony to much empty space immediately. As they might struggle to manage the space and this could cause a delay in them foraging and expanding. Allow the bees to build out the brood frames in the bottom brood box first, then once they have a strong population they will welcome the extra space. We recommend to add the Flow Super before a second brood box, allowing the bees to work on these, then add the additional brood box below the Flow Super, this way the bees will be working on the Flow Frames and have honey stores to support the second brood box. Otherwise you might see a delay in the first year, with two deep brood boxes a large enough space for most colonies. -Kieran
Hey Paula, thanks for your question - it's really tricky to advise on specific decisions like this from so far away, and without knowing your local climate, recent weather, particular colony and its health/population density/history etc etc. For these reasons we always recommend joining your local beekeeping club when possible - are you connected with them at all - or a beekeeping mentor some other way? www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory The second best/additional option is to also hop onto our online community forum, specifically the section called Connect With Locals and seek out informed opinions on this by beekeepers in your area. forum.honeyflow.com/c/connect-with-locals/23 Please let us know how you go with these avenues, and if you have no luck with these we can ascertain a bit more information and strive to help you :)
Hello there, I've noticed that on some beehives the Flow Super stayed on the Brood Box during winter. I am not sure if the boxes were transformed into a second brood box or if it stayed as the honey flow box. I was wondering would it be possible to leave the Flow Super on for the winter with some honey for the bees to be able to feed on during the winter? So we wouldn't take all of it from them? Or it's not a good idea because then they would have too much space to heat up and it's contra effective? I am very new to this and we live in a similar cold climate as was illustrated in the video. Thank you
From what I have studied watching these videos is to Always keep a honey super on during the winter (the 2nd box with stored honey in it) it is the 2nd box. The Flow Hive (the 3rd box) sits on it during the summer, the bees will feed on the 2nd box, you never take honey from the 2nd box as it is for the bees only. You take from the 3rd box or Flow Hive box. Always remove the Flow Super and store it threw the winter months, the bees do not use it in cold climates, they stay in the bottom brood box or gather honey from the honey super and take it back down to the cluster. But MOST importantly, if they need to gradually move up into the 2nd box, or Honey Super, as the winter cold progresses, and you have removed it, it would be impossible for them to move the cluster and queen into a Flow Hive, it is not designed to keep clusters. So they never move into the Flow super during winter cold months, if that is your 2nd box they may starve out due to lack of a Honey Super. You cant put supplemental feedings onto a Flow Hive super either, so there is no way to give additional dry sugar support to your bees. The freezing cold may not be good on the Flow Super.
PS. the sugar is for emergency feed, not for the bees to live off as it lacks minerals, vitamins and enzymes that the honey has to keep the colony healthy. The sugar is only simple carbs. That is why it is important to leave the 2nd box or the Honey Super on top of the 1st box thru the winter
Hi Kimberlee, we do recommend that you speak with local beekeepers. here is some information about wintering in cold climates support.honeyflow.com/can-i-use-flow-in-cold-or-freezing-conditions/ - Sam
Lots of insulation Kimberlee. I have the same arctic weather. I use a moisture board up top and I insulate the hive bodies and the top cover. I also do not use top vents.
Dear Frederick I cannot find any technical data re temperatures right above the cluster. I have a couple of digital thermometers with capillary tubes and probes. These are cheap as chips from China. I must say they are extremely accurate in deg C. I have one outside and one right above the cluster on the frame. I noticed this morning after the first bad frost the temp above the cluster was twice that outside but was 12.8 C. Do you take these temp at all? I am keen to know what is the average temp above the cluster when it's freezing? The day before and day by day before today usually their above cluster temp is 22C. The hive is all insulated -2" EXP -ali coated both sides. I admit there is a 3/4 hole in the top insulation. In the summer I covered that hole and the bottom sheet under the open mesh floor was vert wet. I removed the block and the hive has been relatively free of condensate wetness. Did you know a southern Welsh chap says he needs to make sure his hives have a little ventilation..... His climate is wet! He says he would never not have the open mesh floor with a small bit of ventilation. I realise this subject of a small amount of ventilation is controversial. Some say the bees will block up any top vent. These bees haven't blocked the small vent. Would they if they think they are cold I ask myself. They seem to have stopped taking fondant in the top feeder. which is also insulated. I saw a German vid that says they keep some hives inside at 5 degC and that helps in not losing colonies to the big freezes they have on the mountains there. Rather like bringing the sheep and the cows down to warmer pastures?
I have a hive inside the wall of my house any way i can get the queen to come into a box its going into 4 yrs ...cant break the wall just need them to go into the box
There are methods of getting the bees to transfer from a wall cavity into a hive, it does require linking the entrance of the current hive so they have to move through the hive you want them to establish instead, it can also require putting in a deterrent so the bees want to leave their current space. You would do best seeking assistance from a professional beekeeper to help with this. -Kieran
Hi Mr Dunn, so I started off really strong with four hives not exactly sure went wrong, long story short I'm down to two hives both Queens died during the dearth and I had to combine them it is now December 4th I have no Queen I found her dead on the bottom board cannot find anybody willing to help me out with a queen to save at least one hive bums me out what do you think the best way to go is to save at least this hive 20 frame hive now down to five frames of bees seems like they're dying out day by day when I look at the bottom board with my camera really desperate to get a queen in there to save at least some of my honey bees, are my hopes too high am I at a loss? I appreciate your time and effort and responding to all of your comments and questions have a good evening
A shim is used to lift the hive up, in some cases where a feeder doesn't fit you might need to work out a way to lift the lid of the hive further, making a shim out of timber is a quick option for someone who has some DIY skills in cutting bits of timber. -Kieran
You have some good info here that should be useful, but you fail to give it context by mentioning the date. For example, you talk about brood size as an indicator of probable survival, but you fail to say when this is. August? October? By the time we get to late September, opening the hive compromises the 90+ degree environment needed for brood. So, when are we supposed to be checking for these brood? We needed you to provide the context of date.
Hi Steve, Thank you for your feedback, this is really helpful to consider. It is important not to open the hive during the colder months, as this would let the warmth out of the hive and the cold in chilling the brood. Brood size before winter starts is good to note. -kieran
Hey Bobby, We realise that our Flow Hive can feel like a big investment, however, this outlay can be weighed up against the need for expensive extraction equipment and the amount of labour involved with traditional harvesting methods. In the long run, the amount of time, effort and expensive extraction equipment required to harvest from a Langstroth hive make the pricing comparable. Flow technology is the first of its kind in the world. As with any new invention, the pricing is reflective of this. We aim to do business with all those involved in the creation of our products in an ethical and sustainable manner, and this is a further contributing factor to the price of our products. All plastics used are of the highest quality available, all timber used is sustainably sourced, harvested, and milled, which means it is more expensive than using lower grade, less environmentally conscious timber sources. All staff are paid fair wages and employed in fair-trade conditions. We are endeavouring to make this premium product as accessible as possible, and have a range of options to suit different budgets. - Danika
![How to tell when your Flow Hive is ready to harvest 🍯🐝🌻[LIVE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0UMyWfxe2NI/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you for your extensive library of high quality educational videos. Have a good solstice tonight (12/21/2023) and holiday season
Thank you too!
I am an amateur bee keeper, but a professional educator. This video is superb. Bravo!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Frederick Dunn, I love his videos. Just awesome.
Thank you, DrWurzeli :)
Fredrick, this was the most straight forward, most interesting explanation i've seen yet, thank you for taking the time. God bless you
Thank you Kay! :)
Fred is the bees knees! One of my favorite two bee keepers right here. Fred, and flow hives!
Thanks, Oliver, I appreciate being counted among your favorite beekeepers :)
Very well done Mr. Dunn! This is something I can share with our beginners that have so many questions going into their first winter. You're a gem!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much! Apologies for the delay, this isn't my channel so I don't receive comment notifications but I really appreciate it.
Our amazing Dr. Dunn. Thank you once again for the highest calibre mentoring.
Thank you, Elena, and you're very welcome :)
Thanks for sharing your “best practices.” Best of luck in this upcoming winter.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and informative information Fredrick. Although we’re in Australia 🇦🇺 in a warmer environment it’s great to see what happens elsewhere in the world.👍👍🐝🐝🐝🐝
You are very welcome, Trevor!
Using my thermal camera to monitor the cluster size and location is brilliant. Thank you.
You are an amazing teacher. I wish you lived down the street from me here in MA. RUclips will have to do for now :)
Hi Fred ! I don’t use screened bottom boards , we never have , years ago we didn’t either and we flipped the small entrance upwards so the dead bees don’t block the entrance, years ago we had two small holes for the bees , one hi , one low, now years ago we didn’t have varoa mites to worry about, we didn’t have feeder shims years ago but we used a hive body for a shim , and we rarely added food for the bees , the bees did get fed around the beginning of March, our bees used mason jars , we cut the top panels to hold a mason jar or a pickle jar, and it seems like we rarely lost a colony out of 400 hives , and now just getting back into bees after a super long 25 years +its like the whole world is changed , there’s beetles , wax moths that have been around forever but our hives we’re always full and moths were never a problem, it seemed like our bees years ago were hearty and a tad larger , I guess what I’m saying is I’m more stressed out now over making sure I do everything right in this new world modern bee keeping with this new challenge of parasitic destructors and by god I’ve never seen so many professional bee keepers as you do now on RUclips and I don’t feel so prestigious as a beekeeper as I once did because in Maryland, Texas and Tennessee my family was in the respected hi ranks of beekeepers and natural gas wells , the Dentons were well known years ago and now everyone is a bee haver or bee keeper lol 😂 my youngest great uncle Parks Denton was my mentor, he made money with natural gas and made a living with honeybees, bees were the love of his life, I have always been fascinated with them and love honey 🍯 as much as Pooh bear but when I developed an allergy to bee venom I lost my nerve and the fear got the best of me but now I am over the fear and back into the bees , I keep telling myself I’m not going to have more than 30 hives and definitely not 400+ hives but I’m finding myself building and collecting 30+ hives in less than a year and just today I’ve talked myself into building a couple horizontal hives 🤣 and now I keep asking myself far too many questions and worrying about too many things , from to feed over winter or not feed , or how much ventilation to I keep over the winter ?? Just one small inverted entrance at the bottom?? I was going to make it simple and just keep bees like we used to but then my brain woke up and said I better research what works the best for well educated bee keepers like yourself and I should get with the times 😀
Great information. So clear and informative. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
So much information. Thanks for this video
Glad it was helpful!
I am from Brazil, thanks for video.
Please more videos with subtitles on english.
Thank you for this feedback!
You gotta be near me with snow like that (ashtabula),,,im gonna put syrup feeders where theres honey in brood boxes an put 2 brood boxes-10 frames of honey above for Jan-Feb,,,watchin ur fav show,,McHales Navy,,im an ex-electronics engineer jarhead
Great job.
Great information most appreciated.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much!
You're welcome!
Frederick I hope you are OK? Love the educational always interesting and entertaining videos . Normal cold weather here in the UK at freezing for a week. I have a bit of 70mm PVC pipe that allows 10 c to peculate into the underside of the open mesh floor. The lowest temp I've seen right above the cluster was 8.6 C so I believe they are still alive.
I gassed 60 mites as I said but I'm anxious there were more left.
I see the German's and others are into heating brood frames to 42 C to kill mites. One of their sessions is middle of April!
I am still concerned on a warm day to Oxalic acid fume again at 160C. Fred when is the next time you will do yours again after the single treatment you did in the early winter of 2021? Best wishes and thank you sincerely.
please email us at info@honeyflow.com if you have questions for us, you might want to visit Freds channel to ask him more directly :) -kieran
I really appreciated your winter prep segment. For 2 years I have used a vivladi board with burlap thinking i wanted the moisture to escape up top. This winter I think will try R10 styrofoam right ontop of the inner cover. Is there any harm in putting newspaper and sugar ontop of the frames in the late fall?
Hey there,
Oh I'm glad it was useful for you. We can't over emphasise the value of seeking local advice specific to your climate so hopefully someone closer to you can chime in here, otherwise maybe ask at your local beekeeping club? Best of luck and let us know how you go.
- Danika
MY bees made in through the winter here in Alaska.
That's great news Mike! Well done overwintering them :) - Sam
Thank you so much for this information. It helps so much! Quick question, how often do you feed your bees in the winter?
Great video!!!
Thank you!!
With my first winter 4 months away, this video was so helpful. Yet, I'm not certain which entrance or entrances you mentioned to keep open. Were you suggesting to only have a bottom entrance? Thank you my friend. I'm always grateful. Brad
Hi Fred- I'm down here on Saddlehorn drive, Erie. I've got two colonies that swarmed late in the season. Is it too late to combine them, and load them up with dry sugar? They're about 100 yards away from each other.
Hey Kent,
Thanks for your question. If Fred doesn't see this comment here per chance, we can't emphasise enough the value of local beekeeping mentors/connecting with your local beekeeping club. You may find these yourself, or here are a couple of links to help too, our online directory of Flow affiliated beekeeping clubs and our online community forum, specifically the Connect With Locals section:
www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory
forum.honeyflow.com/c/connect-with-locals/23
Hope this helps! - Danika
Hi Mr Dunn, question about my hives when I went to them should I stack them on top of each other to keep the heat in or do you think it would be better to keep them single I'm in northern Michigan.
In the north (VT) could you insulate the hive. Or does the winter sun warm the hive enough.
Would you recommend using a covered tarp (or a greenhouse hoophouse structure) to break the wind?
You can although the wind is only usually an issue in our climate when opening the hive. Check in with local beekeepers and week what they recommend for your climate :) - Sam
Can you leave the flow supers and flow frames on the hive through the winter as your bees stores?
How do you work out the timing of adding emergency sugar in winter?
There's the possibility that someone may have to do it. So if they do, how would you work out checks for emergency sugar, the timing, and doing it?
Noah,
From watching his other videos, use a feeding shim (spl?) if you have no honey super on top of the brood box. He uses a round rapid feeder with DRY sugar. So, your configuration may look like: brood box, feeder shim, outer cover. I had to feed my bees, and i had no honey super. so my configuration was: brood box, inner cover/feeder shim combo, inner cover ( because i had no round rapid feeder), then bee smart insulated outer cover.
Great vdo
I notice you have Flow honey supers on in the video. Do you keep your FLow Honey supers on over the Winter and let that be the second brood box?
I work shift work, 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off. I could only dedicate my time when at home. Could the hive be left for 3 weeks, unattended?
Hey there,
Hmmm, it depends on various factors such as the unique climate, the developmental phase of the colony (ie. when they're first setting up and if you're letting them draw out their own comb, I'd recommend checking on them once a week as they build, to prevent cross comb) the time of the year, and health of that colony etc.
For these reasons we can't emphasise enough the value of local beekeeping mentors/connecting with your local beekeeping club. You may find these yourself, or here are a couple of links to help too, our online directory of Flow affiliated beekeeping clubs and our online community forum, specifically the Connect With Locals section:
www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory
forum.honeyflow.com/c/connect-with-locals/23
I hope this helps!
- Danika
So when I get my first nuc, (just 5 frames) should I wait to add the 2nd box until after they fill out the entire bottom brood box or can I add it right after the nuc has been moved to the hive? I am hearing different methods from different beekeepers in my area. I live in Northern Oklahoma if that helps......
You don't want to give a colony to much empty space immediately. As they might struggle to manage the space and this could cause a delay in them foraging and expanding. Allow the bees to build out the brood frames in the bottom brood box first, then once they have a strong population they will welcome the extra space. We recommend to add the Flow Super before a second brood box, allowing the bees to work on these, then add the additional brood box below the Flow Super, this way the bees will be working on the Flow Frames and have honey stores to support the second brood box. Otherwise you might see a delay in the first year, with two deep brood boxes a large enough space for most colonies. -Kieran
Hello, on a nice day in December or February when the bees can fly would you open feed just for a couple hours?
Hey Paula, thanks for your question - it's really tricky to advise on specific decisions like this from so far away, and without knowing your local climate, recent weather, particular colony and its health/population density/history etc etc.
For these reasons we always recommend joining your local beekeeping club when possible - are you connected with them at all - or a beekeeping mentor some other way?
www.honeyflow.com/pages/bee-club-directory
The second best/additional option is to also hop onto our online community forum, specifically the section called Connect With Locals and seek out informed opinions on this by beekeepers in your area.
forum.honeyflow.com/c/connect-with-locals/23
Please let us know how you go with these avenues, and if you have no luck with these we can ascertain a bit more information and strive to help you :)
I keep forgetting your in the NorthWest as well. What are you Frederick? I forgot
Hello there, I've noticed that on some beehives the Flow Super stayed on the Brood Box during winter. I am not sure if the boxes were transformed into a second brood box or if it stayed as the honey flow box. I was wondering would it be possible to leave the Flow Super on for the winter with some honey for the bees to be able to feed on during the winter? So we wouldn't take all of it from them? Or it's not a good idea because then they would have too much space to heat up and it's contra effective? I am very new to this and we live in a similar cold climate as was illustrated in the video. Thank you
From what I have studied watching these videos is to Always keep a honey super on during the winter (the 2nd box with stored honey in it) it is the 2nd box. The Flow Hive (the 3rd box) sits on it during the summer, the bees will feed on the 2nd box, you never take honey from the 2nd box as it is for the bees only. You take from the 3rd box or Flow Hive box. Always remove the Flow Super and store it threw the winter months, the bees do not use it in cold climates, they stay in the bottom brood box or gather honey from the honey super and take it back down to the cluster. But MOST importantly, if they need to gradually move up into the 2nd box, or Honey Super, as the winter cold progresses, and you have removed it, it would be impossible for them to move the cluster and queen into a Flow Hive, it is not designed to keep clusters. So they never move into the Flow super during winter cold months, if that is your 2nd box they may starve out due to lack of a Honey Super. You cant put supplemental feedings onto a Flow Hive super either, so there is no way to give additional dry sugar support to your bees. The freezing cold may not be good on the Flow Super.
PS. the sugar is for emergency feed, not for the bees to live off as it lacks minerals, vitamins and enzymes that the honey has to keep the colony healthy. The sugar is only simple carbs. That is why it is important to leave the 2nd box or the Honey Super on top of the 1st box thru the winter
We can get -40C plus windchill. How can Canadians keep bees through winter? Your winter temperatures seem much milder.
Hi Kimberlee, we do recommend that you speak with local beekeepers. here is some information about wintering in cold climates support.honeyflow.com/can-i-use-flow-in-cold-or-freezing-conditions/ - Sam
Lots of insulation Kimberlee. I have the same arctic weather. I use a moisture board up top and I insulate the hive bodies and the top cover. I also do not use top vents.
Dear Frederick I cannot find any technical data re temperatures right above the cluster. I have a couple of digital thermometers with capillary tubes and probes. These are cheap as chips from China. I must say they are extremely accurate in deg C. I have one outside and one right above the cluster on the frame. I noticed this morning after the first bad frost the temp above the cluster was twice that outside but was 12.8 C. Do you take these temp at all?
I am keen to know what is the average temp above the cluster when it's freezing?
The day before and day by day before today usually their above cluster temp is 22C. The hive is all insulated -2" EXP -ali coated both sides. I admit there is a 3/4 hole in the top insulation. In the summer I covered that hole and the bottom sheet under the open mesh floor was vert wet.
I removed the block and the hive has been relatively free of condensate wetness.
Did you know a southern Welsh chap says he needs to make sure his hives have a little ventilation..... His climate is wet! He says he would never not have the open mesh floor with a small bit of ventilation.
I realise this subject of a small amount of ventilation is controversial. Some say the bees will block up any top vent.
These bees haven't blocked the small vent. Would they if they think they are cold I ask myself.
They seem to have stopped taking fondant in the top feeder. which is also insulated.
I saw a German vid that says they keep some hives inside at 5 degC and that helps in not losing colonies to the big freezes they have on the mountains there. Rather like bringing the sheep and the cows down to warmer pastures?
Try contacting Fred through his RUclips account ruclips.net/channel/UCVmPauAlOLKR9QZzFKn-uFw - Sam
I have a hive inside the wall of my house any way i can get the queen to come into a box its going into 4 yrs ...cant break the wall just need them to go into the box
There are methods of getting the bees to transfer from a wall cavity into a hive, it does require linking the entrance of the current hive so they have to move through the hive you want them to establish instead, it can also require putting in a deterrent so the bees want to leave their current space. You would do best seeking assistance from a professional beekeeper to help with this. -Kieran
Olá, sou do Brasil e tenho abelhas Jataí as sem ferrão e gostaria de saber se tem esse tipo de tecnologia para colmeia sem ferrão?
I have a question, do bees go to the bathroom in the hive at all?
They try not to. They will usually hold it until they are able to do a cleansing flight when the temperature allows it-->= 50°F or 10°C.
Cant you add warmth and artificially feed i. Emergency?
Yes this is generally the best practice, however opening the hive to feed them is generally not possible. -Kieran
Hi Mr Dunn, so I started off really strong with four hives not exactly sure went wrong, long story short I'm down to two hives both Queens died during the dearth and I had to combine them it is now December 4th I have no Queen I found her dead on the bottom board cannot find anybody willing to help me out with a queen to save at least one hive bums me out what do you think the best way to go is to save at least this hive 20 frame hive now down to five frames of bees seems like they're dying out day by day when I look at the bottom board with my camera really desperate to get a queen in there to save at least some of my honey bees, are my hopes too high am I at a loss? I appreciate your time and effort and responding to all of your comments and questions have a good evening
Please email info@honeyflow.com and we will see if we can help :) - Sam
Can someone recommend a thermal camera that’s reasonably priced? Thank you
I use a seek pro thermal. You can find them on sale
@@RunningWithSauce thank you. 😘☺️
@@RunningWithSauce sorry the emoji wasn’t supposed to be that one…🙄
What is a feeder shim?
A shim is used to lift the hive up, in some cases where a feeder doesn't fit you might need to work out a way to lift the lid of the hive further, making a shim out of timber is a quick option for someone who has some DIY skills in cutting bits of timber. -Kieran
Why do they stay in there all winter?
'Swarm.
It's too cold to swarm Emma, swarm season is spring - Sam
@@FlowHive, notice the apostrophe before “Swarm…”
You have some good info here that should be useful, but you fail to give it context by mentioning the date. For example, you talk about brood size as an indicator of probable survival, but you fail to say when this is. August? October? By the time we get to late September, opening the hive compromises the 90+ degree environment needed for brood. So, when are we supposed to be checking for these brood? We needed you to provide the context of date.
Hi Steve, Thank you for your feedback, this is really helpful to consider. It is important not to open the hive during the colder months, as this would let the warmth out of the hive and the cold in chilling the brood. Brood size before winter starts is good to note. -kieran
I so want bees... This year was chicken layers...meat birds next..than maybe bees..
@C B I live north of Houston,Texas...
Its about money for infrastructure..
I want that system but may have to start the girls in a local brooder box.
Chickens and honey bees are great homestead animals :) Mine get along just fine.
Hi all , we sell honey in saudi Arabia since 1986 hope establish business for pure honey with others
This is wayyyy too fancy and expensive to waste time on.
Hey Bobby,
We realise that our Flow Hive can feel like a big investment, however, this outlay can be weighed up against the need for expensive extraction equipment and the amount of labour involved with traditional harvesting methods.
In the long run, the amount of time, effort and expensive extraction equipment required to harvest from a Langstroth hive make the pricing comparable.
Flow technology is the first of its kind in the world. As with any new invention, the pricing is reflective of this. We aim to do business with all those involved in the creation of our products in an ethical and sustainable manner, and this is a further contributing factor to the price of our products.
All plastics used are of the highest quality available, all timber used is sustainably sourced, harvested, and milled, which means it is more expensive than using lower grade, less environmentally conscious timber sources. All staff are paid fair wages and employed in fair-trade conditions.
We are endeavouring to make this premium product as accessible as possible, and have a range of options to suit different budgets.
- Danika
Please respond:
Does real honey at all crystallize??
Very important question...