@USAPatriot or any other #beekeepers have you any opinions on the Flow Hive? When we eventually buy a home I want to have bees and wonder if this is worth it.
i've been getting their emails for years, but can't do a beehive. i'd love to though, and their setup looks great.
I was hoping to hear the opinions of some experienced #beekeeping people here. Is this design practical? Worth it?
@AlphaCentauri @holon42 @Mrs_Bones @bfgreen @SandHillThicket @wanderingnotlost
The Flow Hive design works for harvesting honey and can be a huge time saver.
BUt don't underestimate the time & effort need to manage the colony in the box that sits below the Flow Hive.
That has all the same needs as a colony using traditional honey boxes.
oh yes, of course. its honey collecting device is the selling point for me. if i could which i can't 🙁
yes, that's the case here too. there are wild solitary bees, so keep whatever is available for them.
@holon42
I'm gradually removing grass and replacing it with flower beds that have white clover as ground cover. Honeybees are once again common, but I don't take their well-being for granted.
yes, good going.
i'm seeding clover into my front lawn. it's taking quite well.
my back garden is full of goldenrod just starting to bud out. the local bees love that. and i'm adding bee balm year by year too.
@AlphaCentauri I'm a beginner #beekeeper, but I feel like you could get a more economical start with a basic langstroth hive; you could buy more gear monthly/as you go, instead of all at once. While the Flow hive looks to make #honey extraction more easy, it doesn't seem to be as accessible as a langstroth hive. I feel like it would be too complicated to get into and that would encourage complacency/less interaction with the #hive inside. @holon42 @Mrs_Bones @cruftbox @bfgreen @wanderingnotlost
@AlphaCentauri @holon42 @Mrs_Bones @cruftbox @SandHillThicket @wanderingnotlost I've been a beekeeper for several years now. I've made a lot of mistakes, the biggest one being that I knew more than the bees! I would highly recommend starting small, with langstroth frames and learn how to manage the bees and let them do their thing. You can add supers/frames/hives etc later. Flow frames are not simple for a beekeeper and are less than ideal for bees. Start simple!
@AlphaCentauri @holon42 @Mrs_Bones @cruftbox @bfgreen @SandHillThicket
I use 8 frame Langstroth hive boxes. Flow hives were quite the topic of discussion at my beekeeping groups when they first came out but I don't know anyone who actually got one.
I try to raise my bees as naturally as possible, so I don't take their honey then feed them sugar syrup to survive. It's hard enough these days to keep bees alive, so I wait until spring, and only take what they didn't need over the winter.
that's a lovely practice. bees are wonderful creatures who shouldn't be exploited.
@AlphaCentauri
that i don't know. i've read their material but don't have any experience with their hives.
i think there are testimonials on their site.