Don't Buy A Flow Hive!

The Flow Hive was a revolutionary invention, which caused a buzz in the bee community. After dreaming of getting one for five years, our family finally purchased one eighteen months ago! However, as we got to know our Flow Hive and our confidence around bees increased, we realised that, although it was a genius invention, it was not necessary for bee keeping. So we decided to make a honest review on this product based on our experiences. Hopefully this video will help you make an informed choice before buying a bee hive.

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

I am LOVING the horizontal hives , they are amazing and I’m sure it’s going to be my hive of choice , it has so many benefits and the size of your yard it would be perfect ,one lid to open and I built mine to hold 48 frames , I’m going to build one that holds 14 flow frames this year and give it a go 😊

[@albigensian4655]

hi guys, i live in south Wales UK, I have to disagree about what you stated about having a bad back, at least in my case, i did removals for over 20 years, i have problems with my back having injured myself a few times amongst other health issues which greatly restricts what activities i can do, i could not hope to use conventional hives, it's not so much weight that's the problem for me but repetitive lifting and moving the supers on and off before i could even do an inspection, it's easier for me to move a single flow super off, a few hives than what could be up to 6 or 7 supers, then there's the extraction process, so for me the flow hive has been a godsend. great video though, glad you're still keeping bees.

[@futurefarmers8554]

Thanks for taking the time and replying. I appreciate your insight and justification. There is no doubt that the flow hive is well designed and ingenious. In Australia this product is marketed as a 'set and forget' system or a 'gift to give a man who has everything.' I made this video to reinforce to future apiarists that a flow hive requires as much diligence, interaction with bees, problem solving and care as traditional hives. On reflection in the video, I probably came down a little hard on flow hives, but I hope that my video encouraged some future beekeepers to research and make informed choices prior to purchasing bees. As we know, beekeepers who invest in knowledge, or have a solid beekeeping mentor, increases the welfare of bees as a whole. Thanks again, keep in touch, Grant

[@albigensian4655]

​@@futurefarmers8554 yeah i agree the original marketing did come across as being a little misleading, but i thought they'd addressed that since, at least partially, i remember when they did the crowd funding but i did not jump in, i waited a few years, and when i made the final decision spent a year studying and learning all i could before finally purchasing and starting my journey as a beekeeper, now i'm learning and gaining experiance , not just about the bee management ect but learning to read the area that i moved to, not to mention so many other areas around the world and thier experiances and the interactions problems, flora and insect/animal life/species in different countries eco systems, totally fascinating.

[@damienbray8796]

I got into bed keeping because of flo hive. I found it to be a wonderful experience

[@arnoldsprague9694]

I have several flow hives and the Chinese versions due to cost and to compare, they work well, easy to take the super off to inspect and my hives are healthy and thriving, my flow frames never looked like yours, the beauty of beekeeping is there are many ways to do it successfully, good luck 😊

[@d.-_-.b]

The "hiring an extractor" cost was a bit misleading. People without existing shed space will need to build/buy an extraction shed to work in that keeps the bees away from the messy traditional extracting job, and looking online for the cheapest 6m x 3m one has the price at $1,295 which is no cheaper than the cost of a flowhive.

[@futurefarmers8554]

Hi Kyva, thanks for the comment. I was helping a friend extracting honey this weekend. He had a small property in Negambie Victoria (300 square metre backyard). He purchased a disused aluminium children's cubby house for $50 of gumtree which was the slightly smaller than the dimension you mentioned for honey extracting. We hired an extractor for the weekend and also used a honey press which was $150 off ebay. It was an easy enough job. Beekeepers in general are resourceful people, furthermore, with the average age of a beekeeper in Australia being 60 years old there is always cheap great quality second hand material on the market. In fact, I am taking a delivery of two langstroth hives with bees today at dusk from a retiring beekeeper for the total price of $50. I believe that traditional beekeeping still is far cheaper. Thanks for your comments and feedback though.

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Gnome... Nope your wrong ! Do the Extraction very early in AM, before the Bees fly. In the Garden, with a Hose, a good Brush... and Elbow Grease ! 😉 Honey Frames can be taken off the Hive(s) days before... and kept in a Warm Area. Even a Heat Mat under an empty Brood Box / Stack works ! Front Porch, in Garage, even a Greenhouse works ! Honey runs quicker, if warm, or at least not rock hard. Spin each Frame twice Upper/ turn then Lower to both sides of Frame. Then Strain through a Paint Bucket Mesh (Bag) Or in UK, Veggie Section of Supermarkets sell Mesh Bags, instead of Plastic ones. Deli Shops have free Ex Mayonnaise Buckets with Lids ! 👍 Extract, Strain, Jar up later... Even Jars can be Free. Ask Cafes etc... Then Water Wash (Hose Down) the Extractor out. Any Honey/Liquid can be kept, to feed a newly made up Nuc (internal jar Feeder.) Easy 👍 All before Bees or Wasps notice you, or the Honey. *I keep my Extractor outside all Year, inside a mega sized Trash Bin (big black rubber type.) And it has a nice Planter on top with Bee friendly plants in it. Nice feature, and it keeps Bin from blowing over... No Shed in sight... 😎

[@MG-zb8lf]

I have never seen flow hive frames look like that and they never should. I think that has to do with your mass death from the pesticides or maybe somehow your queen got through the excluder and started laying eggs up there. It kind of looks like a broods nest frame. Also honey bees are not anywhere near extinct. That is a rumor that has been going around for years but if you look it up, scientist believe that there are more bees on the planet now than ever in history. Glad you enjoy beekeeping and keep it up but I would definitely say that there was just something bad that happened with your hive that isn't common with all flow hives.

[@CLIPED_YOURTOES]

CONGRATS ON NEARLY 60 SUBS

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

One brood box for the first year helps the brood grow better here in the states where the climate is cooler

[@holm76]

Old video so do not know if there is any one ever reading this. You obviously had your experience with this product but I'd like to challenge you a bit if I may. To me it seems like your problems would come down to user error. Firstly from your video it does not look like the hive was tilted backwards when you first start draining it. It has to be tilted backwards ever so slightly for the honey to run out of the drain pipes. It may not have been advertised on your version of the flow hive though. Normal use it should have a tilt a bit forward so rain water will not run in and when draining have it tilted backwards for gravity to help the honey flow out. Point 2. In your demonstration of how much the frame twists you seem to be opening a whole frame at once. That is not recommended. And combined with not have enough of a tilt backwards the honey had no where to go but into the hive and kill all your bees. I'm so sorry for the loss of your bees but I am happy that at least the FH gave you and your daughter a good hobby of bee keeping. Beekeeping is an amazing hobby and I dont even like honey. Cheers

[@Tigris_River_Sand_Fleas]

I am wanting to get a little bit of honey, but I only have 1.5 acres. Any suggestions on how far away the hive should be away from the house? Maybe what I should use?

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

I built 5 flow hives for $1,500.00 USD , and I’m not sure I’m going to do anymore

[@airjt]

Hello. Have you sold these bee frames? How can you pick them up?

[@futurefarmers8554]

Flow hive frames are rubbish and I got rid of them. Now run a traditional hive which is very healthy.

[@CLIPED_YOURTOES]

Hi Grant Its me YIANNI

[@thomaswu8000]

Great job Grant and Sophie Hello Yianni

[@weichen481]

Good useful video

[@weichen481]

Hi I'm Ryan

[@futurefarmers8554]

Glad you liked it

[@bradwamsley3465]

Enjoyed your video.

[@futurefarmers8554]

Thanks Brad, hopfully I was not too negative about Flow Hives. Traditional hives are simple, easy and reliable. If you live in Victoria, Australia and need any help getting into bees message me and I'll happily help you out and answer any questions. Enjoy your day

[@bradwamsley3465]

@@futurefarmers8554 Unluckily at this time I live in northeastern USA. I have two flow hives and love them. Do you use a queen excluder, seems by the images they had some brood in the flow frames. My frames don’t get dark in the middle (half moon shape).

[@futurefarmers8554]

Thanks Brad, yes I do have a queen exculder. At the time I had a plastic one and have upgraded to a stainless steel one. Definitely no brood in the flow frames. Only thousands of dead bees and fermented honey the dead bees made the frames really dark . I still believe that the flow hive is a brilliant invention however - how long have you had your hives? The reason I ask is I worry about the longevity of the product. I still have the flow frame super in the garage (although I use regular supers now). Next time I split my hives I may give it a go again.

[@bradwamsley3465]

@@futurefarmers8554 Only my second year with the flow frames but still look new. If you follow Fred Dunn (The Way To Bee) on KZbin he has had his since the initial availability. Why did you have dead bees in the flow super.

[@futurefarmers8554]

Hi Brad, I explain in the video why there are dead bees in the super. I will check out Fred Dunn. Remember, you van clean your flow hive super (Fred would have had to) however- to properly clean it you must take apart the individual cells of your flow frame. This involves removing the tensile wire. If you do this you will void your warranty. I feel that this is a dishonest move from flow hive. I have asked them about this and they refuse to comment. Furthermore, if you break an individual cell while cleaning they will not replace it. They claim that all replacement parts are provided 'at their discretion.' I feel this policy indirectly encourages poorly clean hives and puts the health of bees at jeopardy. I love that Flow Hive is an Australian company and invention - however no company has the right to risk the well-being of bees.

[@globglob4544]

if may is actullay april then i will be 74 and queen elizebeth will be my son (written by yianni)

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

Let the chickens eat the cells clean

[@oftin_wong]

Waffle waffle waffle

[@MegaRich7]

Waffles and honey. 100%

[@Hello502]

Hey Grant and Sofia

[@futurefarmers8554]

Hi Josh! Hope you loved our videos!

[@NightmareCrab]

flow hive sucks basically, as expected. overhyped to oblivion, including by me at the time.