FLOW HIVE - Why I haven't used it.

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Vino Farm

Vino Farm

Күн бұрын

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@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
🌹🌷🌼"MAYBE YOU SHOULD PLANT FLOWERS TO HELP THE BEES DURING THE DEARTH." 🌺🌸🌼 This comment keeps coming up over and over. You're not the first one to think about it! In fact, the season before we got bees, we plowed, disced and tilled an acre of our field RIGHT NEXT TO THE BEE YARD and planted a full acre of bee-friendly wild flowers. We spent hundreds of dollars on seed. Unfortunately, we also had the driest summer in recent history that year so the flowers did not produce like we hoped. 2016 Record-breaking drought. (No water, no nectar) I'm sure what did come up helped, but it was not the success we had hoped for. Knowing we had a solid acre of wildflowers in the ground in 2016, we decided to plant a SECOND ACRE on the other side of the bee yard to add more flowers. So we plowed, disced and tilled a second acre and planted buckwheat, sweet clover and alfalfa. The buckwheat came up and produced a very thick stand of flowers all through June and a little into July. Unfortunately, the alfalfa did nothing. No germination. The clover germinated, but quickly was taken over by grass and sod that came right back up right after we seeded. To make things worse, the acre of field we had planted with wildflowers the previous summer (2016) reverted right back to exactly what it looked like before we started planting. So it was basically just a grassy meadow with native pasture flowers. The several hundred dollars of wildflower seed just disappeared and didn't come back the second season. That patch is where the majority of our goldenrod is, so I am hesitant to do too much to disturb it now. That goldenrod is right next to the bees and they really need it in September. We are going to try re-tilling the second acre and replanting buckwheat and some different types of clover this spring. It's a crap-ton of work, time and money. It is a little sad to walk out in that field and throw hundreds of dollars onto the ground and not know if it is even going to grow. Believe me, we are doing everything we can to help the bees. We just can't control the weather.
@scottrobbins9320
@scottrobbins9320 6 жыл бұрын
Yeah. Its expensive. I have a few wild flower beds in preparation for my bees. Buying 2x 5lbs bags of local wild flower bee friendly mix is about $250 each year. Two years in a row now. Cant imagine an acre field! I can see the flowers are starting to take control of the ground and push out the 'weeds'. The other problem is about half the flower types don't seem to come up the next year. My plan is to get the town to promote a bee friendly town, by creating maybe tax breaks, or free seed for residents that want to dedicate a portion of their land to flowers. I'll have to figure it out. Some of the local members of the bee club seem interested in helping. Not sure what you can do with needing to plant THAT much land. Seems too expensive. Guess it depends on the number of hives and amount of honey. Good luck!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
I just ordered 50lbs of buckwheat seed yesterday. Yay!
@drrota
@drrota 6 жыл бұрын
I agree with the above ^^^^ . Trees provide the best nectar flows - like 50x more than flowers. But flowers do help in a dearth. In winter, in my area, folks buy safflower seeds to feed the birds. Why not just plant them? - Bags of safflower (bird food) are pretty cheap: www.beeculture.com/seed-oilseed-crops-bee-plants/ - "safflower blossoms are a top choice among bees".
@triplemania5550
@triplemania5550 6 жыл бұрын
Next up... 🌹🌷🌼"MAYBE YOU SHOULD MAKE AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM TO HELP THE FLOWERS."🌺🌸🌼 Haha great videos man thanks. There's so much to consider when keeping bees. Maybe I'll do it one day :)
@1voluntaryist
@1voluntaryist 6 жыл бұрын
Consider no-till gardening (permaculture) and work with the indigenous plants. DO NOTHING based on conjecture lest you make unnecessary trouble by presuming. There must be successful bee-keepers near. Ask them.
@donaldsmith3048
@donaldsmith3048 4 жыл бұрын
One thing you can see do to help is plant sweet clover. It will not make a super difference but sweet clover builds up the soil and they have flowers and will help some. Sweet clover is a legume. Look that up legume put nitrogen in the soil. They also have a lot of flowers. It is something that will not cost a lot of money but will make a little difference. Sweet clover may take years to realy get going. Plant some the next year there should be a little more sweet clover. Over time you should have a good amount of sweet clover. Each year you should get more. No it will not give you a lot of honey but will give a little more. Sweet clover will grow like grass maybe a little taller. But after time most of the grass area will have sweet clover adding a new flower for the bees. Next plant fruit trees! You get the fruit and the bees get the flowers. This is not a ONE THING deal Look at all the parts. You want more honey put things around to help them make honey. When you add things make the things that will build you soil of give something to eat.
@Gardens4Life
@Gardens4Life 6 жыл бұрын
This is the most informative video I have watched and could be easily called “Factors You’d Never Consider Before Becoming A Bee Keeper”! You share so much great information while you share your Flow story. Thanks you for a great video! Fingers crossed for you this year!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Turns out there's a LOT of factors you'd never consider before becoming a beekeeper. That's sort of the theme of my channel!
@timothykennedy721
@timothykennedy721 6 жыл бұрын
Oh, I forgot to mention, I have two Flow hives one regular and one hybrid and also have yet to use one to harvest honey. I had one of them on the hive for a couple months last year and the bees came up, ran around, and used it for a rec room but never put any honey in it. They got snippy when I wouldn't put in a pool table...
@blisterbill8477
@blisterbill8477 5 жыл бұрын
You realize that billiard bees are pretty lazy. Fooz bees on the other hand...
@pattycastle7863
@pattycastle7863 5 жыл бұрын
Last summer we put our Flow on our strongest hive. The Bees didn’t touch it but we got a great ants nest. Flow suggested painting it with Bees wax. That sounds discouraging to me as it’s as if you need to trick them into using it. I think a Flow Hive is a waste of money.
@carlotta4th
@carlotta4th 3 жыл бұрын
@Patty Castle I don't think a one time waxing is such an inconvenience for easy harvesting.
@ponyvet77
@ponyvet77 6 жыл бұрын
From what I've seen online, the biggest issue getting started with flowframes is getting the bees to accept them and prep them. Once they get going a strongish hive will fill them surprisingly fast in a strong nectar flow. I would still put it on your strongest hive to let them prep the frames this year so that they're ready to go for a good flow year
@Segorean
@Segorean 6 жыл бұрын
According to your explanation, flow frames or not, you'd be lucky to get any honey at all... yay! Btw, you are a great "teacher" you are very articulate and conveying the relevant information, great job, thank you for sharing!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
That's nice of you to say. Thanks for watching.
@Wandrative
@Wandrative 6 жыл бұрын
Aura Todoran This is what I agree. Its not the flow frame, it is that the bees are not producing more honey. Why not use the flow frame for the 2nd floor? I saw a bunch of honey being wasted and not consumed through the winter in his flow colony. He could have harvested it.
@maryries4044
@maryries4044 6 жыл бұрын
Next season Vino will produce 800 pounds of honey without even trying. Better stock up on 5-gallon buckets and figure out what you prefer. We buy the buckets from a store called Rural King because they sell white buckets with a #2 on the bottom. The lids at Rural King suck and don't fit well. They pop loose and ants get in. (That's no good) We get the lids from Menards. The buckets come from Century Container Corporation and the lids come from another company called Encore Plastics Corporation. We shopped around and had a bad experience and corrected it by purchasing buckets and lids separate. We were using Menards buckets too. Then one day one cracked open and split down the side. Before you could say "spit" we had 5 gallons of honey on the floor. Losing 60 pounds of honey valued at $5/pound stings.
@tomasjosefvela1
@tomasjosefvela1 5 жыл бұрын
couldn't have said that better!
@PilotMcbride
@PilotMcbride 6 жыл бұрын
G'day from downunder!! You are so right about our weather. In Australia we have 90% of our country does not have snow or temps under -2degC (28F). Only 10% drops to maybe -8C. Where I live, 30 deg S Lat, 80 naut miles from the E coast as the crow flies, our minimum, minimum temp has been -4.5C, basically shorts & T shirt weather all year round. Local temp variation from 45C to -4C and we don't get snow, definitely no snow. We don't even have a permanent snow line. Although I am not a beekeeper, I can truly understand exactly what you are saying. I commend the work you have done and your comments. I'd like to get into bee keeping, atm I do my "apiarying" through you my friend. Yes I do watch others, but enjoy your work (more) and look forward to your videos (addicted). Keeping bees helps your local environment stay strong and vital, that is very important. With each passing year your bees will get stronger and stronger through natural selection, hang in there, the flow hive will be in use, I can feel it in my bones. The learning curve you are on, and the information you publish helps others along their individual paths, and that is bloody brilliant. You are building a massive bank of good Karma. To coin an Aussie saying......... "Maaaaaaate, ya dun good!!!!"
@mrkitcatt2119
@mrkitcatt2119 6 жыл бұрын
Pilot McBride I miss Australia 😥
@PilotMcbride
@PilotMcbride 6 жыл бұрын
Expat Alex? Mate we're easy to find. If you're coming from the East and see Indonesia, turn left or from the West, turn right, can't miss us, lol. I'm busting a gut to get out of here for a rest (been here 64 years with a short break best forgotten), saving for a short trip to the States in a couple of years hopefully visit a few friends. As a people we haven't changed all that much, but our political arena seems to have taken a sharp turn to the right (bordering on fascism) and the loud mouth boobs seem to have taken control. Love this channel, would love to care for some bees but my health puts a damper on it unfortunately. Thanks for the shout, really appreciate it, don't be a stranger to the Land Down Under :)
@mrkitcatt2119
@mrkitcatt2119 6 жыл бұрын
Pilot McBride aye gotta alot of family down and used to live there beautiful and exciting place
@PilotMcbride
@PilotMcbride 6 жыл бұрын
Come back soon mate!!!!!
@happycamper4329
@happycamper4329 4 жыл бұрын
Pilot McBride You've obviously never been to Perisher, Thredbo, Snowy Mountains in general, Canberra, or even some parts of Tassie! T-shirts and shorts all year round?! Born in a tent were you?! What a bloody croc!
@michaelsmith7425
@michaelsmith7425 3 жыл бұрын
Your channel has been one of my go to channels while I was researching beekeeping and has remained so since I started last year. It was so strange to see your bee yard with just one hive in it @ 3:41 and no shrubs around the outside!!! Keep up the great thoughtful well explained vids :)
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 3 жыл бұрын
You gotta start somewhere! Thanks for the support.
@stevecox8948
@stevecox8948 6 жыл бұрын
on the brightside, it was your flow hive video that first brought me to your channel ages ago. and ive been a subscriber since. i look forward to your videos this year :) p.s your channel is probably the best ive seen for beginners to get into beekeeping.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Thank you. Yes, I realize the Flow Hive is the reason this channel took off to begin with. So, thanks, Flow Hive. I appreciate your kind words!
@CristaFunderburk
@CristaFunderburk 6 жыл бұрын
Vino Farm What steve said! I subscribed to the channel for the same reason he did and while I've been curious about why you haven't put the flow hive on, I never really cared because you do have the best videos out there and I've learned so much! I started one year after you and I'm in Texas so I've had to learn to adjust accordingly since we really don't have winters in central Texas... Not compared to y'all anyway. I just made it through my first winter and am going into my second year with the 2 hives I started with, thanks to your guidance. So, here's a big heartfelt Texas "thank you"! 😊
@whiterose686
@whiterose686 6 жыл бұрын
Ditto! I have grandiose ideas about being a beekeeper so it's been very interesting to learn about it. Great explanation on your situation! I look forward to seeing how this summer goes for you! Long Live Queen Balboa's Lineage! :)
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Awww.
@CliffsideStables
@CliffsideStables 6 жыл бұрын
And I still think about how many bottles of honey one could purchase with $1,100? What is the right way to go???
@ernestozuniga3495
@ernestozuniga3495 4 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your informative videos. I will be taking the classes at U of M for Beekeeping. Here in Minnesota we have brutal winters. At the same time we have flowers that bloom before the snow is completely gone. May I suggest that you talk to your local plant nurseries and plan your flower blooming for the whole summer. Again thank you.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Here's an analogy I thought of while I was out walking the dog... Say you've always wanted to learn how to swim and you didn't know anything about swimming and you came across someone selling swim fins with a really compelling ad about how swim fins can enhance your swimming experience. So you buy the swim fins and get really excited to learn how to swim. However, you live in Canada and your local swimming pond has ice on it 6 or 8 months a year. So you wait until the perfect warm summer day to go swimming and realize you can't use your new swim fins because you still need to learn how to swim. Then you spend the summer learning to go underwater, dog paddle, tread water... all the basics. Cold weather comes and your pond freezes and you hang up your swim fins for the winter. The next year, you get a little better at swimming and never take out your swim fins because you realize the "traditional" finless swimming method was OK and you really didn't get to swim all that much anyway. The fact remains that there are tons of very happy people in the Caribbean, who live on the beach who love their swim fins and use them every day. The swim fins are a perfectly fine product that greatly enhance their swimming experience. However, the people living up north probably don't really need them all that much.
@markoverman9628
@markoverman9628 6 жыл бұрын
Makapu'u Beach O'ahu Hawai'i one the best body surfing places in Hawai'i!!
@sibus42022
@sibus42022 6 жыл бұрын
half acre of Purple giant hyssop, 2 Sumac (Staghorn) trees, 2 Sumac (Smooth) per five hives, and you won't get that bad of a dearth in mid summer. Yes it takes a couple of years for the trees to grow but worth it in the end.
@T289c
@T289c 6 жыл бұрын
North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana are the 3 TOP Honey producing states in the country. And Minnesota, Michigan and New York are in the TOP Ten. It's not the winter that's causing the low flow.
@justinjoy1471
@justinjoy1471 6 жыл бұрын
700 dollar swim fins I see
@drrota
@drrota 6 жыл бұрын
Those are great plants to have, and any late summer blossoming plants work great. I'm about 20 miles away from Vino Farm and the dearth I had in the past 2 years was solely due to drought. No water = no nectar. Even with great plantings, if there's no water, then you'll get poor nectar and pollen. For folks thinking about beekeeping - make sure your hives are near a natural water source - brook, stream, pond, or well irrigated farm... That's the best way to insure the plants can produce nectar and good pollen in a drought.
@fionmor4893
@fionmor4893 6 жыл бұрын
I bought the flow frames because the technology was so intriguing.... and I know this product has generated thousands of new bee keepers.... so I am grateful for this.... encouraging new keepers .... so I appreciate your situation....
@yankos_
@yankos_ 6 жыл бұрын
Dude, the only difference between a flow hive setup and a longstrop is the FH has taps to take honey, when required. Just set it up and see how it goes... :-)
@Lychee-Nut
@Lychee-Nut 4 жыл бұрын
One point someone brought up elsewhere is: Its supposed to be convenient way to get honey, but unless you buy $600 flow-hive for every hive, you still will need to do traditional extractions, so it doesn't save you time for that money. If you have a single hive, you could just buy a food-grade bin, and a mesh, then uncap and let it passively drain while you go do something else, and doing that is not much more time-costly than using the flow-hive.
@traceymartin1638
@traceymartin1638 3 жыл бұрын
Hi. I’m a little confused. I thought the flowhive super was just the same as a standard super, but the honey was collected in a different “easier” way. So if your bees weren’t producing enough honey to fill the brood box and the flowhive super then what difference will a standard super make??
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 3 жыл бұрын
With standard frames, I can shuffle them around between hives if necessary and not-quite-full frames can still remain in the hives for winter for the bees to consume. Or if only one frame is ready for harvest, I can just pull that one frame. There is total flexibility. On the other hand, if the flow frames are not 100% full and capped, they cannot be harvested. This is not a problem in a warm climate. They can just stay in the hive until the bees fill them. However, we have a very short season and the flow frames must be removed once our fall hits and the freezing nights start. If the frames are not ready to harvest, I need to take them them indoors, where the unfinished nectar will ferment. The bees won’t get the honey and neither will I. It’s a lose-lose situation.
@GOLDSINVES
@GOLDSINVES 6 жыл бұрын
I am almost down the street from you in Belmont MA. I started watching you to learn from you, and compare bees. ( also a new bee keeper) My bees did good the 1st year and I used my flow hive the 1st year. (I used waxed frames, maybe that speeded the process) In the Summer of my 2nd year they all died, maybe swarmed. My 3rd year now, I am going to start all over again with a package bee. I believe if you start with a strong hive in the spring, flow hive will work. I love your videos, you say you are a new bee keeper, but we all learn so much from you. Good Job, Thank You.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
I have friends in Belmont! Actually, you have an advantage over there. City bees do GREAT. There is so much variety for nectar sources and all packed really close together. Plus you're a couple stops up on the weather zone charts. Good luck and thanks for the kind words.
@nickyj3343
@nickyj3343 6 жыл бұрын
Send me the box..I live in Victoria Australia..You are right we really don't experience snow, only on our tall mountains. But you have made me feel better were I live, Im always complaining how cold winter is here...Its nothing like what you guys experience.
@jmeilhan
@jmeilhan 6 жыл бұрын
I do not think a flow hive is for cold weather country
@stevehappe8583
@stevehappe8583 6 жыл бұрын
We are all so very vulnerable to the weather aren't we?
@Khanstant
@Khanstant 6 жыл бұрын
Sounds like cold weather country are bad for beekeeping
@darkranger116
@darkranger116 5 жыл бұрын
I really want to get into beekeeping when i can get my own place and really like the idea of having a low impact design for a collection process. I think the flow hive can work up in the new england area, it just needs to be reinforced somehow.
@Rrailroad3
@Rrailroad3 4 жыл бұрын
Check out Frederick Dunn’s page, he has 2 flow hives and i believe he is in Pennsylvania and has no problem extracting.
@AJ-ox8xy
@AJ-ox8xy 4 жыл бұрын
@@Khanstant yes cold weather bee keepers really have to invest in alot more infrastructure so their bees survive the winter. But it can be done.
@albigensian4655
@albigensian4655 2 жыл бұрын
i live in sth wales in the uk, our winters are not quite as long or cold, season starts in april, it's possible to get a spring crop here but not always, i started my 1st year april 2022 with 2 flow hives, from 2, 6 frame nucs, we do get a june gap (dearth) but it's only for a week or so and may or may not happen at all dependant on area/year, i had an issue with one hive as the queen in the nuc was injured and got superceeded did not get a great deal out of that hive, but the second hive, well that was just great, once the flow started the bees went from empty flow frames to full in 6 days (linden trees were flowering) i waited too long before extracting thinking the back window would fill up, had i not waited i may well have got three full flow supers off it but it ended up being just the two, flows supers off mid-august for varroa treatment and plenty of time for bees to fill up with winter stores by nov.
@beardcraft7020
@beardcraft7020 6 жыл бұрын
Thanks alot, i guess you just saved me some frustration (living in Sweden) ..I just have to see further down the road if Flow hive is something i can use, but i start up with some classic ones.
@MrGigaHurtz
@MrGigaHurtz 6 жыл бұрын
I know nothing about bees but have gotten hooked watching your videos about bee keeping. Really interesting!
@drootopia
@drootopia 6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this video. I am in same environment as you and have been wanting a flow hive. My initial investment for my first bees was just deeps and a couple mediums. Was lucky to have a mentor tell me to start off that way. After 6 months of beekeeping I realize the flow hive will not be needed for a couple years. Great video and again thanks for your explainations!
@Stikker021
@Stikker021 6 жыл бұрын
Deeps for brood boxes (1 at the bottom) and shallows for supers. Mediums full of honey are so HEAVY. LOL
@zhanaortiz6787
@zhanaortiz6787 5 жыл бұрын
I just about never comment, but your video is incredible. Thank you for the realistic thoughts and the info! We are in Northern California and want to start beekeeping. Finding your channel and this video is SOOO helpful. We have 22 acres and after moving to this property in December, we have fruit trees and wildflowers finally planted, I'm hoping to learn more before jumping into the deep end.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 5 жыл бұрын
There is a lot to learn. I'm no expert on anything, but I share what works for me. Thanks for watching.
@LuficariusRatspeed
@LuficariusRatspeed 6 жыл бұрын
So, if using normal hives you have a lack of honey, why place emphasis on the flow hive? Just seems like there's a lack of honey overall.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Not bashing the Flow Hive. It's just that I get asked all the time why I haven't used it. The issue we have with the Flow Hive is the need to completely fill a frame in order to harvest the honey. I can put regular Langstroth supers on any time. If they fill one or two or only half of all of them, the frames are still harvestable OR fine to be left in a hive for winter. The Flow Frames come off in October whether they're filled or not. If they're all 75% capped at that point, they're wasted. I can't harvest a 75% capped Flow frame and I can't leave it over the winter for the bees. It's all or nothing. That's the conundrum. This problem is specific to the Flow Frames.
@mosquitoswat1
@mosquitoswat1 6 жыл бұрын
You are an inspiration. I just ordered bees!! Can’t Wait! I’ve been watching your beekeeping process, learning, laughed with you, and sometimes at you (hood/helmet flipping). Living in Minnesota, I had hard time not jumping at the Flow Hive, BUT it greatly inspired my interest and pointed me to find your amazing channel. Thank you for YouTubing this journey, you’ve inspired me!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
So are you going to listen to me and start with TWO hives????
@mosquitoswat1
@mosquitoswat1 6 жыл бұрын
Vino Farm Yes, starting with two nucs. Last fall, I set up a hive grounds like you, but a little smaller (wood chip base over landscape fabric, roughly 12x16, will fence around to keep the bears/critters out.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Sounds great. Good luck!
@patsiebenaler855
@patsiebenaler855 6 жыл бұрын
JDog Night, JDog, I am also in Minnesota and thinking of getting into bees. Have you found any local resources to help you learn the process with our long winters?
@jo-han
@jo-han 6 жыл бұрын
Well since you now have multiple hives and each winter a hive that dwindles (and or dies) you might want to use another strategy for just a little bit of honey harvest in non-optimal years. You put one or two flow frames in the flow box and the rest of the space you fill with normal frames. If that one flowframe gets filled with honey you harvest only that one, ones a year. Once harvested and the frame is cleaned by the bees you switch the box and take out the flow frame and put in a normal frame. They only have one frame to add honey :) To support strong hives getting through the last bit of winter you'll need the weak hives and you'll need to combine them making sure the food is used by a strong hive. If a hive dies, freeze the honey frames and use those to get stronger hives through winter. Deepfreeze for 2 months kills pests, honey will be fine once thawed. If you have 10-30 frozen frames full of honey as a backup then hives not making it in Sep/Okt or Feb/Mar/Apr can still be given good honey. And you won't have to worry about harvesting 2-3 frames of fresh honey in Jun/Sep. You've already experienced that there can be other issues bugging the hive to get it to dwindling. Once that dealt with the short nectar flow is over and adding frames from your backup would fix it. Yes I know you don't have 30 frames of honey backup, and it might take you multiple years the get to that amount to store but eventually you will. You might want to "travel" with a hive putting it near a neighboring meadow about 3-10 miles away during good honey flows. While wintering it in your own backyard. Then you might expand to 5 hives of which 2-3 survive winter. 2 hives dying during winter would leave you with 4-10 frames of backup honey.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Excellent, excellent ideas. Thank you, as always, jo han!
@Off-Grid
@Off-Grid 3 жыл бұрын
We have had bee hives on our off-grid homestead for a while now and people who buy our honey always asked about these types of hives. I'm torn since I don't hear good things about their longevity. Some of our hives have been in use for 8 years. I've heard these will only last a season or two because the combs get clogged or break as they are plastic. I'd still try one out if I got one for free but think I'll stick to my wooden boxes.
@OkieRob
@OkieRob 6 жыл бұрын
Bee keeping is a like a box of chocolates .8-)
@SpiinM8
@SpiinM8 6 жыл бұрын
But you know you gonna get honey
@calebvonweichardt7785
@calebvonweichardt7785 6 жыл бұрын
And in a box of chocolates you know you are gonna get chocolate ;D
@hillshepherd9444
@hillshepherd9444 6 жыл бұрын
Maybe those long strips of insulated electric wire, they use to warms house gutters fro icing up, around the hive to warm it. they don't get that hot as to burn them or the hive.
@fuzzypenguinroxmysox
@fuzzypenguinroxmysox 6 жыл бұрын
The description of Massachusetts weather had me laughing. I’m right below in CT and it’s so accurate about April
@peacefullysublime86
@peacefullysublime86 4 жыл бұрын
I left Connecticut couple years ago and the three years I lived there I have never seen so much SNOW and cold in my life lol I’m from Virginia. No such thing as warm spring in Connecticut I was still wearing a coat !
@countrylover1969
@countrylover1969 6 жыл бұрын
Hey bud, nice video. I learned a lot as a new bee keeper, even I am not thinking about the flow hive. But all your explanation makes a lot of sense when it comes to honey flow and when to take honey. Thanks and keep it coming.
@Jay-jp2iv
@Jay-jp2iv 6 жыл бұрын
Maybe try a double queen colony like some commercial beekeepers do. Queen in top box, queen in bottom box, queen excluders bottom and top, flow hive/supers in the middle. Maximises honey production in short period of time if your seasons are short. Good luck.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
This was a suggestion by someone else as well. I need to look into that. My brain is having a hard time understanding it. Thanks for the tip.
@mikeries8549
@mikeries8549 6 жыл бұрын
I think he means two excluders with two hive bodies and a flow hive sandwiched in between. It'd be more trouble than running two conventional colonies supered the old-school conventional way imo. Of course I have an extractor so I'd lean toward using it.
@bluzervic
@bluzervic 6 жыл бұрын
It was great to watch your reasoning on why you have not used the flow hive. This year just might be your first as it looks like you might have a hive that makes it. I myself could probably use it and may try as my area is very mild. Great presentation. All new beekeepers should Learn about their area and their bees before they think about a harvest.
@larrytornetta9764
@larrytornetta9764 6 жыл бұрын
Unless you live in the arctic this will work. RULE 1 IN BEEKEEPING IF YOU WANT HONEY ,YOUR BEES MUST BE AT MAXIMUM POPULATION BEFORE THE APRIL MAY OR JUNE FLOW. This means your bees must be strong going into the winter. They must be mite free and lots of honey. Then as soon as it starts warming ( note no particular month) feed sugar syrup and pollen patties. As soon as the flow is on ( note when the dandelions are blooming) throw the flow frames on. In my case, Chinese knockoffs.
@flygirlhoney_
@flygirlhoney_ 6 жыл бұрын
I love your videos and have learned so much from your bee keeping experiences. I’m starting 2 flow hives (a 7 frame and a hybrid) next month here in Texas and hope I have better luck with being able to use the flow supers this year.
@yamatoyazuyuki7049
@yamatoyazuyuki7049 5 жыл бұрын
So the flow hive is perfect for where I live after hearing that is mostly for hot-warm weather because I live in Trinidad and Tobago and we don't have winter(we have a DRY season, Rain season and fall). But I do still have mix feelings about it and after watching this video this Really opened my mind if I want to live that has a winter and I wanted to start with a flow hive. 🤔
@beekeepermariadelgado6806
@beekeepermariadelgado6806 4 жыл бұрын
I did not like how they had a fundraiser saying they needed millions to start up. We had one of the reps from Australia saying they got all the money to start up but they need more money actually several million more and come to find out they had the Chinese make them at their factories. Initially they were going to build a factory in Australia but took most of 5he money. In my opinion they are shisters. Later come to find out the Chinese copied the design and are selling a Flow hive really cheap. Being a beekeeper for 8 years I am quite confident in my skills and have no need for the trash Flow Hive. I have a mere 100 hives and use the honey my bees have made to supplement my prescriptions.
@TomLeedsTheAtheist
@TomLeedsTheAtheist 6 жыл бұрын
Exactly what I thought. I am in Chicago and started a hive with a nuc last summer late (July). Like you I was inspired by the Flow hive but did jump on it wanting to see some first hand experience. Well, my bees did not make it. But even though it is not quite as cold the season is just about as short. So I am in a similar situation like you and your review is exactly what I had been looking for as FLOW has announced the FLOW 2 and another indigogo promotion that I want to take advantage of because I love the idea of the flow hive, but like you I just don't think there is enough season or flowers to support it. Thank you so much for doing this video, it really helped me to make up my mind. I'm sad that the flow hive is not right for me but it is an expensive hive and I don't want to end up like you with it unused.
@granttabor1338
@granttabor1338 6 жыл бұрын
No one should look at a flow hive till you have real strong hives. When I got mine I had a hive that was two brood box's and a super. I put the flow hive on top with a queen excluder and got good honey but the hive was about 3 or 4 years old and I had never taken any stores from them just left them from year to year.
@paulshimer1870
@paulshimer1870 6 жыл бұрын
Yes sir, i have been around bees since i was a kid, and he is just starting. You have to have super strong hives to get good honey period.
@phillipthomas253
@phillipthomas253 5 жыл бұрын
I live in Massachusetts and have 7 Flow Hives - they generate A LOT of honey, and sometimes with 2 harvests in one year...they work great for me...it seems like it is all about the environment and its "friendliness to bees" in that area.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 5 жыл бұрын
Where in MA? What are your nectar sources?
@phillipthomas253
@phillipthomas253 5 жыл бұрын
@@vinofarm Outside Boston inside Rt128...lots of urban and suburban flowers...and with a three-mile flight radius, they seem to gather all the nectar and pollen they need, although I am prepared to supplemental feed when needed. Our nectar flow was pretty steady this year with all the yards and fields with a wide variety of flowers and shrubs. For example, our first frame of honey had a slight hint of mint to it - the bees seem to have found some mint bushes in the area and it shows up in the honey - possible when you don't mix honey from multiple frames and multiple hives. We get frame by frame honey and each has a slightly different taste - only Flow Hive gives you that kind of individuality of flavor... PS I have always wanted to meet you and see your apiary...would you be open to that?
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 5 жыл бұрын
We had an amazing flow of nectar all summer this year. The past three years (my first three years) we had a severe dearth during July and August... like clockwork. I just thought that's how it was. This was my first time seeing nectar come into the hives in abundance. This video was shot between my 2nd and 3rd season and that was all I knew. I can't say this new flow will continue because most beekeepers I've talked to have said this was an unusually great year. It's different everywhere you go, though. As far as visits, we are not currently open for visitors. Sorry. I try to share everything I do here on the channel.
@saraelias8159
@saraelias8159 5 жыл бұрын
have you ever thought of planting wildflowers where are you live??????
@DreamyDuskywing
@DreamyDuskywing 5 жыл бұрын
Sara Elias I’m pretty sure he has two meadows of planted wildflowers 😊
@ernestozuniga3495
@ernestozuniga3495 4 жыл бұрын
Hi Sara wild flowers are an excellent choice. We can also get more precise with the specific plants that flower during dearth months. Thank you.
@Ozhar1
@Ozhar1 6 жыл бұрын
Can you not feed your bees in the weaker months? Forgive my lack of beekeeping knowledge, but can't you feed them a variety of syrups when nectar is not available?
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
They are fed when there is no nectar available.
@tommullarkey1955
@tommullarkey1955 5 жыл бұрын
Similar story here with Flow Hive in the Berkshires (Western Mass) but I’m starting to think your resource Nucs could be the answer. If your primary hives are in good shape after winter then move some brood frames from your resource nucs to the Flow Hive to catch the first nectar flow - Michael Palmer in one of his videos called it “dropping a brood bomb”. I just assembled my resource nuc (which you introduced me to, thanks) and now I'm thinking i should get a second one, but i'll have over a year to see if I can get my dusty Flow supers to work. Good luck and thanks for the great videos.
@frankrand3952
@frankrand3952 5 жыл бұрын
The wife and I are looking at setting up a Flow-Hive in our green house. The winters in the upper peninsula Michigan are pretty rough. Jan 2019 the polar vortex brought -55 temps for a couple weeks. Think the green house can supplement the dearth. We will have plenty of vegetables and other plants in the green house as well as the bees can go out through the open roof vents in spring/summer. The winter we can keep the green house around 50 degrees, just have to watch the humidity. We think the bonus to Flow-Hive is that you do not need extra equipment to harvest the honey. No extra cleaning after extraction. simple harvest operation. Love the videos btw and new subscriber!!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 5 жыл бұрын
Be very careful keeping bees in a greenhouse. Temperature needs to be very carefully controlled. And you will need to seal off outside access and light for them all winter. There are people who bring hives indoors for overwintering, but the temps are kept fairly cold and in total darkness. You really don't want bees flying and active in a greenhouse all winter. You want them to cluster and NOT fly. Having bees active in January in an artificially heated environment with outdoor temps in the negatives means you're going to be feeding a LOT and you can't harvest that from a flow hive. You might want to re-think this plan.
@frankrand3952
@frankrand3952 5 жыл бұрын
@@vinofarm, so just keep the hive warm and closed up for the winter months then. Come spring move the hive back outside to original spot and open it up so they can come out.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 5 жыл бұрын
@@frankrand3952 Not warm... you want to keep it cold. You want them to think it's winter, but not need to work as hard as they would if it was -50º. Check out this video... kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmnFnJuInMSYr9k
@frankrand3952
@frankrand3952 5 жыл бұрын
@@vinofarm got it.... keep them dark and at 41 degrees to keep them sleeping ( so to say) for the winter months. Very informative video link there, thank you!
@frankrand3952
@frankrand3952 5 жыл бұрын
@@vinofarm just had this pop up on a FB group I follow. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG ( Study on insulated Bee Hive) from the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural or SEMAP. You already have a few videos about insulating the hive for winter.
@jamesjarvis3328
@jamesjarvis3328 6 жыл бұрын
Brilliant video. I genuinely think the technology and the concept of Flow is brilliant (I feel as though you agree?), but it's the application which makes me dubious. Your video has given me a truly balanced insight - so many beekeepers appear hostile towards it, often though misunderstanding. It was fantastic to watch a video which is 'negative' about flow, but with a brilliant justification. Thanks very much for this. For me, as silly as it sounds, one of the aspects I love about the Flow is the observation window... but that's partly because it's a great way to show bees in action to those not comfortable being around an open hive. I'm yet to get into beekeeping - I've just found your channel so I think I'll watch your videos and learn from your learning experience! Anyway, that's the end of my rambling. :)
@ivonastrukar4715
@ivonastrukar4715 3 жыл бұрын
just cut a window on a normal hive
@johnkeegan3958
@johnkeegan3958 6 жыл бұрын
Just saw video and i think you are correct i have been keeping bees for 4yrs now and my 2nd year tried my first flow hive and it works great in central texas we might have 10 days of winter this year i will be adding my second flow box . Im still a small hobbyist with 10 hives.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
That's great. This illustrates my point. It's still a fine product for a lot of people. You just have to live in the right location for it to work.
@dt3173
@dt3173 6 жыл бұрын
I live in houston,tx and i want to start. Any pointers?
@0ptoman
@0ptoman 6 жыл бұрын
Well... This is interesting. I bought a Flowhive on a whim because I wanted an easy way to get into beekeeping. Then I found your you tube channel and have watched every episode of your beekeeping experience. The difference between you and I starting up was that I had heard that you should start with two hives. I didn’t want to buy another Flowhive so bought an 8 frame flat packed Langstroth hive so I could share elements of both hives. After installing two 6 frames nucs, the Langstroth proved to be the more successful and productive hive. Like you I haven’t harvested any honey yet from the Flowhive but I’m trying to figure out a strategy so I can. Unlike you though I fortunately didn’t lose any bees over winter. I now have 4 hives in total. One 8 frame Langstroth , 2 ten frame Langstroths and a 32 frame Langstroth frame long hive that we call our “Longstroth” This year the Longstroth will converted into a 5 x 5 frame nuc hive and I plan to get another 4 or so Langstroth hives going. I won’t be buying another Flowhive. Like you I don’t have anything bad to say about the Flowhive except it’s probably not for me either. What I will say is this, the Flowhive may have been the catalyst for me to start bee keeping but it won’t be the reason I remain a bee keeper. I absolutely love it. I still do a little jig, like you, when I find a mated queen for the first time. I also really enjoy your channel and feel I truly can share your delights and frustrations. FYI... I live on the south western tip of the UK.
@somethingnostalgic
@somethingnostalgic 6 жыл бұрын
I'm in NY about 90 mins up from the city. We had a weird winter this year - flowers started blooming mid-may and continue to do so now in June - so it seems like when I get into beekeeping (outside research), I'm going to have to work with the bees for a full year and see how well they do during that year. I don't want to take the honey away from them when they need it more than I do. My plan, along with my husband's (who hates bees but knows I want this in my life), is to get the yard ready for them. We're looking at flowers, bushes, and trees that will give the bees what they need, then place the hive. Luckily, there's a local beehive supply place in Kingston so I can get my bees and tools, attend workshop classes, and have more questions answered there as well. But your video was very helpful (I'll be watching your Q&A); and you answered some questions I had about this Flow Hive. You also gave a great pointer towards the end of your video where you said that when you start beekeeping, start with two hives. So thank you for that! Good luck in your venture and may your colonies be strong this year and years to come. :)
@lwil2808
@lwil2808 6 жыл бұрын
You have a lot of acreage to plant. Yellow clover is the best provider of nectar. One acre can produce a ton of honey. I would look into it. Not sure about ur zone. Also we havent put on our flow hive super yet either. Second year we are trying to put it on during the first nectar flow. With the issues in your area sounds like you need to feed early and use pollen substitute to kick them into production. Also melt some wax you have collected and coat ur flow frames, put a queen excluder on and put on ur flow frames early. They will need to clean it up and get it ready before they even start storing. Also as a new beekeeper I wouldn’t buy the flow hive initially, I would do what u said just buy traditional hives then get the super. I feel your pain. Really hard to get the honey going!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
We tried sweet clover last year but it got overrun with grass before it took hold. I have red and white clover (native here) ready to plant this spring after we till our field. I have not looked into yellow clover. Best of luck with your bees!
@drrota
@drrota 6 жыл бұрын
Joe Lewis has a great video on plants for bees: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJikfYSgoKqFY9E - Best to plant in a shoal sized area. Good luck.
@ElocinAlways
@ElocinAlways 6 жыл бұрын
Clover is tricky. Lots of blooms, but once nectar is gone, its dry blooms. Ive read guys who high mow/cut their clover fields in rows, cycling new blooms. Flowers do not = nectar flow.
@snuffoutrouge5109
@snuffoutrouge5109 Жыл бұрын
things to consider . You can't take some spare frames to the flow hive and swap them with honey filled frames. If the flow hives are not close to your home you have to wait for the frame to drain into your honey jar. If it is cold the honey flow is slower. I am in a cold climate closer to Antartica than QLD so I have not purchased the flow hives since moving more South five years ago.
@thehiveandthehoneybee9547
@thehiveandthehoneybee9547 6 жыл бұрын
This is funny and sad because if you didn't have "FlowHive" in your titles, I never would have watched any of your videos in the first place. Doesn't Mr Dunn live near you? Why does his work and yours doesn't? I AM SO CONFUSED. Good presentation, but leaves me with more questions than answers.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Frederick Dunn lives 9 hours away from me in a different state. There are people 1 hour away from me who have the Flow Hive working. Every situation is completely different. I'm not giving up on it. I hope to get it working this summer, but if we have a similar dearth in July, it's not going to happen. Like I said in the video, if I lived next to a canola farm, my bees would have plenty of summer nectar and I wouldn't have this issue. Unfortunately, my plantings for summer nectar have not been successful. I'll keep trying.
@thehiveandthehoneybee9547
@thehiveandthehoneybee9547 6 жыл бұрын
Oh! I didn't realize that. Yes, keep trying and we'll keep watching! Thanks for the response.
@maryries4044
@maryries4044 6 жыл бұрын
When you have 10 or more colonies next spring would be a great time to invest in 12 more flow hives.
@jordanwoodify
@jordanwoodify 4 жыл бұрын
(not a beekeeper) I've been watching videos and if your bees are struggling to survive certain months couldn't you just do the trick of 1 part water 1 part sugar to keep them going?
@RAD6150
@RAD6150 4 жыл бұрын
Same question I had. Could you supplement them with sugar syrup until September? So start with brood box. Feed until you can add a super. Add a medium super and continue supplementing. Then add Flow, no more feeding. Once you have collected and removed flow, supplement feeding until it gets too cold. If the hive is really full of bees, add a second medium super after removing the Flow.
@PaulOtis
@PaulOtis 6 жыл бұрын
As a beekeeper, I get asked about the flow hive all the time. I always refer those questions to videos like yours, and Brandon's Bees. I feel that you guys get it. You still have to be a beekeeper with the flow hive. You can't just put it on, and wait for the magic to happen, you may get a crop, but the bees will most likely fail. Keep on beekeeping JIm. I love the journey!
@cultleader6977
@cultleader6977 3 жыл бұрын
I have a auto flow hive and I live in Connecticut I have no issues
@Kopsu87
@Kopsu87 6 жыл бұрын
This video has very nice lighting. The colours are great, the music in the end enters very naturally and the video has a professional feel. You've become a proper videographer mr. Vinofarm. What's your name btw? I'm sure you've mentioned it on some episode, but I can't remember.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Jim!
@katieburton1997
@katieburton1997 4 жыл бұрын
Have you ever thought about getting a giant greenhouse and then moving the beehive inside during winter months. one you could actually keep their food restock because they have constant flowers enter they won't go into hibernation because they think they have a longer time.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 4 жыл бұрын
This has been suggested a lot, but it is way too impractical. The hoophouse actually gets too warm during the late winter and the bees would be active months earlier than local nectar would be available. Dealing with artificially feeding them would be no fun. It's best to leave them in their hives and let them come out of their winter cluster in sync with the seasons.
@Frankstar22
@Frankstar22 5 жыл бұрын
Fun Fact: i missed this Video back in the day - just watched it. Funny thing is - my beekeeping story is exactly the same as yours ^^ The good thing - through Flow Hive i got into beekeeping, and i found your channel. started watching you with the first Flow Hive Video.
@DanielJohnson-xk3gz
@DanielJohnson-xk3gz 6 жыл бұрын
Hi Jim! Thanks so much for putting in so much work into your videos. I enjoy them a lot! I live in a quarter acre lot in a village in New York and there is no way I could have any hives. I have been watching your bee adventures for 2 years now and everything I have learned about bee keeping has been from your content. It seems that your hives are stronger this year than what they were this time last year. I was wondering if you could plant a field of wildflowers around your bee yard. Would that be practical to increase the flow? Maybe find some wildflowers that peak during your dearth months. Just a thought from someone who knows nothing! I hope you have a great bee season this year coming up!
@jackseamon7064
@jackseamon7064 6 жыл бұрын
I'd say keep your Flow Hive ready to use. You and I live about 2 miles apart, as the bees fly. We've had some wonky weather that hasn't helped anyone in this area. 2016 we had a drought. Bees worked hard to find flowers with nectar in them. 2017 saw the end of the drought, and what I had heard through Worcester County Beekeepers was that shower and rain activity diluted or washed the nectar from flowers. Again, the bees had to work hard to find nectar. 2015 though, lots of nectar was readily available, and ours made lots of honey. Since this is agriculture and not manufacturing, we are at Mom Nature's mercy. Keep the faith, good years are coming. 🐝
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Thanks, Jack. I had a sense that the last two seasons we a bit abnormal. It's all I know, though! I appreciate the encouragement.
@samalmer
@samalmer 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the information, I’m a second year beekeeper I had one good hive and one split I ended up losing both hives. I live in North West Montana where we have very cold winter like you have we are at 4000’. I have two flow hives and am waiting for a package bees in May.
@celticqaidbear
@celticqaidbear 6 жыл бұрын
What i would do is have a give-a-way.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
This thought crossed my mind. Maybe at 50,000 subscribers?
@turgsh01
@turgsh01 6 жыл бұрын
Nah, advertising like that will just get ppl to make fake accounts or subscribe just for the sake of free stuff. Better to just let it happen over time so the subscribers are legit and here to stay.
@turgsh01
@turgsh01 6 жыл бұрын
You'd be surprised... also, it wouldn't be just 1 person doing it. A lot of ppl have hundreds of fake accounts already to up their favorite channel's sub amount or to up their own real account, they could just reuse them on this channel. I think you just underestimate the stupidity of KZbin.
@williambrancato9773
@williambrancato9773 6 жыл бұрын
There goes $700 dollars. Did my 1st flow hive in 2017. Was a mentor to the buyer. Found out he didn't have the time nor did he want any of my advise. It worked great for my 1st free bottle of honey & that was about it. He is now building a Top Bar hive. It is a very interesting about the zone difference.
@encountar
@encountar 6 жыл бұрын
I'm liking the Beard! really suits you.
@carolrichards5235
@carolrichards5235 6 жыл бұрын
As the wife of a long time beekeeper, I have a few questions. First, are you monitoring for the varroa mite. From what I have picked up from my husband and The American Bee Journal, varroa mites are a very possible reason why your bees are not making it through the winter. Second, are you checking your hives in the early spring to find out where the bees are in relation to the honey stores? Sometimes the queen lays late into the fall season, and the bees will cluster around her to keep her alive, but the honey will not be near by. Restacking the supers, bringing the honey closer to the cluster, will help them. Third, do you feed them in the early spring months? We live in MI and have been feeding our bees a sugar fondant for several months. They went into winter with plenty of honey, but the winter was longer and colder than normal. Checking the hives during a warm spell in Feb., my husband decided the bees needed some extra feeding to keep them alive. My husband recently bought "The Beekeeper's Bible", publisher Abrams, NY. Not only does it cover beekeeping, but the book has chapters on the history of beekeeping, bee life history, overwintering, diseases, hive location, grading honey, and recipes for using your honey and wax. Love this book. Very informative.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
I've lost two hives out of five hive overwinter attempts, so my overwinter record is pretty good. The two I lost had heavy varroa and were treated, but probably a bit too late in the fall. I need to monitor the varroa earlier in the season and treat earlier. Still, I've had three hives make it through winter, so I'm doing OK. Yes, I check any days that get above 50º in MA. One of my survivors was just about out of honey back in early March and they've had fondant on all winter. They're living on fondant right now, but still very much alive. It's still too cold to feed syrup, but that will start soon. Thanks for the tips.
@NaturesCadenceFarm
@NaturesCadenceFarm 6 жыл бұрын
That is definitely a tough timeline. Maybe this year will be better and the numbers will be on your side. I think a flow hive would work for me here in VA. b/c we only have a couple of really cold months. I would definitely love to try it some day. Good luck this season. 👍
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@zachmartin8230
@zachmartin8230 6 жыл бұрын
Have you thought about splitting the flow frames between multiple hives, along with built out frames so the bees have a ready made place to put stores. That way you could harvest only a small portion, leaving the rest for the bees
@frankseville2136
@frankseville2136 5 жыл бұрын
Please sell them to me :( I’m just getting ready to start beekeeping , and of you want to sell that I would love it.
@johnw8419
@johnw8419 6 жыл бұрын
You hit a home run with this video. I am a third year , Zone 5, beekeeper that is still learning and I agree with you completely. I also have the same goals for this coming year. One of three hives made it through winter so far. I treated for mites (OAV), wrapped hives, used insulated/ ventilated winter cover. lots of food, ets. So I am bummed that two hives are dead. would like to get some comb honey this year. Hopefully you have found the "Honey Bee Suite" website, which is fantastic. Thank you for all the time you put into your videos. Good luck this year.
@oof9701
@oof9701 5 жыл бұрын
You should try catching wild bees they already know what they need.
@AussieMikesBees
@AussieMikesBees 6 жыл бұрын
As always, a thoughtful and informative video. I bought my Flowhive on the second crowdfund release in 2015. When it arrived I found your video on assembly. Then I watched everything you made. It was inspirational. I am blessed to live in the Blue Mountains NW of Sydney Australia. The coldest we get is maybe -4C for a very short time. My bees were busy all but two weeks in my first Winter. Most of the flow comes from the eucalyptus forest that surrounds me. I am fortunate that I harvested within two months of starting beekeeping and again later in the season. But the harvesting is just the icing on the cake. The real joy is in making the cake. I am totally obsessed with beekeeping now. Like you say, I would definitely start with two hives if I had my time again. It seems to me that you enjoy your cake even though it may take some time before you get to taste icing. You'll have a freak season some time and have a super flow and you'll finally be able to Flow. I look forward to that video.
@TRICK-OR-TREAT236
@TRICK-OR-TREAT236 6 жыл бұрын
YA WANT 75 BUCKS FOR IT ? I'LL PAY SHIPPING.
@williegillie5712
@williegillie5712 6 жыл бұрын
TRICK-OR TREAT lol
@navarra4
@navarra4 4 жыл бұрын
I just read your response to the suggestion that you plant flowers for your area that work during your dearth. Have you thought about roaming around to see which larger plant and maybe trees are covered with bees for your area during that dearth time. Clover and smaller plants can get easily overrun as you have found out. But to establish a few larger bushes and or trees could work.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 4 жыл бұрын
I’m letting the local natural stuff spread where it wants. Right now milkweed and goldenrod are dominant and the bees love them both.
@williegillie5712
@williegillie5712 6 жыл бұрын
lol you bought it but you don’t plan to use it. You sound like my wife
@EVILGOKU1986
@EVILGOKU1986 6 жыл бұрын
HA
@stuartcoyle1626
@stuartcoyle1626 6 жыл бұрын
I live in subtropical Queensland, with blooms all year round, and the flow hive works well for me. I understand completely why it would not work in your situation and feel fortunate not to have to cope with cold winters.
@honestlynate7922
@honestlynate7922 6 жыл бұрын
I agree that you can expect to put that frame in the hive and get a flow but I also believe that you didn't try it so you really don't know and all you're doing is making excuses for yourself in order not to use a product that I guess you unlike most of us can afford just to throw $700 away on and never use. all I see in this video is you making excuses for wasting your money. I have heard that the flow hives are not good for your bees but I've also heard that you can't do a review on a product you haven't used just because you bought it. I'm one of those 11 thumbs down for that by the way
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Noted. Thanks for watching.
@angelagjylhasani9431
@angelagjylhasani9431 6 жыл бұрын
I've had quite a similar history: Came across the flow thing in 2015, took a beginners course and tried to get my first bees, but couldn't get my hands on a colony. Bought a 7 flow frame set whitout a box anyway and waited a solid 11 months for it to arrive (which it did in Feb 16). Finally bought two colonies, that nearly filled one brood box by then, waited until they filled up the second box at least by half, then added the flow supers (had ordered a second frames-only set and 2 full sets with box, when the production was running) and they filled them readily, but slowly. This is normal for brand new frames, they fill up faster when they've been previously used. Harvested ~25kg from two hives in total, made two splits and had one hive swarm, which of course lessens the honey yield. One original colony died in Dec 16, but the splits turned into thriving hives in 2017. But we had very rough spring in 2017, with heavy winds, cold and wet weather and even a blizzard on April 1st! It not only stopped the bees from flying, but also killed of the early spring flowers including most fruits (cherry, apple...). The second original colony started queenless and I had to requeen by giving them a brood frame to make a new queen, thus weakening the donor hive, that had not started having brood before March, which is very late. All colonies struggled to survive and since I had only wheat fields around my house that year (as opposed to 2016, when there was plenty of canola and broad bean nearby), plus by the time I was to harvest we had a solid 14 days of rain and the bees consumed most of what they had collected, I had ~7kg of honey in total - and that was way too wet with about 24% moisture. Of course I fed them after harvest and if the honey had not been in flow frames, I would have left it for the bees. Again I had made two splits in summer, but they died in March 18, where we had severe frost up to -20°C. But first hive inspection showed that this year, all 3 remaining colonies are doing well, are strong and already have lots of brood, so I put up the flow supers on 2 of them this week. The third one will be used for hive multiplication, honey comb production (the splits died because they didn't have all their frames drawn out with comb and weren't able to store enough food, so I will focus on having excess combs for splits to add if neccessary), honey store build-up (i.e. those normal wax honey combs will be used for winter food for all hives, so less sugar feeding will be necessary) and maybe propolis production. But the difference is, that I started thinking about bee keeping at least 10 years before the actual start and read virtually everything about it I got into my handy. The flow hive only was the last trigger needed to actually DO it (and the fact that I bought a house in 2014 and was free to do what I wanted since then, not dependent on landlords anymore). My advice would be, let your hive build up and make some splits to compensate for losses. Don't depend on only one hive, just as you said near the end. If your hive does well, don't refrain from putting on the flow super. You can just give them one or two frames as a start by just turning the others to open position. They won't use those open frames and focus on the one or two in closed position. And if they only get to the point of having the plastic lined with wax by the time you'll have to take the honey super off, that's fine, that'll give them a pole position next year. Just do it, don't be afraid ;) If they don't manage to fill them - so what? You shouldn't focus on honey harvest the first years, but on building up strong colonies, getting familiar with the bees (since looking into an actual hive is always a very different thing than reading a book) and collecting a safety reserve of fresh comb and filled honey comb. Side info: I'm in Germany, quite in the center, and we do have cold winters, yet not THAT long and cold as you explained. I take the honey super off by august, september latest, since I have to do varroa treatment by that time. You can't harvest honey after treatment anyway. I put on the flow super by april, depending on weather. If you like, check out my channel, I did some short videos on my harvests (ignore the chicken and rabbit videos ;)). I took one frame out for the very first one, because I was curious to see what happens. I had huge problems with bees falling into the honey jar, so I made a closed tubing system to let the honey flow into my bucket, which has a tap to directly fill the honey into jars. Summary for this novel (sorry): I am satisfied with the flow frames, they work as intended even in other climates than australian eternal summer and they make harvesting super easy. They DON'T have impact on hive development or weather and you'll have to get your basics first no matter which way of harvesting you choose.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Hello in Germany! Thanks for your story and thanks for the encouragement. I'm starting my spring this year with two strong hives and one brand new package. I am hoping to do splits and focus on building my little bee yard. I have patience. It's not about the honey for me, anyway. I just want to be a better beekeeper. Thanks again!
@psyched1231
@psyched1231 6 жыл бұрын
Your problem is hive strength. Strengthening the hive solves almost every problem a beekeeper has. Most make the mistake of wanting more hives rather than a small number of really strong hives. Only a hive overflowing with bees at the time of the flow is going to make a good surplus of honey and fill your Flow supers. Before your flow you have two options for getting a good, strong hive: 1) Combine your two hives. If you do this option, wait to combine them until a couple of weeks before your flow. That way you'll have two queens producing bees until you need them. That one big hive will perform like you've been waiting for. 2) Your best option is to put your name with the local fire and police to catch swarms. Much to many beekeeper's chagrin, bees like to swarm right before the honey flow. This is great for you - the swarm catcher! Go get their bees. You can really use them. When you get a swarm, hive it in an empty super with only a couple of old frames and newspaper it onto one of your hives. Once they have gnawed through the paper and combined with your hive, take the empty box off and add your Flow super. Swarming bees leave the old hive full of honey, ready to lay down wax, and work. You won't believe what adding this swarm will do for your hive. You have just turned your hive into a super hive now and they're ready to go bring in honey. Swarming bees love to pull comb and when you put on your Flow super they will readily wax the cells and start filling them.
@Mattnh
@Mattnh 6 жыл бұрын
If there is something getting me into bee keeping it's also your movies. Very well done! Keep up the good work.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching.
@rooster3019
@rooster3019 5 жыл бұрын
No "tree nectar" up there? My bees were cutting into maple buds on any warm day in mid February to March, Persimmon, Tulip Poplar, Black Gum (Tupelo) and sourwood. Tulip poplar is the build-up and winter stores, I try to keep the Tupelo and and Sourwood.
@INDIANxxWARRIOR
@INDIANxxWARRIOR 5 жыл бұрын
plant a lot of good flowers around your area that work for bees, in your garden, ask your neighbors to do the same and plant them in the wild.
@danielledubson1094
@danielledubson1094 5 жыл бұрын
I’ve recently started my research into becoming a beekeeper, and I came across the flow hive and thought it would be perfect...this information has made me seriously reconsider, since I live in Michigan and we also have extended cold and some harsh winters. Thank you for the information.
@californiamojavegardener5505
@californiamojavegardener5505 4 жыл бұрын
Feed your bees during the winter, sugar water, or sugar syrup. Look at Emmy made. And are you winterizing your bees in the wintet?
@nickgaudet
@nickgaudet 6 жыл бұрын
Why can't you leave it on for the winter? Your discussion was based on this assumption, but I'm missing why it's not possible. Thanks.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Nicholas Gaudet When the Flow frames are on, you must have a Queen excluder installed. During winter, bees are going to cluster around the queen. If the cluster needs to go up into the flow box for stores, the queen could be left behind under the excluder. Also, the flow frames are Extra deep with very little room around them for clustering. They are simply not designed to be used over winter. The flow hive people state that they need to be removed for winter. Bottom line, this whole system was designed in a place with no winter. In the location (sub tropical Australia) where these were conceived and tested, they are left on the hive year round. In almost every other part of the world, these frames need to be removed during freezing months. Unfortunately, we have six freezing months.
@taylorbrown867
@taylorbrown867 6 жыл бұрын
One recommendation that I have seen, I live in Washington State, is to go to your local hardware store and get some clover seed and spread it in your lawn, pasture, next to your driveway, anywhere you can. As long as you keep it watered and don’t mow too short, it’ll help with that “dearth” period. Good luck!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
We tried about 1/8 acre of clover last year right next to the hive and it was overrun with grass before it took hold. We want to try again. Thanks for watching.
@jasonpurcellau
@jasonpurcellau 6 жыл бұрын
Whats the point of removing the flow frames? the bees eat from them in winter?
@RLH1970
@RLH1970 6 жыл бұрын
If you manage to get the bees to fill the Flow frames I think you'll find it's worth it. I couldn't believe how much easier the extraction was and if I had the money I would buy more flow supers and never spin another frame! I'm in France and only put my Flow super on in June so I missed the spring flow. A few of the frames were about 3/4 full and I harvested anyway. The water content will be higher but that just means the honey won't last long - it tastes great so won't hang around in my house anyway! Any surplus I will give away to friends and explain it should be used and not stored. Or if you don't want to keep the honey you could just feed it back to your bees, which is essentially the same as leaving the honey in a super for them to eat over winter. I've learned so much from your channel and look forward to every new video. Thanks so much for all your hard work! (I'm a professional video editor so I know what goes into them!)
@iangrant6602
@iangrant6602 6 жыл бұрын
Jim, thank you for the video and your thoughts on the system. And no worries, your technique, explanation, and logic was all very informative and in no way came across as biased or demeaning. I think you were fair and helpful. I was concerned when I first started watching I must admit because I just placed an order for the Flow Hive 2 and I’m north of the border. But I think it will be a useful challenge to ensure I learn as much as I can about bee keeping in our area as it seems I will have to be very attuned to the flows, etc., as you implied. I should mention I’m only starting out and switching from a rented hive to purchasing 4 of my own this year. Thus I may wait till next year to challenge my self with this system. Thanks again and All the best,
@norseaknothead
@norseaknothead 6 жыл бұрын
Maybe set up your Flow Hive inside a shed or barn as an observation hive of sorts.
@CharlesGinzel
@CharlesGinzel 6 жыл бұрын
great video Jim! two thoughts: (1) i'm not experienced myself with this, but many folks feed early with pollen patties or open pollen substitute feeding to get the hive expanding well before the normal spring flow starts. the idea of course is to get the hive to a honey production level strength when the nectar flow starts so your bees can take best advantage. the way i like to think of it is, there is a certain "overhead" to running a hive and so any number of bees below that number spend most of their time managing the hive and building up. once you get over that overhead number, honey production really takes off because you have so much more excess capacity of bees to go forage for nectar. so the larger population you can get early, the better. (2) plant as many flowering trees, bushes, clover and other wildflowers as you can on your property. maybe even make wildflower "bombs" you toss in any clearings within a mile radius around your property to add more forage for all bees. maybe if you added a pond with flowering plants around it if dryness is the source of the mid-year dearth... you probably have already had those thoughts, but i thought i'd chime in just in case. cheers!
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
#1. Yes, I'm aware of building up strategies, but the first year, I didn't get my bees until late May, right after the spring flow had peaked. The second year, I had a tiny cluster that I fed patties and syrup, but they were no bigger than one side of a frame until late June and the flow had passed. This season is the first season I might POSSIBLY have a semi-strong hive going into April. We will see what happens. #2. Yes we planted an acre of wildflower the first season. (Soil was turned, tilled and seeded and we got a beautiful field of flowers. We still had an August dearth). Last year we did the same with clover, and buckwheat. The buckwheat did great (about 1/4 acre). The clover got overrun with grass. I don't know how well the buckwheat helped. Still had the dearth. I'll keep trying.
@eclectichobbyist9007
@eclectichobbyist9007 6 жыл бұрын
greenhouse~winter... its amazing what you can find on the internet. I'm pretty sure if you also typed in winter~flowers into a search engine you would b able to find something to fill a winterized greenhouse to feed the bees all year round... in their insulated home
@jamesbarnett2796
@jamesbarnett2796 6 жыл бұрын
I don't know anything about beekeeping but two things strike me. 1, how about growing your own flowers, importing the seeds for the varieties you want that will flower at the time of year you want and survive in your part of the world? So you create a microcosm for your colonies to fall back on, and 2, what about some mild artificial means to help your bees survive the harsh winter? I grow vegetables in a polytunnel and I use a temperature sensor and a small anti-frost heater to just take the chill away when the temperature drops below about 1 or 2 degrees celsius?
@genesisroot
@genesisroot 5 жыл бұрын
thank you for your explanation we are in OKlahoma, have been thinking about getting a flow hive and are more exited than ever about getting one because of this video, again .......thank you
@hisimagenme
@hisimagenme 6 жыл бұрын
I kinda guessed that's why the flow hives had been put aside. Kinda common sense...great feedback though and great advise for those who are interested in those. They are nice, but really are geared towards those who have at least 8 months of bee activity. Smiles and blessings...
@mwolkonsky
@mwolkonsky 6 жыл бұрын
I too am a new beekeeper and developed a hive the first year. However, since you bought the Flow Hive you might want to join the FH forum and see what others in your area are doing. The Flow Hive team are expert beekeepers and have many beekeepers from around the world to draw from. Your area is not the only area with the 6 months winter time. I hope this encourages you to try your Flow Hive. I think you can do it! Thank you for sharing your experience. PS I planted white clover in my lawn and stevia for fall resources. From Tennessee here.
@DJMalus
@DJMalus 6 жыл бұрын
Excellent video. Thanks, you helped me decide whether or not the cost of the Flow Hive is worthwhile for me (South East Ohio), the answer is so obvioius to me after you broke things down. Love watching your videos, thanks for sharing!
@user-wq5ge1vv6u
@user-wq5ge1vv6u 4 жыл бұрын
Great video, thank you, have been working my way through year 1 of your bee videos and had to peek forward a bit, I'm between Vino Farm and Boston and 2021 will be year one of beekeeping in the city/'burbs...really appreciate all of the work you've put in and it's helping me immensely as climate among so many variables are all a part of the learning.
@lauraparker6391
@lauraparker6391 6 жыл бұрын
Try planting things like forsythia they’re natives and will help split a branch on a friends forsythia and stick the broken part in the ground, bees love them and they make great bush hedges to a field,lilacs as well are early bloomers and dead easy to start and mint likes this area and grows well on the edges of fields
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 6 жыл бұрын
Laura Parker Forsythia and lilac are great and we have a lot of it, but it is over by June. We need things that are flowering and producing nectar in July and August.
@mamaduck6845
@mamaduck6845 6 жыл бұрын
It was really good see the situation you had with your 100's of dollars in flower seeds fail that you planted. I always knew I had trouble getting seeds to germinate in the yard but was going to go that route anyway. So I think I'll have to bite the bullet, build a straw bale greenhouse and start my perennial plants indoors, then transplant them so my bees when I get them will already have established plants. Thanks for posting this informative video
@mrmillsartstudio
@mrmillsartstudio 4 жыл бұрын
Why can't you leave the flow frames on during winter? Won't they just eat the honey out of them, then fill it again next spring?
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 4 жыл бұрын
It is not recommended by Flow Hive. Also, the queens will move up into the flow frames in late winter and fill them with brood, causing a gigantic mess.
@mrmillsartstudio
@mrmillsartstudio 4 жыл бұрын
@@vinofarm So you wouldn't just harvest from the Flow in the fall, then remove those frames and feed pollen patties and sugar for winter? I know some beekeepers are against this. I'd like to get into beekeeping and the Flow was the only way I'd do it to keep down on equipment. I'm on Cape Cod by the way.
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 4 жыл бұрын
MrMills Yes, that’s the ideal situation. This video explains what happens to me: the flow frames would never be full by fall. You can’t harvest 1/2 empty flow frames and you can’t leave them on. It’s a lose lose situation. If you KNOW your bees will fill them right up, this would work for you.
@shaunbarker9201
@shaunbarker9201 6 жыл бұрын
Once painted with smooth masonry paint a few Coates they will last for up to 20-25 years. We paint ours with 6 coats and they are totally adept at keeping the weather out Maisemore ,paynes bee supplies, bs honey bees are three of the brands we use
@alanabaker3411
@alanabaker3411 4 жыл бұрын
What about creating a native/wild flower garden around your house to help the bees?
@vinofarm
@vinofarm 4 жыл бұрын
You should read the pinned comment at the top!
@deannelson9565
@deannelson9565 6 жыл бұрын
Makes it more obvious why most of the beekeepers bring their hives to my state during the summer even though we're actually farther north than you. We load up on huge amounts of wild flowers like clover and farm crops like canola. Looks like your biggest trick is to get the hives for the winter in a reasonable way so they can start off the season ahead of the game instead of trying to catch up.
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