Tips to using a auto flowhive with flow frames ~ howididit ~

[@garethjones5385]

Great video, nice tips. Fascinating how people never fail to criticize new tech. Electric vehicles, AI art, Flow frames, solar energy...if there is an improved version of something, you can bet your bottom dollar there's an army of critics who passionately hate it just because they are invested in the old tech.

[@saintjohncoleman8602]

I’ve got 7 flow hives and am exhausted having to defend them! I don’t understand why people are so critical over new tech that works and saves time, energy AND money. Love the flow frames!

[@howididit]

Right there with ya. Especially today if you're handy you can purchase the flow frames that include directions on how to make the flow frame box, and you can harvest honey direct from the source.

[@Sanbatongmatmientayofficial]

Nice video ❤

[@howididit]

Thanks 🤗

[@howididit]

@@Sanbatongmatmientayofficial thank you

[@patcummins6036]

Thank you for an excellent and informative video on a flo-hive. I’m from Australia and have been interested in having a hive, preferably a flo-hive as I’m like you and don’t want all that extra equipment as I just want honey for my family.

[@howididit]

You are very welcome. I love mine.

[@jackpelletier5974]

Great video... Thanks for sharing 🤠

[@howididit]

Hello there, thanks for watching! Have a wonderful weekend.

[@nataliechastain644]

Thanks for sharing!

[@howididit]

Thanks for watching! Have a wonderful weekend.

[@Sad_But_True17]

Thanks for this vid! 😊

[@naturallynorthwest9748]

I appreciate you sharing your tips for the auto flowhive, as there are so many negative reviews, many from people who haven't used the frames at all. I liked seeing your demonstration. I have a question for you about how you over wintered your autoflow. Did you take the flow hives off and store them? If so, did you add another honey super on for the bees to have for winter? I'm located in the PNW of Washington state and I usually winter over with 1 deep brood box and 1 deep honey super for them. This will be my first year with the auto flowhive and I'm curious if people ever use 2 deep boxes, then put the flowframes on top of those. Thank you!

[@howididit]

I pull the flow hive and their frames, set them out at the bee feeding station on the south side of the property, and the girls, and their neighbors find them, and are kind enough to clean them up for winter storage for me. I left the remaining single langstrom deep box, frames with honey/pollen for the Girls winter stores. This works here in Central Florida, we usually have mild weather, some pollen and nectar flow, and during our derth periods I do supplement them at the feeding station. Check out Fredrick Dunns YT channel, he uses Flow Hives, and shows how he over winters his girls and hives in a less favorable climate (Penn), if I remember correctly he has the brood box, and tops with a food box.

[@naturallynorthwest9748]

@@howididit excellent, thank you!

[@briancaleb6503]

Ours only came with one of the metal Rods, I am guessing in this case I use one at the bottom then use it at the top?

[@howididit]

I only have one on the bottom, the top is closed by a mesh upper board for the gable style roof.

[@ЕлизаветаМорозова-ш1ж]

Подскажите пожалуйста, вы смазывали чем то соты перед применением

[@howididit]

I rubbed a organic bees wax crayon over the frames.

[@yousefhamed]

I tilted my hives too front higher than back. Some guy on youtube said "chinese flow frames pour honey into the brood chamber" but I think part of the reason is, 1- his hives are not in the harvest tilt position, 2- he didn't let all cells get capped before harvesting...please correct me if i'm wrong.

[@howididit]

I tilted mine back a smidge as well. I did find when the harvest begins, the vacuum is broken and some honey/necture will seep down the frames. I do not harvest more than 2 frames at a time, so it is just a snack for the girls.

[@yousefhamed]

@@howididit yeah im the same way i wouldn't harvest more than 1 or 2 frames at a time, some people made it sound like that brood box get drenched with honey, i just need to get that metal piece to close the gap in the front in order to stop 🐝 from going up in the front

[@howididit]

@@yousefhamed I used a piece of thin metal from an old dryer body, used a 4in disk to cut it to size, notched out the edge of the box so it would sit flush.

[@yousefhamed]

@@howididit i noticed mine if i move the box just a tiny bit forward the frames block that gap, and it still enough not to open a gap in the back.

[@howididit]

@@yousefhamed great tip! Thanks

[@petgoodsshop]

Do you have a problem with honey dripping into the brood box during extraction.

[@howididit]

It's minimal. When I changed my setup of my boxes to level from side to side and about a 3/8 elevation at the entrance the honey pretty much flows right out into my 1/2 gallon mason jars. Also, Fredrick Dunn has a KZbin channel on bees and flow hives, I used him as a source because of his great bee footage and explanation of his flow hives.

[@vanessagrubb2736]

Looking into bees, do you use the bottom of the hive for frames or just keep it empty?

[@howididit]

Hello there, the bottom 10 frame deep is for the bees, I add a Queen excluder, then I put the the honey flow frames on to harvest the honey.

[@thomashearst7224]

Dumb question but will the bees go into the hive on their own ?

[@howididit]

Not a dumb question. The Queen utilizes the lower box laying eggs, young bees, and a few resources, the worker bees utilize the flow hive for nectar/honey.

[@thomashearst7224]

@@howididit so when I bring the nuc home with the colony and queen they will go into my auto hive with out having to Manually move the queen

[@howididit]

@@thomashearst7224 no, they go into the bottom box. I added my bees to the bottom box, once i had 7-8 frames built out, I put on the queen excluder, and then the flow frame/box on top. The key is keeping the queen out of the flow frames.

[@thomashearst7224]

@@howididit I will give it a try. Thank you!

[@Reggie2000]

Are the flow hives on ebay legit?

[@howididit]

That is where I purchased mine, they work great with a couple of weeks. Just know they are the less expensive Asian knock offs, not the true name brand flow hive.