Beekeeping

[AnOutsider]

If it's warm out, the honey will flow.

And if it's not? Hair drier?

 

[bollar]

And if it's not? Hair drier?

It's a sign that you need to leave it for the bees' winter stock.

 

[AnOutsider]

It's a sign that you need to leave it for the bees' winter stock.

haha, fair enough

 

[FlasherZ]

And if it's not? Hair drier?

We set our harvest weekend generally 2 months in advance, to give us time to line all the plans up. We never know if that weekend is going to be a warm weekend (good for us) or a cold weekend. This past year, it was about 60 degrees outside when we did the honey extraction and bottling, so we had to use heaters in the honey house to bring it up to the 80-85 degrees or so that it needs to be in there for us to work efficiently. At least with the mass extraction, we can put the supers in a heated area a day or so before to get them up to temperature.

With the Flow Hive, I expect to use it only in the hot times. During the fall, winter, and early spring we generally have some bottled stock on hand. We usually run out around mid-to-late summer.

 

[AnOutsider]

We set our harvest weekend generally 2 months in advance, to give us time to line all the plans up. We never know if that weekend is going to be a warm weekend (good for us) or a cold weekend. This past year, it was about 60 degrees outside when we did the honey extraction and bottling, so we had to use heaters in the honey house to bring it up to the 80-85 degrees or so that it needs to be in there for us to work efficiently. At least with the mass extraction, we can put the supers in a heated area a day or so before to get them up to temperature.

With the Flow Hive, I expect to use it only in the hot times. During the fall, winter, and early spring we generally have some bottled stock on hand. We usually run out around mid-to-late summer.

Good to know, thank you. My wife is doing all the reading up for the both of us, but I get curious, so it's good to know. Looks like we're late so we'll end up in the December batch (probably March if crowdfunded projects are any indication), so it may make sense to just wait for them to hit retail in a 1.5 or 2.0 iteration.

 

[bonnie]

New 5 min Flow Hive video (for those of you following progress), showing harvesting process:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/embed/xUQX5kfCT9U?rel=0[/video]

 

[FlasherZ]

New 5 min Flow Hive video (for those of you following progress), showing harvesting process:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/embed/xUQX5kfCT9U?rel=0[/video]

Revolutionary, if they work this well. Once the price comes down, this is likely to be the way we harvest small amounts in the future.

 

[bonnie]

Revolutionary, if they work this well. Once the price comes down, this is likely to be the way we harvest small amounts in the future.

I agree. While I don't have the size of your operation (whew), I'll still have a couple hives for comb honey. And another two eventually outfitted with the Flow frames. And that should be perfect for me. (I like the comb honey for gift-giving, especially if combined with garden produce.)

It also seems like a good way to keep a hive constant, by watching the honey buildup and harvesting as appropriate. I can foresee watching closely as the seasons change & having a quick way to see what the honey stores are.

 

[FlasherZ]

I agree. While I don't have the size of your operation (whew), I'll still have a couple hives for comb honey. And another two eventually outfitted with the Flow frames. And that should be perfect for me. (I like the comb honey for gift-giving, especially if combined with garden produce.)

It also seems like a good way to keep a hive constant, by watching the honey buildup and harvesting as appropriate. I can foresee watching closely as the seasons change & having a quick way to see what the honey stores are.

I have some Ross Rounds supers for comb honey. Makes it nice and clean too.

 

[bonnie]

I have some Ross Rounds supers for comb honey. Makes it nice and clean too.

I'm trying a super w/ Hoggs Halfcomb this year - little more expensive, but I like the size. It was a tossup between Ross Rounds and this. Anyhow, stained and sealed the supers last night. The house smells like honeycomb right now, love that.

 

[ggies07]

What do you guys think about this article? I hope it's not a downer and maybe you guys can shed some light on the beekeeping philosophy. I've read some recent books on bees and how they behave, but since I'm not a bee keeper and actually doing the process, I'm not sure what to think....

Going Against The Flow: Is The Flow Hive a Good Idea?Milkwood Real Skills for Down to Earth Living

 

[bonnie]

What do you guys think about this article? I hope it's not a downer and maybe you guys can shed some light on the beekeeping philosophy. I've read some recent books on bees and how they behave, but since I'm not a bee keeper and actually doing the process, I'm not sure what to think....

Going Against The Flow: Is The Flow Hive a Good Idea?Milkwood Real Skills for Down to Earth Living

If you read it, he pretty much makes his case against anything but a Sunhive - it's not really about a FlowHive, it's about modern beekeeping methods and a plea to return to old methodology.

- - - Updated - - -

One of the people on the FlowHive website who has tried the new equipment and had good things to say is Michael Bush, author of Beekeeping Naturally. Michael is a huge proponent of minimizing treatments, etc. I have a lot of respect for him. And on a bee forum that some of us frequent, he's said that he's going to try a few hives long term and see how it impacts his overall ways of beekeeping.

I have a lot more trust in him.

http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm

 

[FlasherZ]

What do you guys think about this article? I hope it's not a downer and maybe you guys can shed some light on the beekeeping philosophy. I've read some recent books on bees and how they behave, but since I'm not a bee keeper and actually doing the process, I'm not sure what to think....

Going Against The Flow: Is The Flow Hive a Good Idea?Milkwood Real Skills for Down to Earth Living

I figured that I would eventually see this type of article appear. My view on this is the article is fairly disingenuous. It claims the bees don't want plastic frames / foundation / etc. because they naturally want to build wax, yet they willingly build on it. I have seen plenty of beekeeping activities that the bees dislike, and in response - they run away or simply won't build the comb. Much of the article leads toward the angle that anything plastic is unnatural... I really don't subscribe to that.

 

[ggies07]

If you read it, he pretty much makes his case against anything but a Sunhive - it's not really about a FlowHive, it's about modern beekeeping methods and a plea to return to old methodology.

- - - Updated - - -

One of the people on the FlowHive website who has tried the new equipment and had good things to say is Michael Bush, author of Beekeeping Naturally. Michael is a huge proponent of minimizing treatments, etc. I have a lot of respect for him. And on a bee forum that some of us frequent, he's said that he's going to try a few hives long term and see how it impacts his overall ways of beekeeping.

I have a lot more trust in him.

http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm

I figured that I would eventually see this type of article appear. My view on this is the article is fairly disingenuous. It claims the bees don't want plastic frames / foundation / etc. because they naturally want to build wax, yet they willingly build on it. I have seen plenty of beekeeping activities that the bees dislike, and in response - they run away or simply won't build the comb. Much of the article leads toward the angle that anything plastic is unnatural... I really don't subscribe to that.

I thought this would be the case, just one beekeeper's opinion. It seems like this new product is a go with most of the community then. Thanks for the comments.

 

[bonnie]

Close up look at a Flow frame in operation:

 

[hockeythug]

Excited for my class on the 21st:

Interested in becoming a beekeeper? Dr. Marla Spivak and Gary Reuter from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab will help you get started in beekeeping. If you have had no prior experience keeping bees in our cold climate, Beekeeping in Northern Climates, Year 1 will teach you everything you need to know for a successful first year.
Topics include:

• Purchasing equipment and bees
• Hiving packages
• Best management practices for keeping bees in urban and rural settings
• Honey production
• Successful strategies for the first winter
• Strategies for keeping your bees healthy using medications only as a last resort

Beekeeping workshops regularly sell out – register early!

Agenda

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Class, see topics above
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Honey Tasting and Beekeeping Demonstrations
5:30 p.m.	Adjourn

 

[bonnie]

Props to you for taking a class to get started right. As part of my continuing education, I have a couple hours scheduled with a friend for more lessons with a beekeeper in the area.

 

[bonnie]

I don't quite know how to process this information. They might deliver EARLY?? How dare they!

We just wanted to check in and let you know that the manufacturing process is well underway in Brisbane, Australia. In a few weeks we’ll be able to fulfil about a thousand orders a month and are working flat-out to expand that capacity as quickly as possible.

The Early Bird Early Delivery orders will be our first priority. Then we’ll be fulfilling perks in the order in which the pledges were made.

We’re also putting a lot of energy into providing the most cost-effective delivery options that we can as we gear up to the end of the campaign and start shipping your Flow™ hives.

We are confident we will fulfil the orders according to the “perk” timeframes on Indiegogo and if all runs smoothly we may be able to deliver even earlier than promised.

 

[bonnie]

Jack Johnson makes an appearance with the Flow Hive, very cool.

 

[muleferg]

Bonnie. all you folk's have got me excited about beekeeping again. I had 2 hives for many years and they finally died out. I got tired of all treatment for mites. As I got older I guess I got away from Pollinating anything.