One Flow Super per hive is the simple answer, as you can keep harvesting the honey whenever it is ready, giving the bees room to keep working and making more honey.
However, if you live in areas with a very high nectar flow, or if your existing bee colony is particularly large, you may choose to use two Flow Supers or more. You can also add conventional supers for overwintering purposes. As the Flow Hive is a new innovation, we’re interested in your feedback as to how many Flow Supers are best in your situation.
Please feel welcome to share your experiences on our Community Forum.
FAQs
One Flow Super per hive is the simple answer, as you can keep harvesting the honey whenever it is ready, giving the bees room to keep working and making more honey.
Can you put two supers on a Flow Hive? ›
We now have a double-supered Flow Hive and the bees will get up there, appreciate the extra space. They'll be less likely to swarm and you'll have twice as many frames to harvest. So that can be a wonderful way to go as well.
What is the 7 10 rule in beekeeping? ›
Follow the 7/10 rule: Under this rule, beekeepers only add supers (boxes placed in a beehive for honey storage) when the time is right. For example, a beekeeper could add a super to a hive with seven supers filled out of ten total.
How many brood boxes should a Flow Hive have? ›
Many factors can affect this decision, including local climate and colony size – so it's a great idea to consult with local beekeepers, or jump onto our Community Forum to assist in finding the perfect set up for you. In our experience, either one or two brood boxes work well.
How many supers are on a flow hive? ›
One Flow Super per hive is the simple answer, as you can keep harvesting the honey whenever it is ready, giving the bees room to keep working and making more honey.
When to add a second super? ›
When the bee colony reaches a point when a 10 frame hive reaches 8 frames full of bees, that is when you will add another super. Use the 80% rule in adding each super. After the second super is full drawn out of comb, that is when you can end supplemental sugar water feeding.
What is the 3 feet 3 mile rule for bees? ›
But, a honey bee's directional ability is not perfect under all conditions, which is why we have the beekeepers' adage that you can successfully “move a hive three feet, or three miles away,” but not a distance in between.
How much honey does a 7 frame flow hive produce? ›
How much honey comes out of a Flow Super? About three kilos per frame (more if the bees really build each frame out), if you have seven frames in your super box then you can expect to harvest at least 20 kilos when every frame is full.
What are the 3 bees rules? ›
The 3 Bee's are the rules we follow in this school everyday. They are: Bee Safe, Bee Kind, Bee Careful with our things. These 3 rules help all of us enjoy the day together.” “Bee Safe means we don't do the things that could hurt us or anyone else.” said Freddy Fly.
How long does it take for bees to fill a Flow Hive? ›
This depends on the amount of nectar available for the bees and how strong the colony is. We have had Flow Supers fill in a week during peak times of the flowering season. A super usually fills well within a month during the spring and summer (at peak flowering times and production of nectar).
The Flow Hive Hybrid is designed to accommodate our patented Flow Frames and four conventional honey frames, allowing you to harvest both fresh honeycomb and Flow honey straight from the hive. It's the best of both worlds.
Will adding a brood box prevent swarming? ›
Space matters in the hive
Reversing the position of your brood boxes — and adding an additional box, if necessary — creates space in the brood nest and encourages the colony to expand upward instead of swarming.
When should I pull my honey supers? ›
The key isn't so much knowing the exact weight of your hives, but rather watching the changes in weight. If hives are getting heavier, the flow is still on. If hive weights level off for a week or two, the flow is mostly off—this is when I start pulling supers.
Should I put a super on a new hive? ›
Evaluate the number of worker bees, the brood pattern, and the overall health of the hive before deciding to add a super. We use the 80% rule here. When the box below is covering 80% of the frames, then it's time to add your first or subsequent super. This is very important when placing the first super.
How long does it take a beehive to fill a super? ›
drawn comb 10 frame honey super can be filled with raw nectar in as little as a day or two and be turned into honey and capped in another couple days during a heavy honey flow, in the spring of the year ,in a strong hive. It will take considerably longer if the bees have to build honeycomb.
Can you feed bees with supers on? ›
Don't feed bees sugar syrup if you also have added honey supers on the hive – it will get mixed in together, spoiling the purity of your honey crop. The goal for this sustained feeding is only to get them to draw out combs for the brood nest area (which are also the wintering boxes).
