Flow Hive User manual
FLOW®
INSTRUCTION
MANUAL
The Terms and Conditions of Sale on the Flow website of purchase, apply to the
receipt and use of all Flow Products. You should read these carefully to understand
your obligations and the warranty that applies to your Flow product.
This manual details the installation and operation of your
Flow Hive and Flow Frames. Welcome to this innovative
method of honey-harvesting.
To discover more about Flow technology and the fascinating
world of bees, visit our website to access our educational
videos and resources or consult with the Flow community
on our Forum: forum.honeyflow.com
We always appreciate your feedback and stories on how
our products work for you and your bees. Just tag #flowhive
or contact us at info@honeyflow.com
Before getting started, please familiarise yourself with the
information in this Flow sponsored Beekeeping Safety
pamphlet produced by Accredited First Aid:
www.honeyflow.com/beekeeping-safety
Happy Beekeeping!
honeyflow.com
honeyflow.com.au
eu.honeyflow.com
ru.honeyflow.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1GENERAL PRECAUTIONS 2
2SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 3
3COMPONENTS OF A FLOW® HIVE 4
4ADJUST FLOW FRAMES TO FIT INTO
THE FLOW SUPER 7
5FLOW HIVE CONFIGURATIONS 9
6HOW FLOW WORKS 10
7EXTRACTING HONEY FROM A FLOW FRAME 12
8CARING FOR YOUR FLOW FRAMES 15
9ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED 17
10 WHERE TO LOCATE YOUR FLOW HIVE 18
11 SOURCE SOME BEES 19
12 PROCESSING AND STORING YOUR HONEY 20
13 MONITORING YOUR HIVE HEALTH 20
14 ADDITIONAL SKILLS FOR
SUCCESSFUL BEEKEEPING 21
15 TROUBLESHOOTING 22
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1GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
Beekeeping requires specialist skills, carries inherent dangers
and is often subject to regulation.
Honey bees are wild insects. Highly organised, endlessly fascinating, and to be
treated with care, respect and caution at all times.
Get Educated: If you are new to beekeeping there are a number of skills that
you need to acquire in order to safely and successfully keep bees. We strongly
recommend taking a beekeeping course before you put bees in your hive. We
also encourage you to keep learning: take advanced courses, join your local
beekeepers’ association, and meet and network with other beekeepers.
Follow the Rules: Regulations and guidelines for keeping bees vary greatly.
Check with your local council, local and state primary industries and agriculture
authorities, and link up with your nearest beekeepers’ association to find
out what is required in your jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions ban or restrict
beekeeping, or require hives to be registered.
Understand the Risks: Bees can sting humans, pets and other animals. Make
sure you understand the risks and take precautions. See ‘Safety Precautions’
for further information.
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! Information in this manual is a general guide only, is not exhaustive,
and may not be applicable to your circumstances. For specific
assistance, seek advice from your local authority, a professional
service or your nearest beekeepers’ association.
Take Responsibility: We are a worldwide community of beekeepers.
To succeed, each one of us must act responsibly to keep our bees, and
the humans and pets around them, safe, happy and healthy. If you have
neighbours, it’s especially important to consider and inform them.
Additional Resources: www.honeyflow.com has regularly updated educational
information and is a a great place to start looking.
• Search our extensive FAQs at www.honeyflow.com/faqs
• Join the conversation or ask a question of fellow Flow beekeepers on
forum.honeyflow.com
• Follow our blog www.honeyflow.com/blog
• Check out our instructional videos www.honeyflow.com/beginner-videos
2SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
All beekeepers get stung at some point. Before you begin beekeeping please
read the Accredited First Aid Beekeeping Safety pamphlet.
This pamphlet will help you understand the safety precautions and first aid
responses in relation to:
• bee stings,
• the safe use of smokers, and
• safe lifting
We recommend you wear a protective beekeeping suit and use a smoker
whenever you are working with your bees.
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! For information on dealing with bee stings and bee sting first aid see
www.honeyflow.com/beekeeping-safety
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FLOW HIVE
FLOW HIVE ROOF
INNER COVER
WITH PLUG
FLOW SUPER
OBSERVATION WINDOW COVER
OBSERVATION WINDOW
REAR WINDOW
REAR WINDOW COVER
FLOW KEY ACCESS SLOT
AND CAP
FLOW KEY ACCESS COVER
QUEEN EXCLUDER
BROOD BOX
BROOD FRAMES
SHELF BRAKET
OPTIONAL
BASE
TRAY
VENTED COVER
LEG KIT
OPTIONAL
FLOW FRAME
FLOW FRAME
FLOW KEY ACCESS CAP
FLOW KEY
HONEY TUBE
HONEY TROUGH CAP
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3COMPONENTS OF A FLOW® HIVE
*Please note, if you have a Flow Hive Classic, some components may vary.
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List of part names
Brood box – the part of the beehive that holds the comb that bee eggs are laid
in. These eggs hatch into bee larvae, which then pupate and turn into bees.
Flow Super – a honey super that has been modified to accommodate Flow
Frames. This is the box on a bee hive that the bees store most of their honey in.
Usually this box is placed on top of the brood box.
Flow Frame – the self-contained honeycomb frame that hangs in the Flow
Super. This has the patented ‘split cell’ technology allowing a beekeeper to
harvest honey without opening the hive.
Flow Key – the long steel rod that is inserted in the Flow Key access slot(s) to
operate the Flow Frames.
Flow Key access slots – these are the rectangular slots at the top of each Flow
Frame that the Flow Key fits in to operate the mechanism and harvest honey.
Honey trough – the enclosed gutter at the base of the Flow Frame that the
honey flows along and out of the hive.
Honey tube – the tube extension that is inserted in the honey trough when
harvesting honey.
Honey leak-back gap – looking at the opening to the honey trough on the
back end of the Flow Frame you can see a gap between the inner yellow
plastic blade and the clear end of the frame. This leak-back gap allows residual
honey to flow back into the hive after harvest, which the bees will clean up.
This means it is not necessary to harvest every last drop from your Flow Frame.
Front of hive – the side of the hive that has the bee entrance. This is a solid wall.
Rear of hive – the side on most hives that is opposite to the bee entrance. This
is usually where the Flow Frame’s clear end is accessible with the operation
slots and honey trough for harvesting honey.
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4ADJUST FLOW FRAMES
TO FIT INTO THE FLOW SUPER
Before placing your Flow Super on the hive it is necessary to adjust
each Flow Frame individually. This will ensure correct operation of your
Flow Frames.
Check the tension on the wires
They should be tight. If the wires are loose see instructional video at
www.honeyflow.com/troubleshooting-frames
Reset your Flow Frame ready for your bees
We recommend testing the frame mechanism outside the hive prior to
installation. This will help you to get to know how your Flow Frames work.
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! IMPORTANT: Ensure the Flow Frames are reset to the closed position prior
to installing in your hive, so the bees can complete the comb.
• Remove access cap
on each Flow Frame
• Insert the Flow Key
in the UPPER
operating slot
• Turn the key 90˚
• Remove the
key by twisting
it back to
horizontal
• Replace key
access cap.
Adjust each Flow Frame to fit in the super
1. Identify the front and back of each Flow Frame.
2. Frames sit into the Flow Super as illustrated on right. Tighten or loosen the
adjustment screw so that the back (window) end of the Flow Frame pushes
firmly against the back wall of the hive, in this way all the frames line up to
form the clear rear window.
3. Slot each Flow Frame into the honey super ensuring that frames are packed
firmly together.
4. Check that any gap in the back window is less than 3 mm (1
/8”) so that bees
cannot escape at the back of the hive.
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If you have correctly adjusted the
fit of your Flow Frames the back
faces should now be lined up to
create a flat ‘window’ into the
hive. The frames should fit snugly
with little movement front-to-
back or side-to-side and there
should be no gaps greater than
3mm (1/8”).
Adjust
screw
for
snug
fit
The back
of the
frame sits
on this
ledge
Frame
should
push firmly
against
inside of
box
FRONTBACK
Adjustment
screw
Ensure any gaps are
less than 3mm
*SIDE OF SUPER - CUTAWAY
Spacer -
for extra
adjustment
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! WARNING: Before adding the Flow Super to your hive make sure
there are no gaps >3mm.
This manual suits for next models
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