Some cold climate beekeepers prefer to reduce their hive to one box-the brood box- over winter. In the Flow Hive Classic, to minimise cold draughts it’s a good idea to put the corflute slider in the top position, and for all hives reducing the size of the entrance to being just 30mm (an inch) or so wide is generally recommended. can be placed between the top cover and the hive roof. Add insulationĪdding insulation to the top of the hive is also a good overwintering practice. Remember to replace the queen excluder again when the warmer weather arrives checking first that your queen is back in the brood box. Therefore, it is recommended that you remove the queen excluder as part of your preparation for winter. If you have a queen excluder in place the queen will not be able to move up with the colony and will starve. This cluster will gradually move up into the honey super over winter when stores are depleted in the brood box. The queen will not be laying brood at this time, so the colony will form a cluster around the honey that it is consuming in order to both feed and retain their optimal temperature. Leaving your Flow Super on the hive with a good store of honey will give your colony the best chance of surviving, however, you also need to ensure the queen can access these honey reserves.ĭuring a cold winter, the bees do not forage but will steadily use up the honey stores in order to stay warm. It is important to consider your bees overwintering needs towards the end of the season and to leave them the appropriate stores for winter.
#FLOW HIVE BEEHIVE FULL#
In cold climates the general recommendation is for the bees to have a full honey super to feed on during the cold months. Our Flow Hives consist of a brood box and a Flow Super (you can also add an additional brood box if this is your preference). Our Community Forum is a great place to start). This response is specifically oriented toward overwintering the Flow Hive where cold conditions make it necessary to make winter preparations (you can also find plenty of general information about overwintering bees on the web. There are a few main concerns for a beehive over the winter months, these include, but are not limited to the colony starving, not having enough population numbers and the colony freezing, and the queen becoming stranded below the queen excluder. How do I pack down a Flow Hive for winter? Main concerns for winter Simply put, if you can feel your brood box becoming lighter, feeding may be required. TIP: A way to tell if your colony is thriving during winter is to “heft” (lift) your brood box. Cut a few small slits in the bags for feeding access. If you have to feed I suggest you place freezer bags of syrup, equal parts sugar and water, on top of the crown board. Remember: Flow Frame plastic is UV sensitive, so it’s best to keep them in a dry, dark place.Ĥ. To store your Flow Frames, wash them in warm to hot water and allow to dry thoroughly before storing them. If there is no honey in the Flow Super, remove it. If your Flow Super is full of honey, remove the queen excluder, and put the Flow Super back on.ģ. Check the honey stores in the brood box or boxes.
Ensure your bees have enough honey to get them through winter. Wintering with a Flow Hive is much the same as with conventional Langstroth equipment.ġ. Join for more educational videos and to start learning beekeeping the easy way. To help you get winter-ready, we’re releasing this video from our Online Beekeeping Course, in which Frederick Dunn gives a thorough rundown of winter preparations in a cold climate. Wintering preparations will be based around the needs resulting from your local climate – in areas that have mild winters with winter forage, considerations will be far fewer than for areas which experience freezing conditions.
If there is a bee club near you, we encourage you to join it or find a local mentor who can offer you support. We cannot emphasise enough that it is best to consult local beekeepers on this topic as advice will vary greatly depending on local conditions.
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