Exciting news for garden lovers and foodies
If you’ve been wanting to improve your home-produce, pollinate your garden or collect your very own honey, now is the perfect time to get started! And we have a swarm of resources available to support you as you discover the fascinating world of bees.
In most areas, spring is the best time to start keeping bees. As the cold season ends, flowers bloom and nectar flows, making it the perfect environment for your hive to thrive.
For new beekeepers, now is the time to purchase and assemble your new hive, work out its best location and to learn as much as you can.
Looking for the best way to get started?
Our special Spring Starter Bundle is perfect for anyone who is setting up a Flow Hive for the first time as it comes with everything you need including essential safety gear, PLUS an incredible saving of €118!
Featuring our best-selling Flow Hive 2 in Araucaria, an organic beekeeper’s suit, stainless steel smoker, goatskin gloves, a J-Hive tool and a Flow Veil.
The magic of beekeeping in your yard
Imagine being able to taste what is flowering in your local area
With a Flow Hive, you’ll be to experience the flavours collected from blooms in your region from which the bees forage to create your very own unique honey blend.
From the zesty delights of a nearby citrus orchard to the floral notes of lavender, honey harvested from a Flow Hive is raw and completely unprocessed, making it superior in flavour to commercially produced honey.
Why people love their Flow Hive
Johanna Griggs of Better Homes & Gardens has confessed that she’s become bee obsessed. Discover how this first-time beekeeper has improved her home produce and discovered the joy of beekeeping.
This invention is incredible. I have 22 jars of honey in 11 minutes and all I’ve had to do [to harvest] is turn a key... I’ve learnt so much about bees and the more I learn, the more there is to learn. I can’t believe that something so simple that we can all be doing can be doing so much good in the world. It just gives me so much joy!
Keen on starting but feeling nervous?
Don't worry – Flow will be here to help you every step of the way. We have plenty of online resources to help you gain confidence.
Here's some tips to find the best help for your learning style...
Keen on starting but feeling nervous?
Don't worry – Flow will be here to help you every step of the way. We have plenty of online resources to help you gain confidence.
Here's some tips to find the best help for your learning style...
Online beginner beekeeping course
For a limited time, receive 30% off our new online beekeeping course – we’ve created the content alongside world experts, to ensure your beekeeping journey is a smooth and knowledgeable one.
Bee mentorship
There's nothing quite like experiential hands-on learning. Connecting with a beekeeping mentor is a great way to get started.
The Flow Forum is also a fabulous place to connect with beekeepers around the world. Read through threads dedicated to beekeeping topics, and have your questions answered by experienced beekeepers!
Like learning in a group?
You may like to join your local beekeeping club or association – a great way to meet fellow beekeepers, with knowledge on how to keep your bees happy and healthy most relevant to your local area.
Bonnie’s beginner beekeeping story
Meet Bonnie, who split a hive with her neighbour
"The advice I'd give a new beekeeper or someone who is considering bees is the more you learn about them and interact with them, the more joy you'll receive from them.
Bees are also easier than you think. They are easier than a dog, as you can go on vacation for a week and not worry about them.
It's another anchor to bring me outside and make me slow down, look and care for things, and weeding the garden is so much more pleasant when i can smell the honey!"
Where do I get bees?
One of the most frequently asked questions from new beekeepers is – “How do I get bees?”
The first thing to remember as that bees won't always wait until you're ready for them,
so it's important to have your Flow Hive set up and ready to go.
Here are two great ways you can find a colony to call your own.
Purchase a nucleus (nuc)
One of the best ways to source bees is from a reputable bee breeder who will help to provide you with a healthy colony for your new Flow Hive.
A Nuc is a small colony which includes a laying queen, workers, drones and 4 or 5 frames of brood and honey and is an easy way to set up your first hive.
Split a hive / buy package
The wonderful thing about spring and beekeeping is that when a colony expands, it's easy to perform a hive split and make one colony become two.
So it's a great idea to have your hive set up and ready to go, so you can receive from a split from a beekeeping friend, mentor, beekeeping club or bee enthusiast.
Not sure where you can set up a hive?
The good news is, you can keep a beehive almost anywhere! Especially a Flow Hive, as there is no need for additional processing equipment or for lugging heavy frames full of honey for harvesting. From rooftops to balconies to backyards, it’s now possible to harvest honey directly from your hive.
Here are some tips to make sure your location choice is both good for you and for your bees.
You should also check if you need to register your hive or as a beekeeper in your local region.
Start your pollinator garden
When selecting your garden blooms, make sure to include some local native plants in a variety of different colours.
Bees, like humans, enjoy diversity. Include flowers of different sizes and shapes and plant in clumps to make foraging a breeze.
Find plants that bloom at different times of the year. Support a range of different pollinators throughout the different seasons. Trees and shrubs produce much higher quantities of pollen and nectar, however, smaller plants produce forage more regularly – it’s great to have a selection of both.
Ready to get started this spring?
Our special Spring Starter Bundle has everything you need and an excellent saving.
FAQS
Does the Flow Hive work with rapeseed honey?
Yes it is possible to use Flow technology with Rapeseed Honey, as long as it is harvested before it crystallises.
Rapeseed oil (also known as oilseed rape and canola) normally blooms towards winter in the UK and other countries, and as such many traditional beekeepers will leave this for the bees for winter. Others actively remove the super knowing when rape-seed harvest is expected.
If you choose to leave your Flow Super on for winter with rapeseed honey, the bees will eat this honey and clean the frames out before the spring nectar flow.
What do I do when honey crystalises?
As with any type of honey extraction, crystallisation can be an issue.
If honey has crystallised in the Flow Frames, you can either disrupt the cells in the frames by inserting the Flow Key and moving it to the harvest or open position. This will prompt the bees to remove the crystallised honey and repair the comb.
Alternatively, you can remove the Flow Frames from the super and soaked them in warm water to soften crystallised honey making it possible to harvest. This may be best done as a bench harvest so you can ensure the honey is flowing well or return the frames to the hive and harvest in the usual way.
Does the Flow Hive work in wet, cold temperatures?
Yes! The Flow Hive is successfully in use in all climates wherever beekeeping is possible, from hot climates to cold.
In cold climates, it’s important to ensure your bees have enough resources for overwintering and to harvest before crystallization occurs.
Some beekeepers in the cold climates prefer to use larger hives, either Flow Hives with 7 frames (equivalent to a 10 frame Langstroth) or a Flow UK National Super to provide extra resources for overwintering.
Why does a Flow Hive cost more than a langstroth hive?
Although Flow Hives require an initial outlay, in the long run, the amount of time, effort and expensive extraction equipment required to harvest from a Langstroth hive make the pricing comparable.
Flow technology is the first of it’s kind in the world. As with any new invention, the pricing is reflective of this. We aim to do business with all those involved in the creation of our products in an ethical and sustainable manner, and this is a further contributing factor to the price of our products.
All plastics used are of the highest quality available, all timber used is sustainably sourced, harvested, and milled, which means it is more expensive than using lower grade, less environmentally conscious timber sources. All staff are paid fair wages and employed in fair-trade conditions.
We are endeavouring to make this premium product as accessible as possible, and have a range of options to suit different budgets.