Extracting Honey From A Flow Frame - Flow Hive Instruction Manual

7

EXTRACTING HONEY FROM A FLOW FRAME

The timing of your honey harvest will depend on local conditions and the
nectar flow in your area. Your bees need honey to get them through times
when there is no nectar available. Honey should only be extracted in warmer
months when there is sufficient nectar flow for the bees to replenish their
supplies.
The number of frames of honey that you leave through winter depends on
your climate. It's a good idea to consult local beekeepers for advice on region
specific overwintering practices. The Flow Frames make it a lot easier to see
how much honey is in your frames at any time, so you can learn to manage
how much honey to harvest and how much to leave for the bees.
Flow Frames take nearly all the hard work out of the honey-extraction process,
but there are a few important points to remember...
1. Wear protective attire and have a smoker on hand whenever
you approach your hive
All beekeepers get stung at some point. Wearing
a beekeeping suit and other personal protective
equipment will minimise the risk of bee stings.
You should also use a smoker any time you are
undertaking beekeeping activities. It is not
uncommon for beekeepers to get stung through their
suit, even when using a smoker, so it is important for
all beekeepers to be well-versed in appropriate first
aid. See the Accredited First Aid Safety Pamphlet for
more information.
2. Check the hive has a slope towards your
honey outlets
The hive should have a 2.5 to 5-degree slope. You
can check this with a level or app on your phone or
simply make sure it is visually obvious that it has a
good slope toward your jars. The Flow Hive Classic
has a slope built into the baseboard, so when on a
level surface, setup should be optimal.
The Flow Hive 2 base has inbuilt side and rear spirit
levels which will both be aligned when the hive has
the optimal honey harvesting angle of 3° toward the
honey outlets.
12
3°
3°