Set of 7 Flow® Hive Frames

01 · THEY DO NOT FIT ANY SUPER

They need a super built for them

Flow frames are not a replacement for an ordinary frame: they carry the mechanism inside and need a super made to their size. Either you use the specific super — reference CF450 — or you build one to the right dimensions.

Before buying them, that is the check to make: tell us which hive you have and which super you plan to mount them in. It is the question we are asked most, and the one that decides whether the investment is worth anything.

02 · LIQUID HONEY ONLY

The kind that crystallises will not come out

The mechanism works because the honey flows by gravity when the cell is split. A honey that crystallises quickly — rape, sunflower, much heather honey — sets inside the frame and will not run, with the added job of cleaning the mechanism.

It is the limitation that disappoints most when it comes as a surprise. In areas where the flow granulates early, harvest as soon as it is capped and do not leave it in the hive.

03 · YOU STILL HAVE TO OPEN UP

The brood nest does not run itself

What they save is the uncapping and the extractor. Everything else stays the same: inspecting the brood nest, managing varroa, watching for swarming and checking colony health.

And a warning about when to harvest: the clear end window shows the outer face of the frame, which can be capped while the interior is not. Taking unripe honey is the classic mistake — and honey with too much moisture ferments.

04 · WHAT IS IN THE SET

Seven frames, key and tubes

The set includes the seven Flow frames, the operating key and seven collection tubes, one per frame.

The system was devised and patented by Stuart and Cedar Anderson, in Australia. The frames are reusable season after season, and ask for the mechanism to be cleaned once wax and propolis build up.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Check two things first: that you have a super prepared for them, and that your honey does not crystallise inside the comb.