Beekeeping 101 Which Hive is Best for First-time Beekeepers?

Beekeeping can confusing, especially when it comes to selecting the right hive to start with. With options like top bar, Langstroth, Flow Hive, and horizontal hive, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But don't worry, I'm here to help you make an informed decision.

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[BlaineNay]

As county bee inspector in my corner of Utah, I have worked with several "Flow Hive" owners. None has been satisficed with the experience:
1 - The mechanism often won't completely close after harvest, resulting in leaks that attract ants, yellow jackets, and robbers from other honey bee colonies.
2 - Steps MUST be taken during the harvest to prevent robbing while the honey slowly trickles into the jar.
3 - If the honey granulates, it isn't coming out.
4 - Contrary to claims, the queen WILL lay in the "Flow Hive" supper. Use a queen excluder!
5 - Here in the desert of Utah, we don't get large honey flows. The "Flow Hive" might work better in areas with intense nectar flows of nectar that doesn't' result in granulated honey.
6 - Durability is marginal.
7 - The price of the "Flow Hive" is outrageous!

Beekeeping involves a LOT more than putting a pretty box in the yard and cranking a valve to harvest. The "Flow Hive", like most other beekeeping fads, is NOT a substitute for bi-weekly hive inspections and monthly mite counts.

[johnhunt]

The best hive is the one most popular in the are you live in, here in British Isles the 'national' is the most commonly used, slightly smaller than the langstroth or commercial hive so better value to setup. From Ireland 🇮🇪

[karlsteingall]

I love your enthusiasm when talking about bees, your doing a great service for the beekeeping world! Keep it up and thanks for all your efforts!

[dwren]

Congratulations on the recognition for your expertise and contributions to beekeeping from the Nevada Association. I have taken a couple of your courses, got my apprentice certificate, and really appreciate the factual, no nonsense information, and the learn from your mistakes approach.

[CastleHives]

The Flow Hive is how I started, my Mom wanted one. I do not use it, took it to Greg’s place so he can show it at his learning yard. We actually harvested from it. Seems like you had a great time in Nevada. Thursday, I’ll be there. .

[racheln]

Slovenian beehives are ones that look really cool to me

[davidlaing]

I started out beekeeping 3 years ago with a standard 10 frame Langstroth hive. I also have 2 others with a knockoff flow hive and last year I got 94 pounds of honey from them and 40 pounds from the Langstroth hive with my extractor. My grands love to collect from the flow hives. Both work for me and as David says you still have to use good beekeeping practices.

[stoneycarter]

I'm giving up on bee keeping the first year their was a yellow jackets nest in a tree up over my new bee's and I didn't know until to late they got robed and I lost the hive. so I went two years then I said I would try again got my new bee's this year. bee's did wonderful two full deep box hive and a candy board this winter we did get some very cold weather awhile back -0 I blocked all three sides with wind breaks every thing was going great I started watching bee's hauling out dead bee's every warm day, I went out today 79 degrees no bee's what so ever just one little bee left I'm done with bee's, I'm going to miss you guys' and the world of bee keeping.

[brianteets]

Love the background ambiance lighting!

[jay]

I'm getting older and I love woodworking so I decided to go with the Layen's hives. I've built 8 swarm traps and 3 insulated horizontal 20 frame hives with stands and about 75 frames. Here's to hoping I have some luck this spring !

[richmiller]

I am almost finished with an experimental hive that I have designed to try to use my flow super. I have a 12 frame bottom with a divider. It accepts 5 frame nucs over it, then I will have to design an adapter, back to standard 10 frame, in order to set the flow super, with queen excluder over the 2 colonies. Then rearrange them into double 5 frame nucs for winter. I am foreseeing another great year for raising bees in my area, I am nowhere near prepared for this year's expectations.. but I am slowly getting ahead of them for now.

[thomaskoppenhaver]

Flo Hives are gorgeous, and I love the look of them. I have one, and enjoy the observation windows etc. High quality material, sturdy stand keeps them off the ground well. I can never tell if the honey is capped, you still have to pull things apart to inspect and see if the honey is ready. I have never harvested honey in 3 years with mine, don't know what I do wrong but it is always gone by the time I think it should be ready. The langstroth hives produce plenty, but never the Flo. Probably my fault, but I don't know why, maybe it is getting robbed out. This year I am going to put regular frames in it and use it as a langstroth. I suspect the Flo Hive works better as a solo hive, but I prefer the traditional setup.

[eliinthewolverinestate]

I like the Japanese warre hives and techniques. I use Lazutin fixed hives on stand with 15 double deep Langstroph frames. I may build a log warre hive. I like seeing the tall colonies in bee removals. Thought about building a 4x8 bee window hive in my cottage. But kids afraid of bugs. SMh. I spent some time in an ice shanty on the ice. A bee hive is a lot like an ice shanty on the ice in winter.

[dillonfrost]

I work with your sons at Silgan closures and they have not yet brought in any of your honey. Please send some. 🙏

[WildwoodsBeekeeping]

When we started we had heard of the flow hive and was thinking about but it was way out of our budget, like you said, we could buy so much more beekeeping equipment for $1, 000, and I like doing the work of extracting the honey, it makes it more fun to do it the standard way. Good stuff David! and ill be in the chat tomorrow night, Take Care

[leandrozuniga]

If you don't want to start hating beeking don't get into flowhive. Don't get into flowhive you'll regret it for ever. My friend just got one few years ago for a trial. Well he is still cursing at it. I would never get one.

[kentcostello]

I thank the flow hive is bad for the bees. Like you sed cost and the inspection of the hive .

[filipvernica]

Randy Oliver asked to approach’s senators for approval to used the new treatment with acid oxalic and a produce called gliserine from soybeans and your state produce the most soybeans, a price the senators of yours state organizer some event with beekeepers from USA and Randy and Bob Bennie, Michael Palmer?from Maine and others… let’s get together and help The Honeybee and as!