Glossary
A patented beehive design invented by Australian father-and-son team Stuart and Cedar Anderson. The Flow Hive uses specially designed frames with partially formed plastic cells that can be split apart by turning a key, allowing honey to drain out of the hive directly into jars without the need to open the hive or disturb the bees.
Traditional honey extraction requires removing frames from the hive, uncapping the wax, spinning the frames in an extractor, and then returning the frames. The Flow Hive simplifies this process with a mechanical comb design. The Flow frames contain clear, plastic comb cells that bees fill with honey and cap normally.
When the beekeeper turns the Flow key, the cells split vertically, creating channels for honey to flow down through a tube and out the back of the hive into a jar. Once drained, the key is turned back to reset the cells, and the bees refill them. The entire harvest can be done from outside the hive.
The Flow Hive generated enormous interest and funding when it launched on Indiegogo in 2015, raising over $12 million. Proponents value the reduced disturbance to bees during harvest, the elimination of extraction equipment, and the fascinating window into hive activity that the clear back panel provides.
Critics point out that the Flow Hive still requires regular brood box inspections (it only replaces the honey super, not hive management), the plastic frames may not suit all climates, and the ease of harvest may encourage beginner beekeepers to skip essential hive inspections. Experienced beekeepers generally view the Flow Hive as a useful harvesting tool rather than a complete beekeeping solution.
Yes, but with an important caveat: the Flow Hive only simplifies the honey harvest. All other aspects of beekeeping, including brood inspections, disease management, varroa treatment, swarm prevention, and feeding, remain exactly the same. Beginners still need to learn comprehensive hive management.
The honey itself is the same. The only difference is the extraction method. Flow Hive honey goes directly from comb to jar with no exposure to air or handling, which some argue preserves quality slightly better. However, properly extracted honey from a traditional hive is equally high quality.
A complete Flow Hive 2+ with Flow super and brood box costs approximately 600 to 900 dollars, significantly more than a traditional Langstroth hive (typically 200 to 300 dollars). The higher cost reflects the patented Flow frame technology.
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