Flow Hive extraction done right

The Flow Hive is one of the most exciting things to happen to beekeeping in years. Turn a key, watch honey flow into a jar. No uncapping, no spinner, no sticky mess. At least, that’s the idea. Anyone who’s actually tried it knows the gap between the theory and the reality can be frustrating. Bees arrive. Wasps arrive. Honey ends up everywhere except where you want it.

This guide walks you through three versions of our extraction setup: what went wrong with each, and how we landed on a method that works reliably every time.

What Makes Flow Hive Extraction Different

With a traditional hive, you lift out frames, uncap the cells with a knife, and spin the honey out in an extractor. It’s a process most beekeepers find satisfying once they’re used to it, but it takes equipment, time, and a decent amount of cleanup.

The Flow Hive cuts most of that out. The frames are designed with a split-cell mechanism. When you turn the key, the cells open slightly and honey flows down channels into a tube at the back of the hive, and from there into your collection vessel.

The extraction itself is straightforward. The challenge is keeping the process clean once the honey starts moving. Bees and wasps have an extraordinary sense of smell, and an open tube with honey flowing through it is about as subtle as a flashing neon sign.

Version One: Straight from the Tap

The first approach was the obvious one. Connect the supplied plastic tube directly to the frame, point it at a jar, and let the honey flow.

It works. The honey comes out cleanly enough. But the problems become obvious within minutes.

The tube sits open at the collection end. Every bee and wasp in range picks up the scent immediately. They cluster around the jar opening, investigating, crawling in. Some make it into the honey. The changeover between jars is the worst part: lift the full jar, position the empty one, and you’ve created a window where everything is exposed. It’s manageable, but it’s not pleasant.

Version one proved the extraction mechanism itself is sound. What needed solving was the collection end of the setup.

Version Two: Adding a Flexible Hose

The second version added food-grade silicone hose between the frame tube and the collection jar. This gave more control over where the honey was directed and allowed the end of the hose to sit closer to the jar opening.

The results were noticeably better. Fewer bees, less exposure during changeovers. But without an elbow joint at the end of the hose, the fit wasn’t quite right. The hose didn’t sit flush with the container, so there was still a gap for determined bees to exploit.

A step in the right direction, but not a complete solution.

Version Three: The Setup That Works

This is the version we’ve settled on. It borrows an idea from beekeeper Fred Dunn, who uses an elbow joint on his setup. Once we tried it, the improvement was obvious.

What you need:

• The original Flow Hive plastic tube, inserted directly into the frame
• A hose clip to secure the connection
• Food-grade silicone pipe leading from the tube
• A food-grade silicone elbow joint, tapered at both ends
• A second Flow Hive plastic tube on the exit end of the elbow
• A food-grade plastic container to collect the honey

The elbow joint is the key piece. It lets you direct the exit tube straight down into the container opening, creating a seal that bees and wasps simply cannot get through. No matter how many times you swap containers, the connection holds. Wasps circle. They investigate. They can’t get in.

The hose clips keep every connection secure so nothing shifts during extraction. Changeovers are smooth enough that you’re not scrambling against a flow of honey and a gathering crowd of insects.

Choosing the Right Container

Glass jars are the obvious choice, but they have a real drawback for this setup. The narrow neck makes the sealed connection harder to achieve, and you end up swapping jars more often because the smaller volume fills quickly.

Wide-mouthed plastic containers are a better match. They hold more per container (fewer changeovers), and the wider opening makes the silicone tube connection more reliable. Food-grade containers in this style are worth sourcing before extraction season.

One other thing to watch: some colonies are more interested in the extraction than others. If you notice unusually high bee activity around the collection point, it’s often linked to the temperament of the colony. A recently requeened hive can sometimes show slightly different behaviour during the transition period. This settles down once the new queen’s brood has emerged and taken over.

Mid-Season Refills: What to Expect

In the video above, the frames had been cleared out two to three weeks before extraction. In that time, the colony had refilled and capped them completely. The original frames outperformed a set of third-party frames in terms of honey collected, which we’d put down to the individual colony rather than the frames themselves.

This is worth knowing if you’re planning your extraction schedule. A strong colony in a good nectar flow can refill Flow Hive frames faster than you’d expect. If your frames are filling slowly, or not at all, the size and health of the colony underneath is usually the first thing to check.

Getting the Most from Your Flow Hive Colony

The extraction method is only part of the equation. The colony inside your Flow Hive matters just as much as the equipment outside it.

Flow Hives use Langstroth-sized frames. That means when you choose a starter colony, you need bees on Langstroth frames. National frames won’t fit, and bodging it creates problems from day one.

Our Langstroth starter colonies are built specifically for this. They come with six frames (most suppliers send five), a mated queen selected for calm temperament, and a Paynes poly nuc box worth up to £60 that’s yours to keep. That box is useful long after you’ve transferred the bees. It’s perfect for catching swarms, making splits, or housing a backup colony later in the season.

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Not sure which to choose? If this is your first Flow Hive season, the Summer colony gives you time to learn during the active period when bees are forgiving and help is easy to find. If you want the strongest possible start and you’re happy to plan ahead, the overwintered colony gives you a head start in spring.