A Flow Hive is a brilliant bit of kit, but it’s only ever as good as the bees inside it. Start with a hot, defensive colony and you’ll dread every inspection and second-guess whether the honey is even worth the hassle. We breed for calmness first, so opening your hive feels like a treat instead of a chore.
Reserve your Flow Hive nuc, £395 with free UK delivery.
Five frames of calm Buckfast bees on Langstroth frames, ready to go straight into your Flow Hive. Live arrival guaranteed, or we replace them free.
What is a Flow Hive nuc?
There’s no special “Flow Hive” colony. A Flow Hive is just a Langstroth hive with clever honey-harvesting frames in the super. The brood box, where your nuc actually goes, takes standard Langstroth frames.
So when you search for a Flow Hive nuc, what you really need is a Langstroth nuc. Ours drop straight into a Flow Hive brood box with no adapters and no cutting frames down to fit.
A nuc, short for nucleus colony, is a small but complete colony. You get a laying queen, worker bees, and frames of brood in all stages. It’s a proper head start, not a box of loose bees you have to build up from nothing.
Why a nuc is the easy way to start a Flow Hive
Plenty of people buy a Flow Hive, get excited, and then get stuck on the hardest question of all. Where do the bees come from? A package of bees means starting from scratch with a queen who hasn’t proven herself. A swarm is a gamble on temperament and health.
A nuc takes that risk off the table. The queen is already laying. The workers are already foraging. There’s brood in all stages, so the colony builds from the day it arrives. You spend your first season learning to keep bees, not nursing a colony that might not make it.
Why buy your Flow Hive nuc from us
- Fits your Flow Hive perfectly. Every nuc is on Langstroth frames, the exact size a Flow Hive brood box takes. No adapters, no faff.
- Calm by design. Temperament is our number one breeding priority, not an afterthought. Our bees are so calm you can work them in a t-shirt.
- Pure Buckfast lines. Every colony comes with an F1 Buckfast queen, bred for calm handling, disease resistance, and strong honey production, backed by more than 75 years of combined family breeding expertise.
- Safe arrival, guaranteed. Every nuc ships in a free Paynes poly box via Royal Mail Special Delivery. If anything arrives in poor condition, we’ll sort it. No arguments.
- Support every step of the way. Help before, during, and after your colony arrives, plus a library of guides and videos that answer most questions before you need to ask.
We’re DASH accredited and members of the Bee Farmers Association.
Which Flow Hive nuc is right for you?
Every nuc we sell for a Flow Hive is a calm, F1 Buckfast colony on Langstroth frames. The choice comes down to timing.
Want a head start on the season. Our Overwintered Starter Colony – Langstroth was built last summer and has already survived a UK winter. It’s strong, established, and ready to build fast the moment the weather warms up. These sell out quickly.
Starting fresh this year. Our Summer Starter Colony – Langstroth is a freshly raised colony available from May. It’s the easier option if you’re learning the ropes during the active season.
Browse the full Starter Colonies range to see everything available this season.
Getting your bees into a Flow Hive
Getting started is simpler than most people fear. Your nuc arrives in a ventilated poly box with introduction and setup guides included. Move the five frames straight into your Flow Hive brood box, keep them in the same order they came in, and let the colony settle for a week or so before you go poking around.
Hold off on the Flow super. Add it only once the brood box is full of bees and they’re bringing in more nectar than they can store below. Put it on too early and the bees will ignore it. Get the timing right and you’ll be harvesting honey straight from the tap, with no extractor and no sticky mess.
When you’re ready to harvest, our guide to How to Extract Honey from a Flow Hive walks you through exactly how the frames work and how to get clean honey without upsetting the colony.
What beekeepers say
Learn why beekeepers choose us.Nucleus
I bought a langstroth nucleus in May from Lawrence at black mountain honey and they have settled in really well and are filling the hive a great company to deal with
Recommended by a Friend
I first came across Lawrence and his operation via a friend who told me they had used him and that his bees were great. So I got in touch asking about langstroth nucs and had a very quick prompt and helpful reply. I then placed my order for the bees!
To be clear at the time of writing I have yet to actually receive my bees, but the help and guidance I have received from Lawrence has been second to none. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anybody.
Great company
I first came across Lawrence and his operation via a friend who told me they had used him and that his bees were great. So I got in touch asking about langstroth nucs and had a very quick prompt and helpful reply. I then placed my order for the bees!
To be clear at the time of writing I have yet to actually receive my bees, but the help and guidance I have received from Lawrence has been second to none. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anybody.
Common Questions
Yes. Flow Hives use standard Langstroth frames in the brood box, and that’s exactly what our Langstroth nucs are on. The six frames lift straight out of the poly box and into your Flow Hive brood box. There’s nothing to adapt or trim.
Your Flow Hive assembled, with the brood box ready and a floor and roof in place. You don’t need the Flow super on yet. If you’re not sure your setup is right, just ask us before you order. We’d rather you get it right than order in a rush.
Don’t count on a big harvest in year one. A new colony spends its first season building up numbers and drawing comb. Add the Flow super once the brood box is packed and the nectar is flowing, and you may get some honey late in the first summer. From the second season onwards, a strong colony can fill the Flow frames properly.
An overwintered nuc gives you a head start. It’s already established and builds fast in spring, so it’s the stronger choice if you want the best shot at honey sooner. A summer nuc is a fresh start and a little easier to manage while you’re learning. Both are on Langstroth frames and both fit your Flow Hive.
We guarantee safe arrival. Every nuc ships in a ventilated Paynes poly box via Royal Mail Special Delivery. If anything arrives in poor condition, send us a photo and we’ll put it right. No arguments, no hassle.
Yes. Nucs ship anywhere in the UK by Royal Mail Special Delivery, a signature-required, tracked service. Someone needs to be in to sign for the colony, so we’ll send tracking the day before. Collection from our Welsh apiaries is also available on Saturdays in April and May.
