A Flow Hive is a modern beehive design that allows honey to be harvested directly from the hive without opening it and without disturbing the bees.
Instead of manually cutting comb or removing frames for extraction, the beekeeper turns a tap/valve and honey flows out into a jar.
It was invented in Australia and became popular among hobbyists and some small-scale beekeepers for its easy harvest method.
How It Works (In Simple Terms)
- The hive uses special plastic Flow Frames instead of standard wooden frames.
- Bees fill the frames with honey and seal the cells with wax naturally.
- Once the honey is ready, a lever is turned on the frame. This opens channels inside the Flow Frame, allowing honey to flow out.
- Honey drains through tubes directly into collection jars without opening the hive.
This means there is no need for:
- A honey extractor
- Cutting comb during harvest
- Frequently opening the hive while harvesting honey
Typical Sizes & Setup
Flow Hives are generally based on Langstroth hive dimensions, giving them the appearance of standard stacked hives with brood boxes and honey supers. The key difference is the use of Flow Frames in the honey supers.
A typical Flow Hive setup may include:
- 1–2 brood boxes using standard Langstroth deep boxes
- 1–2 Flow Honey Supers
- Flow Frames installed in the supers
- A stand, bottom board, and roof similar to a standard hive
Because of their modular design, Flow Hives can fit into many Langstroth systems commonly used in Kenya.
Is a Flow Hive Right for You?
Suitable if you:
- Are a hobbyist or beginner beekeeper
- Prefer easy honey harvesting with fewer tools
- Want a visible and educational hive setup
Less suitable if you:
- Are building a commercial apiary
- Need consistently high honey yields
- Require mechanized extraction and export compliance
- Focus on scalable and traceable honey supply chains
For commercial operations, traditional Langstroth hives are generally considered a stronger investment. Flow Hives can still be included as part of a diversified apiary, but they are not typically used as the main production system for export-focused operations.
Summary
A Flow Hive is an innovative beehive system designed to simplify honey harvesting while minimizing disturbance to the bees. It is well suited for hobbyists and beginner beekeepers, although it is more expensive and still requires proper hive management practices. For commercial-scale production, such as operations at Zortrax Honey Kenya, standard Langstroth hives remain the preferred option.