Flow Hive Review: Is It Worth It?
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The Flow Hive lets you harvest honey by turning a key: the honey runs out of the frames through a tube into a jar, without opening the hive, uncapping or using an extractor. It genuinely works, and harvest day is a joy. But it is not a way to keep bees without beekeeping. You still inspect the brood box, manage swarming and control varroa mites exactly as with any other hive, and the Flow Hive costs several times more than a standard hive.
Our verdict: a Flow Hive is worth it if you love the idea, have the budget, and are willing to learn to look after the bees properly. If you mainly want to keep bees and get honey at the lowest cost, a standard Langstroth hive and a small extractor do the same job for far less.
How does a Flow Hive work?
The Flow Hive was invented by father-and-son beekeepers Stuart and Cedar Anderson in Australia and launched in 2015 through one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns of its time. The heart of it is the Flow Frame, a frame of partly formed plastic honeycomb cells that goes in the honey super, above the brood box.
- The bees finish the cells with wax, fill them with nectar, turn it into honey and cap it, just as they do in normal comb.
- When a frame is capped (you can check through the viewing window at the end), you insert the Flow Key and turn it.
- The cells split vertically inside, opening channels. Honey trickles down to a trough at the bottom of the frame and out through a tube into your jar.
- Turn the key back, the cells reset, and the bees clear out the remaining honey, repair the wax and refill the frame.
Below the Flow super, the hive is a standard Langstroth brood box with ordinary frames, where the queen lays and the colony lives. See our Langstroth hive guide if the parts are new to you.
Flow Hive models compared
| Model | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flow Hive 2 / 2+ | The current full hive, with brood box, Flow super, roof and base, plus added features such as an adjustable base, pest management tray and ventilation. The “+” version adds extras like more viewing windows | Most people buying a complete Flow Hive |
| Flow Hive Classic | A simpler, lower-cost complete Flow Hive without some of the Flow 2 upgrades | Buyers who want Flow harvesting for less |
| Flow Hive Hybrid | A super that mixes Flow Frames with traditional frames, so you get both key-harvested honey and wax comb | People who also want comb honey or wax |
| Flow Super | Just the Flow honey super, to add to an existing Langstroth hive | Beekeepers who already have hives |
Flow supers come in 6-frame and 7-frame versions, which match 8-frame and 10-frame Langstroth boxes respectively. Check the exact specifications and current models on Flow’s official site before you buy, as they update the range from time to time.
Flow Hive pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Harvesting is easy, clean and fun: no uncapping, extractor or sticky kitchen | Costs several times more than a standard hive |
| Far less disturbance to the bees at harvest time | You still need full brood inspections, swarm control and mite treatment |
| You can harvest one frame at a time, and even taste single-flower honeys | Honey that crystallizes quickly (for example canola) can set in the frames and will not flow |
| Viewing windows let you watch the bees work | Flow is slow in cool weather; harvest on warm days |
| Beautiful, well-made hive and good customer support | You harvest no beeswax, and some colonies are slow to accept plastic frames |
| A standard Langstroth brood box, so normal frames and equipment fit | It is easy to harvest before honey is fully capped if you do not check the windows |
Is a Flow Hive good for beginners?
It can be, as long as you go in with the right expectations. The Flow Frames only change how you harvest honey. Everything that decides whether your colony survives happens in the brood box: checking the queen is laying, giving the bees room before they swarm, monitoring and treating varroa mites, and making sure they have enough stores for winter. New beekeepers who assume the Flow Hive looks after itself are the ones who lose colonies. Read a good beginner beekeeping book, join a local club, and learn to do a proper hive inspection.
Getting bees for a Flow Hive
Flow Hives do not come with bees. You buy a package or a nucleus colony and install it in the brood box exactly as in any Langstroth hive; see where to buy bees. Leave the Flow super off at first. Add it only once the colony is strong and the brood box is about 80% full of bees and comb. In many areas that means no honey harvest in the first season.
Tips for harvesting from a Flow Hive
- Only harvest frames that are fully capped. Check the end window and, if you can, the face of the frame.
- Harvest on a warm day. Honey flows far faster when warm; a full frame can take an hour or more to drain.
- Crack the frame in stages rather than all at once, to avoid honey flooding back into the hive.
- Cover the jar and tube to keep bees, ants and wasps out, and harvest one or two frames at a time.
- Leave the bees enough honey for winter; in cold climates that often means no autumn harvest.
Do you need a bee suit for a Flow Hive?
For harvesting, often not. You turn the key at the back or side of the hive without opening it, so the bees are barely disturbed, and many Flow owners harvest in ordinary clothes. A veil is still sensible the first few times, and if your colony is defensive.
For everything else, yes. Brood inspections, adding or removing the Flow super, swarm checks and mite treatments all mean opening the hive, and that calls for the same protection as any Langstroth hive: at least a veil, and for most beginners a full suit or jacket, plus gloves while you gain confidence. Flow sells its own branded suits and jackets; any good beekeeping suit works just as well, since the hive is standard underneath.
| Job | What to wear |
|---|---|
| Harvesting with the Flow Key | Veil recommended; suit optional for calm colonies |
| Checking the viewing windows | Usually nothing special |
| Brood box inspection | Full suit or jacket with veil, gloves, smoker |
| Adding or removing the Flow super | Full suit or jacket with veil, gloves |
| Mite checks and treatments | Full suit or jacket, plus any protection the treatment label requires |
Our picks: best bee suits, ventilated bee jackets for warm climates, and beekeeping gloves.
Flow Hive alternative: a Langstroth kit and an extractor
If the Flow Hive’s price is the sticking point, the traditional route gives you the same honey and the beeswax too: a standard Langstroth hive plus an extractor, which many beekeepers share or borrow from their club. Flow-style “auto” hives from other brands are also sold online, but reports on their quality and fit vary widely. If you want a Flow Hive, buy from Flow directly or an authorized retailer. These are the kits we would pair instead:
BeeCastle 10-Frame Bee Hives and Supplies Starter Kit
Our top beehive starter kit: an assembled, beeswax-dipped cedar deep with frames, plus a bee suit, gloves, smoker and 21 tools. Add a honey super when the colony grows. Full review in our starter kit guide.
- Good: complete setup for a fraction of a Flow Hive; gives you beeswax as well as honey.
- Watch for: harvest means uncapping and extracting (or crush and strain).
VIVO 8-Frame Manual Honey Extractor
Our favorite hobby extractor: a stainless steel, hand-crank extractor that takes four deep or eight medium frames per load, with a low honey gate and clear lid. See our honey extractor guide.
- Good: fast harvest of several supers; keeps drawn comb for the bees to reuse.
- Watch for: an extra purchase and storage space; many clubs lend extractors instead.
More options: best beehive starter kits and best honey extractors.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Flow Hive produce more honey?
No. The amount of honey depends on the colony’s strength, the weather and the nectar available. The Flow Hive only changes how you harvest it. Because you return nothing but empty cells, the bees do not have to rebuild comb after harvest, which can help a little.
Does a Flow Hive hurt the bees?
Used properly, no. Harvesting disturbs the bees less than pulling frames for extraction. The welfare of the colony depends on the same good management as any hive: inspections, space and mite control.
Can I add Flow Frames to my existing hive?
Yes. The Flow Super is made to sit on a standard 8-frame or 10-frame Langstroth brood box, so you can try Flow harvesting without replacing your hive.
Do you need a bee suit with a Flow Hive?
For harvesting, often just a veil; for brood inspections, a suit or jacket, gloves and a smoker. See the bee suit section above.
How often can you harvest a Flow Hive?
Whenever frames are full and capped, which during a strong nectar flow can be every few weeks. Always leave enough honey for the colony, especially going into winter.
