Bee hive with honey drain tap

Beekeeping only at first glance seems to be a simple matter. A good beekeeper will need a lot of knowledge, patience, caution, and some money. Although modern solutions sometimes greatly simplify the work. One of them was a hive with a tap to drain honey.

Features of the hive

Flow Hive belongs to new inventions, although we have been working on it for 10 years. The hive with a tap to drain the honey was designed by Stewart and Cedar Anderson from Australia. Father and son thought for a long time how to simplify the collection of honey and less injure the bees. Finally, a video with a demonstration of the novelty hit the Internet.

For mass production, the Andersons managed to find sponsors. Quick fundraising on the Indiegogo platform helped. Today investments there have exceeded $ 12 million. Beekeepers hope tap hives become standard over time.

How it works

Bee hive with honey drain tap

Many beekeepers usually collect honey like this:

  1. The hive is opened.
  2. Bees are smoked out.
  3. They unseal, break the honeycomb.
  4. Collect the product with a honey extractor and filter it.

The Australian crane hive helps to speed up the process several times. It is enough for a person and his bees to complete a few steps:

  1. The beekeeper inserts frames on a plastic base. The usual Langstroth hive is suitable. There are two holes along the edges of the frame: the upper (tool cap) – for the key, the lower (tube cap) – for the drain.
  2. The artificial honeycomb is not completely finished. The bees themselves finish building them with wax.
  3. Then insects fill the honeycomb with honey.
  4. The beekeeper checks the readiness through a special window in the wall of the hive with a crane.
  5. The beekeeper removes the covers from the frame openings.
  6. He inserts a tube into the bottom.
  7. Departs to the back of the hive. The key (lever) is slowly inserted into the upper hole of the frame. Aims at the bottom of this opening.
  8. Turns the key. It should go down 90 °.
  9. As a result, the cells are vertically separated. A canal appears and the honey flows down. Further down the tube, he goes into the substituted container.
  10. When the product is assembled, the key must be turned back. The honeycombs are in their usual position. The bees start filling them again.

Advantages

Bee hive with honey drain tap

Important!

The tap hive is safe for bees. Insects stay on the combs and are not injured. Even if the bee falls, it won’t get hurt.

The semi-automatic drain quickly gained popularity. Crane hives have many advantages:

  1. There is no need to filter the resulting product. There is no litter, pieces of honeycomb, dead insects, wax. Although sometimes they still put a grid on the drain pipes.
  2. Safer for people and animals. To get honey, you do not need to disassemble the hive with a tap. This means that the bees are not so aggressive. Collect the product sometimes without a protective suit.
  3. The honey does not need to be heated.
  4. You can drain from separate frames. This helps to obtain honey of all kinds. Collect it in different seasons.
  5. The wax in the honeycomb is hardly damaged. Therefore, bees do not need to do it again. Usually, insects spend about 1 kg of honey to make 7 kg of wax. Forces, time, resources are freed. Bees save honey and harvest more. Profit, human stocks are increasing faster.
  6. The collection of the product is greatly simplified and accelerated.
  7. Any time of the day is suitable for work. The collection does not depend on the weather.
  8. As you know, honeycomb is more aromatic, tastier. The Australian framework is less exposed to air. As a result, honey retains its taste and aroma better.

The crane hive has been tested for over three years. However, the authors continue to improve the design. The plans are to make the drain fully automatic. Over time, the Andersons are going to master remote control. There are thoughts about installing a hive with a crane on the roof of the house. Fresh honey, according to the idea, should immediately go to the kitchen.

Disadvantages

Bee hive with honey drain tap

Hives with cranes are convenient, but they also have disadvantages:

  1. Cells in artificial honeycombs are deliberately made incomplete. They open up better and the drain is easier. However, bee honey is different in consistency. In the cold, it crystallizes. As a result, problems arise with turnover. To avoid them, they monitor the temperature, take into account the characteristics of a particular honey.
  2. Original branded hives with a tap can be ordered. Sometimes only frames are bought. However, even they are expensive. For a set of three, you will have to pay about 230-260 US dollars.

Dimensions and Drawings

Important!

The dimensions of the Australian Flow Hive are almost the same as the domestic standards. The crane hive can hold up to 7 frames.

Some beekeepers only buy branded honeycombs. They are inserted, for example, into the Langstroth hive. You can even make one with your own hands according to a typical drawing. Many beekeepers take modern modifications of the “great-grandfather” of all “sun beds”.

Australian frames are sometimes a bit short for domestic hives. The problem is easily fixed. For example, you can insert a couple of 8 mm plywood sheets from one edge.

Sometimes there is a lot of space left in the hive. Let’s say there are only three Australian frames inserted. You can add domestic ones to the hive.

Plastic honeycombs are, rather, drone in size – 6,7 mm. The gaps between the cells are about 1 mm. They are then covered up by bees.

Flow Hive

Bee hive with honey drain tap

The Australian crane hive weighs approximately 25 kg and includes the following:

  • plastic frames Flow – 3-7 pieces;
  • drain pipes;
  • key (lever);
  • sidewalls for two buildings (tiers);
  • cover, flaps;
  • bottom.

The main part of the hive with a crane is a frame made of food grade plastic. Each contains two rows of cells. When the key is turned, they deform. A groove is formed between the two rows of cells, along which honey flows.

Manufacturers of a hive with a crane claim that the frame in it is made of special plastic:

  • smooth;
  • lasting;
  • not afraid of high and low temperatures;
  • suppresses bacteria, microbes: salmonella, staphylococcus, etc.

In the wall of the branded hive with a tap, there is a viewing window made of plexiglass. With its help, the readiness of the honeycomb is checked. Some people just watch the bees, for example, how they make wax.

Important!

On average, the frame fills up in a month. The main thing here is the number of pollinated plants, the number and activity of bees. Sometimes it fills up even in a week.

Bee hive with honey drain tap
Each frame contains about 3 kg of honey. Draining takes 20 minutes to 2 hours. The speed is influenced by the viscosity of the product.

Some beekeepers turn the key and leave. Someone leaves for the night. The main thing here is not to forget to turn the lever back.

Plus, forest dwellers “check” the work of the hive with a crane at night. Among the “tasters” are sables, less often martens and mice. The smell of the treat drives the bear crazy. Usually a cautious beast is ready to go under the bullets.

The crane hive is convenient and easy to use. However, it does not relieve the beekeeper of all worries.

Reviews

Bee hive with honey drain tap

Valery, 34 years old.

In my opinion, a hive with a crane is just a scam. It might work, but that’s not the point. Only one problem is solved – pumping. And they are presented as if all the difficulties have been solved. Revolution, damn it. He opened the tap and became a beekeeper. But what about treatment, transportation, family checks and so on? You still have to open the hive with a crane. And the “Australian” is not cheap. I think a lot of newbies take the crane hive as a freebie and end up disappointed.

Nikolay Bulychev, 58 years old.

I watched the video on the internet. At first it seemed that this was impossible. I bought a set of three frames for testing. Works. True, I have not checked everything yet. It looks like the queens will not be deposited in such cells. Too deep. The separator won’t come in handy. Conveniently. I am already thinking about seriously introducing beehives with cranes. Some changes will have to be made, though. For example, I’m used to working with medium 8-frame frames. In general, a hive with a crane is curious. “We continue the conversation.”

Maya, 45 years old.

Everything flows with me and everything changes. Although a little expensive, of course. I think the Chinese will soon master it. We will order on Aliexpress for 100 bucks.

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Anna Evans

Author ✓ Farmer

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