Flow Hive review

The Flow Hive is an Australian invention that lets honey drain from the frames through a tap. This research-based review draws on the maker’s published details, official beekeeping guidance and published owner and reviewer feedback. It is not a hands-on test.

Flow Hive 2

Flow Hive

A Langstroth-style timber hive with Flow frames in the honey box, so honey drains through a tap instead of being spun in an extractor. The brood box still needs regular inspection.

Typical price: $729 (Hybrid) to $1,249 (Flow Hive 2+) (checked 1 November 2026)

Scores How scores work

Build quality

4 out of 5

Value for money

2.5 out of 5

Easy for beginners

3.5 out of 5

Easy to buy in Australia

4.5 out of 5

Good points

• Honey drains from the frames through a tap, with no extractor needed.
• Observation windows show how full the frames are without opening the hive.
• Designed in Australia and sold directly from an Australian shop.
• Brood boxes use removable frames, so inspections work as in any Langstroth hive.

Drawbacks

• Several times the price of a standard Langstroth kit.
• Still needs regular brood inspections, protective gear and normal colony management.
• Flow frames are plastic, and reviewers note no beeswax is harvested from them.
• Some reviewers warn that easy access to honey can tempt owners to harvest too often.

Maker's website: Flow Hive 2Read the full review

What it is and how it works

The Flow Hive was invented by Stuart and Cedar Anderson and launched through a crowdfunding campaign in 2015. It is built like a Langstroth hive: a brood box at the bottom where the queen lays, and a honey box above. The difference is in the honey box. Instead of ordinary frames it holds Flow frames, plastic frames with cells split down the middle. The bees fill and cap the cells as normal. To harvest, you insert a key and turn it. The cells split open, honey runs down channels and out of a tap, and the bees are left mostly undisturbed.

Flow’s own support page says all Flow Hives must be opened for inspection like regular hives. Only the honey box is different from a conventional hive.

Models and price

Flow’s Australian shop listed three hives on 1 November 2026:

Model	Timber	Flow frames	Price from
Flow Hive Hybrid	Araucaria	3, plus ordinary frames in the honey box	$729
Flow Hive 2	ThermoGrade paulownia	6 or 7	$1,029
Flow Hive 2+	Western red cedar	6 or 7	$1,249

The timber needs outdoor paint (or oil stain for the cedar), which isn’t included. Prices, bundles and sales change often, so check Flow Hive’s website before you buy. For comparison, a standard 10-frame Langstroth kit costs about $170 to $200.

Buying warning. Flow-style hives on eBay and similar sites are copies, not made by Flow. Buy from the official shop or an authorised stockist.

Who it suits

• Hobby beekeepers who already know they want to keep bees and want a gentler, cleaner honey harvest.
• People who want to see honey levels through the observation windows without opening the hive.
• Beekeepers without room to store or use an extractor.

Who it does not suit

• Anyone expecting a hive that needs no work. Reviewers repeatedly point out that the brood box still needs regular inspection, protective gear and colony management.
• People after the cheapest way to start. Published reviewers note that the main saving is avoiding extraction gear, which is only part of a starter budget.
• Beekeepers who want beeswax or comb honey. Reviewers note that no wax is harvested from Flow frames.

Good points

• Harvest is quick and tidy, and reviewers describe the honey as clear and needing little or no filtering.
• Observation windows show how full the frames are.
• The maker and reviewers say bees are not crushed during harvest and the colony is disturbed less.
• Designed in Australia, with the maker’s shop and stockists here.
• The brood box takes ordinary frames, so standard Langstroth knowledge applies.

Drawbacks

• Higher cost than a standard hive.
• The frames are plastic. Some reviewers prefer natural beeswax and raise concerns about plastic near honey, though the maker describes the plastic as food-grade.
• Some reviewers warn that easy access to honey can tempt owners to harvest too often.
• Reviewers say a queen excluder is typically used to keep brood out of the Flow frames. One US reviewer also thinks a single brood box is too small for colder climates. Ask your local club what suits your area.
• Wooden models need sealing or painting.

Australian rules that matter

The national Code of Practice requires hives that let combs be removed individually for inspection, and BeeAware advises checking the brood several times a year. Some states set their own wording: NSW says bees must be kept in a frame hive, and Tasmania requires a standard hive or an approved type. See Choosing a hive and Registering your hives.

A Flow Hive meets these rules through its brood box, which holds ordinary removable frames. Checking the brood is a requirement that the Flow frames do not replace. Confirm your own state’s wording with its department before buying.

Scores

Scores follow the four published criteria, each out of 5, and are based on documented facts, not on use of the product.

• Build quality: 4. Timber bodies (paulownia, cedar or Araucaria) with a purpose-made frame mechanism. Wooden models need weatherproofing, and plastic frames draw some criticism.
• Value: 2.5. At $729 to $1,249 or more, several times the price of a standard Langstroth kit, though it saves the cost of extraction equipment.
• Beginner-friendliness: 3.5. Harvest is simple, but reviewers say the rest of beekeeping is unchanged, so the learning needed is not reduced.
• Australian availability: 4.5. Invented in Australia and sold from an Australian shop and stockists. Copies are not the real product.

Comparison