It is possible to use a 7 Frame Flow Super on a UK National hive or to adapt our Flow Frames to fit in your UK National hive. It’s also possible to adapt UK National brood frames to fit in the Flow brood box.
Comparing UK National supers/brood boxes to Flow Hives
A UK National is a type of beehive which is shorter and wider than a Langstroth 10-frame or Flow 7 frame.
Using a Flow 7 frame super on a UK National hive
A Langstroth is slightly longer and narrower than a UK National, in fact, you can put a Flow Super Classic 7 Frame (equivalent in size to a 10 frame Langstroth beehive) on a UK National and it will just cover the outside ends of the UK National sized box. If you're willing to leave the ends like this then you can just add some straight pieces of wood or plywood to cover the gap between the narrower Flow Super Classic and the UK National. A triangular section of wood about 60mm (2.5") wide on each side of the Flow Super would do it.
Adapting a Flow Hive Super to use with a UK National hive
Adapting Flow Frames and/or a UK National or WBC super
Adapting Flow Frames to fit in a UK National super:
To shorten the Flow Frames, begin by taking off the cables (on a table, so that the pieces don't go everywhere) and removing pairs of 'blades'. Each pair is 11.8mm (0.466"). Measure how much shorter the frame needs to be, and divide that length by the above figure to see how many pairs will have to be removed.
You will need stainless steel tie-wire of around 1mm diameter to rebind the whole thing together with the end plates - it's usually possible to re-use the existing wires. Remember to cross the wire (figure 8 shape) to support the base and top of the frame, and twist it so that it holds the whole Flow Frame together tightly. [See this video for more detailed instructions.]
NB: Please note, while we love to see people using our product creatively, disassembly or modification of your Flow Frames from their original format will void your warranty.
Adapting a UK National super to fit Flow Frames:
To adapt a UK National box, view our Langstroth box modification videos and adjust that approach to suit the UK National dimensions.
Note that a UK National deep box is taller than a Lang deep - so you will have to cut it back around three sides to bring it down to the correct height.
Customers have also adapted their WBC hives to fit Flow Frames.
Installing a UK National nuc into a Flow Hive Brood box
UK National brood frames are narrower than Flow brood frames. You can cut the comb out of UK National frames and use rubber bands to hold the comb in place within the Flow/Langstroth brood frame.
