few hives that i bought with bees last yr. are 9 frame deeps/spacers. should i

[adamant]

should i pull the spacers and add another frame? also a bunch of mediums are 9 framed also..

[buzzbee]

Most use the 9 frame spacers for the honey supers so the comb is built deeper. It does take away from the brood nest. The comb may be too thick now to slide together to get a tenth one in the box.If you have room,adding an empty frame at the right time will take delay a little swarm pressure.
 If the deeps are drawn honey supers,you may wish to leave them that way.

[adamant]

Thank you. What I plan is to remove all the frames in the brood box and pull out those metal spacers. Put the frames back and add the empty frame in.

[rober]

most, not all the beekeepers i know keep 9 frames in the brood boxes without spacers. it makes it easier to work the frames with less chance of damaging frames & smashing bees. 9 frames with spacers in the supers. it's like everything else with beekeeping.......ask 10 beekeepers & you'll get 12 different opinions.

[sterling]

Walt Wright uses 9 frame brood boxes. Walt Wright has written for some of the bee magizines and is the guy who came up with the checker boarding idea for swarm control.  Some do and some don't.

[Michael Bush]

In the long run I would move away from the 9 frame spacing, but in the present they are already uneven combs (the honey protrudes farther) and difficult to fix without shaking off all the bees and using a sharp hot knife to even things out... I would leave it.