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Author Topic: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?  (Read 2713 times)

Offline Matt J

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Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« on: August 19, 2016, 03:51:39 pm »
This is my first year, and my first 2 hives are all mediums.  I decided I think I want to try some hives next year with deep brood boxes.  Mainly I want to experiment with the 2 different types of hives and see which one works best for me and my area.  I am in the Birmingham area.  My question is, in Alabama, do y'all run 2 deep brood boxes?  I know some use a single deep and a medium.  Are there any advantages to running 2 deeps (which seems better to me)?  Are 2 deeps even necessary here?  And how will 2 deeps vs a deep and a medium effect honey production?  My mantra is to let the queen have as much room to lay as she wishes.  Thanks for any help.

Matt

Offline bwallace23350

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2016, 04:12:29 pm »
This is also my first year. I have two deeps and am probably putting on honey supers next week

Offline Groundhawg

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2016, 01:02:47 am »
This is my first year as a beekeeper and so far my three hives have done well despite my mistakes.  I started with 3 nucs the first of April.  I am using 8 frame equipment and within 3 weeks added a 2nd deep to each hive and by mid-July had 3 medium supers on each hive.  Extracted 15 frames (8 in one super and 7 from the second) from each hive and a total of 140 pounds of honey from all three hives the last week of July. Have left the 3rd super which had 3 to 5 frames of honey but only 2 or 3 frames capped on each hive.

Right now plan to over winter with 2 deeps and a super on each hive.  This is likely much more than the bees need for a winter in southeast Alabama but I want them to have plenty of groceries.  Not sure what, if any, Fall flow we can expect so I do not plan to take any more honey this year.   
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Offline Matt J

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2016, 09:08:38 am »
This is my first year as a beekeeper and so far my three hives have done well despite my mistakes.  I started with 3 nucs the first of April.  I am using 8 frame equipment and within 3 weeks added a 2nd deep to each hive and by mid-July had 3 medium supers on each hive.  Extracted 15 frames (8 in one super and 7 from the second) from each hive and a total of 140 pounds of honey from all three hives the last week of July. Have left the 3rd super which had 3 to 5 frames of honey but only 2 or 3 frames capped on each hive.

Right now plan to over winter with 2 deeps and a super on each hive.  This is likely much more than the bees need for a winter in southeast Alabama but I want them to have plenty of groceries.  Not sure what, if any, Fall flow we can expect so I do not plan to take any more honey this year.   


Wow!  That sounds like a very successful first year. I started with 2 this year. 2 packages that I didn't get until April 15.  One was laying worker from the start!  It perished. I bought a Nuc around Memorial Day, and it is doing OK I guess. This first year has been a bunch of ups and downs between dealing with the laying workers and SHB. I have definitely learned a lot though. I have much higher hopes for next year. I think part of my problem is my packages got delayed due to weather wherever they came from, and I think I missed a good part of the spring flow. But nothing I can do about that.


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Offline cao

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2016, 11:31:25 am »
Welcome Groundhawg. :happy: Sounds like you have had a great year.

I might not help answer the OP but around here I like to overwinter with at least a deep and a medium or three mediums.

Offline Groundhawg

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #5 on: August 20, 2016, 03:35:11 pm »
Matt,

I never expected to have my bees do much more than draw comb and build up some this year.  Our instructor in the bee keeping class had told us to pull a couple of frames from each hive to get an idea what we were working for and the same was what I read most places.  Good things that my girls could not read.  No, really the nucs I started with were very strong and loaded with bees and all three had great laying queens.  The Lord blessed us with an early mild spring and we have had lots of rain and living in town with plenty of small gardens and flowers.

No swarms and after I had quit feeding they just took off and loaded up stores of honey.  I really believe that almost anywhere in Alabama you could over winter very well with a single deep and medium or three mediums but since I still have so many bees, each hive is loaded, that I plan to have the two 8 frame deeps and a medium.  Treating again now for mites and hope that all I have to do till spring is make sure they have food.

GT
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Offline Groundhawg

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2016, 03:52:55 pm »
This is my first year, and my first 2 hives are all mediums.  I decided I think I want to try some hives next year with deep brood boxes.  Mainly I want to experiment with the 2 different types of hives and see which one works best for me and my area.  I am in the Birmingham area.  My question is, in Alabama, do y'all run 2 deep brood boxes?  I know some use a single deep and a medium.  Are there any advantages to running 2 deeps (which seems better to me)?  Are 2 deeps even necessary here?  And how will 2 deeps vs a deep and a medium effect honey production?  My mantra is to let the queen have as much room to lay as she wishes.  Thanks for any help.

Matt

Matt,

Like the joke: Ask three beekeepers one question and you will get five different answers. 

Several of the more experienced folks in our club have all gone to using only mediums, two for brood though likely the second will have quite a bit of honey and one for winter stores.  The biggest pro is you have all the same size equipment and can very easy change/move and adjust frames and boxes from one hive to the other.  Another plus is less weight and trouble to move a medium then a loaded deep box.  About the only con is most nucs and swarm boxes are deeps so that could be a problem if you buy a nuc from someone who only has deep bodied supplies.

So if you change or add deep boxes next year you will have to build or buy more hive bodies and deep frames.  Also you will be held back a bit while your bees build comb in the deep boxes.  What ever you decide do not over think it to much.  Just let your bees be bees.  From the mistakes I made this years I have learned that given time and resources that the bees can correct most of my errors.   
Gracious words are like a honey comb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.  Proverbs 16:24

Offline divemaster1963

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2016, 04:07:45 pm »
there is a infinit no of ways to setup for winter. myself due to injury the bees will have what every was on on july 1st is what they will have going into winter. we still have the fall flow to go here in middle ga. so they will hav a ton of stores and large brood area unless they reduce them selves.


personally the less I mess with their work the better and healther my hives seem to me.



john

Offline GSF

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2016, 10:06:16 am »
I have about all the different arrangements you can think of in my yard. When I first got bees it was 9 June, package. By the next February's end they had 2 deeps busting with bees.

Just make sure they've got food and the mites are back down to almost none. Groundhawg, you must be from around the Dothan area. I'm about 35 miles n of Montgomery.
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Offline Groundhawg

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2016, 09:36:40 pm »
GSF, yes sir. I am just a bit north and west of Dothan in Ozark.  Wife and I move here last year to be closer to my folks.  Dad is 87 and had bees for a few years about 20 years ago.  I am 64 and after we moved Dad ask if I had ever thought about keeping bees or wanted to start.  I said yes   :tongue: and now we have three hives at his house.  It has been a lot of fun working with him and the bees.  He is quite a woodworker so we have built many of our boxes, nucs, and other wood ware.  Have made many memories together the last few months.   :grin:

Sorry did not mean to hijack the OP thread.
Gracious words are like a honey comb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.  Proverbs 16:24

Offline GSF

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2016, 08:22:08 am »
Sorry did not mean to hijack the OP thread It's okay, Matt's not thin skinned.

How great is that!, to be 67 and working bees with your dad.
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Offline Matt J

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2016, 10:03:02 pm »
Sorry did not mean to hijack the OP thread It's okay, Matt's not thin skinned.

How great is that!, to be 67 and working bees with your dad.


Ha!  Can't be thin skinned and work for the Fire Dept.  They break you of that REAL QUICK!


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Offline Matt J

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #12 on: August 24, 2016, 10:07:41 pm »
I have about all the different arrangements you can think of in my yard.


That's probably how I'll end up. I can never be satisfied. All mediums this year. Deeps next year. By year 5 I'll probably be keeping bees in Top Bars and Warres.  Just kidding about the Warres. TBH does interest me though.




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Offline cao

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #13 on: August 25, 2016, 02:41:13 am »
That's probably how I'll end up. I can never be satisfied. All mediums this year. Deeps next year. By year 5 I'll probably be keeping bees in Top Bars and Warres.  Just kidding about the Warres. TBH does interest me though.

Sounds like you are heading in my direction.  I have deeps, mediums and shallows.  Ten frame, 8 frame and 5 frame boxes.  I built a long hive(too late for bees this year :sad:).  My goal this winter is to built an observation hive.  I can see a TBH in my future also.  I know it would be easier sticking with all mediums but whats the fun in that. :wink: 

One thing that I have found is that I really like the shallow frames much better than I expected.

Offline Modenacart

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #14 on: August 25, 2016, 08:41:01 am »
This is my first year, and my first 2 hives are all mediums.  I decided I think I want to try some hives next year with deep brood boxes.  Mainly I want to experiment with the 2 different types of hives and see which one works best for me and my area.  I am in the Birmingham area.  My question is, in Alabama, do y'all run 2 deep brood boxes?  I know some use a single deep and a medium.  Are there any advantages to running 2 deeps (which seems better to me)?  Are 2 deeps even necessary here?  And how will 2 deeps vs a deep and a medium effect honey production?  My mantra is to let the queen have as much room to lay as she wishes.  Thanks for any help.

Matt

Matt,

Like the joke: Ask three beekeepers one question and you will get five different answers. 

Several of the more experienced folks in our club have all gone to using only mediums, two for brood though likely the second will have quite a bit of honey and one for winter stores.  The biggest pro is you have all the same size equipment and can very easy change/move and adjust frames and boxes from one hive to the other.  Another plus is less weight and trouble to move a medium then a loaded deep box.  About the only con is most nucs and swarm boxes are deeps so that could be a problem if you buy a nuc from someone who only has deep bodied supplies.

So if you change or add deep boxes next year you will have to build or buy more hive bodies and deep frames.  Also you will be held back a bit while your bees build comb in the deep boxes.  What ever you decide do not over think it to much.  Just let your bees be bees.  From the mistakes I made this years I have learned that given time and resources that the bees can correct most of my errors.   
If you do run all mediums I recommend you run all boxes with the same number of frames.  That way you can pull a frame crime the honey super and put it in a brood box.


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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Fellow Alabamians! What size boxes and how many?
« Reply #15 on: August 25, 2016, 09:34:19 am »
I've done almost every possible size and configuration.  I now run almost entirely eight frame mediums.  I have never regretted the decision.  I had ten frame deeps and shallows for 28 years.  I don't miss them.

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