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Author Topic: Medium Super Question  (Read 5816 times)

Offline bullybrink

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Medium Super Question
« on: March 09, 2009, 05:49:49 pm »
Why are people using these? I am still new to beekeeping and have deep supers and shallow supers. Should I be using mediums? Why or why not? I'm just wondering what the pros and cons are I guess.

Offline jdpro5010

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2009, 05:54:40 pm »
I believe it to be just different people with different preferences.  To me a shallow is to small for a honey super(I don't know why it just is to me)  To others they are just right.  I use a deep and a medium for my brood nest and mediums for my honey supers.  What you have can and will work just fine.

Offline Robo

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2009, 06:18:04 pm »
I am still new to beekeeping and have deep supers and shallow supers.

Geesh, you are as politically incorrect as me :-D
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Offline MacfromNS

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2009, 06:27:16 pm »
I have some deep supers but I am changing to all mediums.Shallows are too small and deeps are too  big for me with a bad back.
 
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Offline sc-bee

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2009, 06:45:06 pm »
One of the main reasons is it makes all of your equipment interchangeable. If you have a strong hive, they will begin to lay brood in the shallow supers if you don't run excluders-- which alot of folks don't. I don't run excluders---I have had a deep and three shallows of brood.The mediums allow you to open the brood nest, pull nucs, feed honey etc. all in the same equipment and it all fits. Makes life a little simpler. Of course you can put a shallow frame in a deep box and they will sometimes pull off the bottom and complete it with natural comb.

a medium of honey is also heavier than a shallow so alot of folks are going to all medium 8 frame equipment. It helps with the back especially as you age :-D! Actually some pollinators are begining to go to 8 frame because they say they can get more colonies on a truck load due to width of colony and width of truck etc.. Less wasted space on truck I guess?

Most nucs for sale etc are deeps however. Unless you place a special order. The most common equipment is deeps for brood and shallow supers for honey.

 With that said, I wish I had started with eight frame mediums. More beginners need to be made aware of this!!!
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Offline Natalie

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2009, 06:47:57 pm »
All 8 frame mediums here. Uniformity, always having the size you need handy appeals to me and the mediums are not as heavy as the deeps but hold more than a shallow. 

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2009, 07:11:50 pm »
I use all eight frame mediums.  As mentioned, all the same size frames is an advantage as is the lighter weight (than deeps).

http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#uniformframesize

10 frame boxes
Deep, Langstroth Deep 9 5/8" 80 - 90 pounds Brood & Ext
Medium, Illinois, 3/4 6 5/8" 60 - 70 pounds Brood & Ext & Cmb
Shallow 5 ¾" or 5 11/16" 50 - 60 pounds Cmb

8 frame boxes:
Deep 9 5/8" 64-72 lbs
Medium, Illinois 6 5/8" 48-56 lbs
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Offline iddee

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2009, 07:29:03 pm »
Bodo says.... Geesh, you are as politically incorrect as me

Well, I've got ya beat.

Deeps are for MEN. Mediums are for women, pansies, and old folk.

Shallows are for comb honey.

Whether you use all mediums or all deeps, your equipment will be interchangeable.

OK, I've got my flame proof undies on, so go for it.   :-P   :-D
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Offline Robo

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2009, 08:41:43 pm »
Whether you use all mediums or all deeps, your equipment will be interchangeable.

And.....  all deeps is cheaper :-D

I priced a few options for a start-up hive for a friend and the all medium was like 30% more for the equivalent hive.
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2009, 09:00:38 pm »
I used to lift full deeps and think nothing of it, 35 years ago when I was a 20 year old construction worker.  I'm not 20 anymore and I'm not a construction worker anymore...

"...no man's back is unbreakable and even beekeepers grow older. When full, a mere shallow super is heavy, weighing forty pounds or more. Deep supers, when filled, are ponderous beyond practical limit."--Richard Taylor, The Joys of Beekeeping

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Offline Pond Creek Farm

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2009, 09:09:02 pm »
Deeps may be cheaper, but not when you add in the neurosurgeon.  I use mediums for supers, and with ten frame equipment, that is heavy enough.  I will admit, however, that given my prowess last year with honey making, it would not have mattered.  I did not have to lift any full supers - deep, medium, shallow or otherwise.  Perhaps I can do better this year.  My one remaining hive has pollen coming in like gangbusters.
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Offline slaphead

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2009, 09:15:37 pm »
Another advantage of medium boxes is you can build them your self using standard lumber (1" x 8" x 8 feet).  I've tried sourcing boards for deeps and found I'd need to go to a 2" board which increases the expense and weight.  

In our area, the PNW, many fences were built using 1" x 8" cedar boards.  As "unsightly" grey boards are replaced by property owners they are often discarded or given away for free.  These are perfectly OK for making medium boxes, bottom boards and tops.  If you're patient you can build hives based on mediums for the price of glue, screws, hardware cloth and frames.  Perhaps no more than 2 or 3 a year but that can soon add up.  You might have a similar supply for boards in your area.

Just a thought.

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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2009, 10:06:18 pm »
>Deeps may be cheaper, but not when you add in the neurosurgeon.

That's how I figure it.  It'd have to save a lot of money just to be worth the pain of NEEDING a neurosurgeon, let alone the COST of one.
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Offline manfre

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2009, 12:09:22 pm »
Another advantage of medium boxes is you can build them your self using standard lumber (1" x 8" x 8 feet).  I've tried sourcing boards for deeps and found I'd need to go to a 2" board which increases the expense and weight.  

The hardware stores near me sell 1" x 10" and 1" x 12" boards. After ripping them down to deep size, you'll have useful scraps for making tops, bottoms and handles (not a fan of the dado handles).

With that said, I have all 10 frame mediums. I'm young enough that I'm willing to lift the extra 20% weight to save 25% of the cost. As I age, I'll probably shift down to 8 frame mediums.
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Offline Doc Pat

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #14 on: March 10, 2009, 12:41:28 pm »
I must be having an attack of old-timers disease today...

There was a post late last week regarding 8-frame equipment, and someone mentioned a supplier other than Brushy Mountain (started with R, I think) Now I can't find it anywhere!.  Would someone be kind enough to either point me to that post, or remind me of the supplier's name?

Thanks,

Pat

Offline derrick1p1

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #15 on: March 10, 2009, 12:54:40 pm »
Started with 2 deeps a couple of years ago.  Began converting to mediums last year.  Just this weekend I finished the conversion (bees hadn't moved down yet into deeps). 

Brood in Mediums needed to be "opened", helping me stock the former deeps with some drawn comb to help guide them (foundationless also now).

For me, having all mediums is already helping with sharing stores/brood between hives and moving things around.

I won't let grass grow under my feet, there will be plenty of time to push up daisies.

Offline Robo

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #16 on: March 10, 2009, 12:59:32 pm »
I must be having an attack of old-timers disease today...

There was a post late last week regarding 8-frame equipment, and someone mentioned a supplier other than Brushy Mountain (started with R, I think) Now I can't find it anywhere!.  Would someone be kind enough to either point me to that post, or remind me of the supplier's name?

Thanks,

Pat

Betterbee sells 8-frame stuff,  and I think there selection may be bigger.  I know they sell an 8-frame slatted rack and Brushy doesn't.

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Offline iddee

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #17 on: March 10, 2009, 01:31:47 pm »
Fred Rossman,

http://www.gabees.com/about.htm

Has 8 frame equip.
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Offline Daddys Girl

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #18 on: March 10, 2009, 02:13:06 pm »
Interchangable.
Lighter.
Cuz I wanna be cool like Michael Bush someday. :mrgreen:

Mostly because of the weight.  Even though I -can- lift 100#, I really don't wanna.  In five years, I may not be physically -able- to lift that much.

Of course, I also prefer Top Bar Hives because there is little or nothing to lift, and it is all at one height.  ;)

Offline Doc Pat

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Re: Medium Super Question
« Reply #19 on: March 10, 2009, 02:17:20 pm »
Thanks!  Rossman is what I was trying to remember.