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Author Topic: How many Boxs  (Read 5678 times)

Offline labradorfarms

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How many Boxs
« on: January 07, 2014, 10:11:44 pm »
I understand the concept of when to put on supers etc. My question is say in the South. If im going to run Deep Brood boxes How many do I need to run? I am thinking let the bees fill up one then ad another deep brood box. When they fill it ad my honeys super.....
What is the norm for you Southeren Bee Keepers located in hot climates? Is 2 deeps to much?  

Also when summer is coming to an end and fall is upon us. Should you break the hive down to one brood box no supers on at all????

Offline 10framer

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2014, 12:22:55 am »
double deep brood chambers was the standard down here back in the day.  before everybody was a pine farmer you could have those plus 4 to 6 mediums stacked up before the first pull.  i'm just getting back into beekeeping but double deeps is my plan.  i sent most of my hives into winter as single deeps or double 5 frame deeps because i split 2 hives and a 5 frame medium nuc into 8 ten frame deep hives by winter plus i hived a swarm.  a lot of people on here are running all medium equipment.  i ran a few hives that way between 1999 and 2003.  my mind just keeps going back to what we did in the heyday of commercial beekeeping in dixie and i think it can be done again if a person is willing to spread out to find good habitat.  

Offline Joe D

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2014, 01:56:18 am »
I am running 10 frame double deep for brood chambers and medium and shallow honey supers.  I like the shallow honey supers, a lot of people don't seem too, but they are lighter to handle.  Good luck





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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2014, 07:45:49 am »
Do you mean just brood?  Over winter?  Or all total?  All total is the least predictable.  In a bumper crop year you may have boxes stacked up as high as you can reach...
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Offline iddee

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2014, 08:48:32 am »
I find that most beeks in this area use a deep and a medium for brood, year round, and super as needed above that, if they are making honey. Two deeps if they are raising bees.
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Offline chux

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2014, 10:00:14 am »
I know a commercial beek who runs double deeps all year, in eastern NC. Seems to work well for creating a large number of bees and making splits. 

Offline Jim134

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2014, 12:26:16 pm »
Also when summer is coming to an end and fall is upon us. Should you break the hive down to one brood box no supers on at all????

 I do know a lots of times a good Queen will lay up to 12-14 deep frames in New England



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Offline labradorfarms

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2014, 10:52:25 pm »
Do you mean just brood?  Over winter?  Or all total?  All total is the least predictable.  In a bumper crop year you may have boxes stacked up as high as you can reach...

Yes just brood boxes over winter.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2014, 09:18:56 pm »
Typical for the far North:
4 eight frame mediums or
3 ten frame mediums or
2 ten frame deeps

Typical for the middle South:
3 eight frame mediums or
2 ten frame mediums or
1 ten frame deep and 1 shallow

Typical for the deep South:
2 eight frame mediums or
2 ten frame mediums or (as close as you can get with ten frame mediums)
1 ten frame deep

All of these are assuming a typical large Italian cluster going into winter.
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Offline GLOCK

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2014, 10:40:09 pm »
I run all deeps and I don't use queen excluders so I just let them do there thing and they keep the brood in the 2 bottom deeps for the most part some times they go up in the 3rd one a little bit and I just switch out the frame with brood with a honey frame from below. The most deeps I have had stacked is 4{2 brood 2 honey} that was this past year my first year for me taking honey since I started in 09. Building my numbers and learning. Things are only getting easier as the years roll on. Can't wait till spring it's been a long cold one.
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Offline edward

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2014, 11:07:05 pm »
Typical for the far North:
4 eight frame mediums or
3 ten frame mediums or
2 ten frame deeps

Typical for the middle South:
3 eight frame mediums or
2 ten frame mediums or
1 ten frame deep and 1 shallow

Typical for the deep South:
2 eight frame mediums or
2 ten frame mediums or (as close as you can get with ten frame mediums)
1 ten frame deep

All of these are assuming a typical large Italian cluster going into winter.

eight frame mediums= are they in a ten frame box or an eight frame box?


Moots

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2014, 11:21:55 pm »

eight frame mediums= are they in a ten frame box or an eight frame box?


edward,
They are in an eight frame box...This is what I run, all 8 frame mediums for everything.  I think it's becoming somewhat of a popular trend, the theory being you don't have to encourage the bees to build out the end frames as much as in a 10 frame box, as well as your honey supers are still a little lighter to lift.

I like it a lot...then again, I'm new and don't have any experience with anything else... :-D

Offline edward

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2014, 11:25:48 pm »
Do you have a spacer board when you go from 10 frames box to a eight frame box?

Offline 10framer

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2014, 11:32:20 pm »
I know a commercial beek who runs double deeps all year, in eastern NC. Seems to work well for creating a large number of bees and making splits. 

that's how we went into winter.  you shut them down to the double deeps before the fall flows and they back filled the top deep and you only had to start feeding around now and that was to get the queens going.  this was over 30 years ago and i think there was more for them to forage back then.

Moots

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2014, 12:02:15 am »
Do you have a spacer board when you go from 10 frames box to a eight frame box?

Not sure I understand exactly what you are asking....

I never made the transition, I started out with all 8 frame boxes.  I guess if someone currently ran 10 frame mediums and wanted to switch over, your choice would be to swap out all your boxes, or place an 8 frame box atop a 10 frame box, with a board covering the difference...Is that what you mean?  :?

Offline edward

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2014, 05:16:48 am »
Do you have a spacer board when you go from 10 frames box to a eight frame box?
Not sure I understand exactly what you are asking....
I never made the transition, I started out with all 8 frame boxes.  I guess if someone currently ran 10 frame mediums and wanted to switch over, your choice would be to swap out all your boxes, or place an 8 frame box atop a 10 frame box, with a board covering the difference...Is that what you mean?  :?

I missed the "or" I thought they had ten frame boxes for brood and eight frame boxes on top for honey

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2014, 07:46:51 am »
>eight frame mediums= are they in a ten frame box or an eight frame box?

I thought it was in the name.  An eight frame box is an eight frame box.  A ten frame box is a ten frame box... now I'm confused...

You can mix them up if you like.  Carl Killion ran ten frame brood chambers with eight frame supers on top and a one by three over the gap on the side...
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Offline 10framer

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #17 on: January 23, 2014, 09:00:49 am »
michael, do you know the reason he did that?  i'm curious. 

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #18 on: January 23, 2014, 01:05:14 pm »
Probably because he used what he had available.
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Offline edward

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Re: How many Boxs
« Reply #19 on: January 23, 2014, 01:38:22 pm »
>eight frame mediums= are they in a ten frame box or an eight frame box?
I thought it was in the name.  An eight frame box is an eight frame box.  A ten frame box is a ten frame box... now I'm confused...
You can mix them up if you like.  Carl Killion ran ten frame brood chambers with eight frame supers on top and a one by three over the gap on the side..

I have 9 frames in a 10 frame honey box, this makes it easier to blow the bees out when harvesting honey, also deeper comb is easier/faster to uncap.