Double deep brood boxes or split into two hives?

[Charles Wright]

Hey everyone. I'm buying my first two nucs in the spring. My goal is honey production. When my single brood box gets 70 to 80% full should I split or add a brood box? My understanding is that one double brood hive will out produce two single brood hives. Also it seems that the double box would survive the winter better. I'm in middle Ga btw. (Lawrenceville) Thanks.

[iddee]

Beekeeping is mostly personal preference. For honey, I like a deep and a medium for brood, and honey supers on top of that. For making splits and multiplying hive counts, I like 2 deeps.

Others will tell you their way. Just remember, all of the ways you receive will work. You will have to modify all the posts to fit your agenda.

[rast]

 Another point to keep in mind is that with all the same size boxes it's easier to swap frames around if you need to, and you will when you want to make splits.

[TheHoneyPump]

Hey everyone. I'm buying my first two nucs in the spring. My goal is honey production. When my single brood box gets 70 to 80% full should I split or add a brood box? My understanding is that one double brood hive will out produce two single brood hives. Also it seems that the double box would survive the winter better. I'm in middle Ga btw. (Lawrenceville) Thanks.

In just a couple superficial sentences there you have cast over a very broad scope of questions with long details;  perhaps not knowing so.

You can answer your own question by first answering:  How many hives is your end game?  Do you have enough equipment bought, built, at the ready?  Do you have the funds/capital to get all the equipment that is necessary.  When the time comes in the spring your decision will be entirely based on your end game -- if you want to make bees or if you want to make honey.  You can do both, but is like an opposing balance scale.  You have to decide which you want more of.  Making more bees (hives) means less honey. Making more honey means making less bees (hives).