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Author Topic: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes  (Read 5084 times)

Offline The15thMember

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #20 on: January 08, 2020, 09:32:54 pm »
So, I'm going to use an excluder on top of my brood, because in my reading, it is my understanding that the SHB is more attracted to the brood, and keeping brood out of honey supers will also cut down on SHB larva in the honey. Has anyone else heard this?

I'm too inexperienced to answer this question with confidence, so you should probably to wait for another opinion, but I'll just mention the advice I was given that worked for me.  I was advised against a queen excluder as a beginner, and I have yet to use one.  My queens so far have been really good about not laying up in the supers, and I think in most circumstances the bees will keep the honey and the brood separate without the excluder.  I believe that the SHB are more attracted to the brood comb, but in my experience at least, they are also attracted to comb without a lot of bees, and if the workers are reluctant to cross the excluder, it could leave the honeycomb above unprotected and vulnerable as well.  But again, I'm still a relative newbee, and I have no experience with actually using excluders, so you'd be wise to get another opinion.                         
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Online Acebird

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2020, 07:36:05 am »
it is my understanding that the SHB is more attracted to the brood, and keeping brood out of honey supers will also cut down on SHB larva in the honey. Has anyone else heard this?
No because it is false.  If you take the colony out of a hive and just leave the honey  the SHB will decimate it.
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #22 on: January 09, 2020, 08:28:45 am »
A queen excluder will not stop the SHBs from hiding in a super. As a mater of fact initially you will have few bees above the excluder and the SHBs will own the super.
The best way to control SHBs it to use a screen bottom board and an oil tray.
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Offline Seeb

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #23 on: January 09, 2020, 09:41:59 am »
A queen excluder will not stop the SHBs from hiding in a super. As a mater of fact initially you will have few bees above the excluder and the SHBs will own the super.
The best way to control SHBs it to use a screen bottom board and an oil tray.
Jim Altmiller

Got it. I'm sure I can find a different use for my queen excluder. I already have a screened bottom board and oil tray - so I'm ready on that front.

Offline Seeb

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #24 on: January 09, 2020, 09:46:37 am »
Y'all in the 🌞 state rite ?

looks like we are neighbors of yours

Offline Seeb

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #25 on: January 09, 2020, 09:55:04 am »
Y'all in the 🌞 state rite ?

looks like we are neighbors of yours
I knew, and thought the world of an apiary inspector from your neck of the woods, Bill Sheppard. Broke a lot of hearts from all over NC when he died.

Offline cao

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #26 on: January 09, 2020, 12:16:57 pm »
it is my understanding that the SHB is more attracted to the brood, and keeping brood out of honey supers will also cut down on SHB larva in the honey. Has anyone else heard this?
No because it is false.  If you take the colony out of a hive and just leave the honey  the SHB will decimate it.

They need pollen to lay eggs and for the larva to eat.  So they are attracted to the pollen/bee bread next to the brood.  If you have honey frames that are pure honey the SHB can't raise any larva.  But if there is just one cell that the bees put pollen in, the beetles can have a field day with that frame if no bees are around.

Online Michael Bush

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #27 on: January 12, 2020, 06:01:05 pm »
4 8-frame mediums = 2 10-frame deeps.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
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Offline Seeb

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #28 on: January 15, 2020, 08:52:25 am »
it is my understanding that the SHB is more attracted to the brood, and keeping brood out of honey supers will also cut down on SHB larva in the honey. Has anyone else heard this?
No because it is false.  If you take the colony out of a hive and just leave the honey  the SHB will decimate it.

They need pollen to lay eggs and for the larva to eat.  So they are attracted to the pollen/bee bread next to the brood.  If you have honey frames that are pure honey the SHB can't raise any larva.  But if there is just one cell that the bees put pollen in, the beetles can have a field day with that frame if no bees are around.

okay - thanks for keeping at it with me, I think I understand now - an excluder will not keep pollen out of the honey.

Offline Seeb

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #29 on: January 15, 2020, 09:01:04 am »
4 8-frame mediums = 2 10-frame deeps.

Ah, good information, and thanks to you for your website, it is invaluable.  I stumbled upon it last fall and started reading about 8 frame, mediums, and thought, I can do this.

Online Acebird

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #30 on: January 16, 2020, 09:37:39 am »
Brian Cardinal
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Offline Seeb

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #31 on: January 16, 2020, 11:09:00 am »
 :beemaster:

Offline rgennaro

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #32 on: January 21, 2020, 02:51:39 pm »
this post was very timely for me, as usual the wealth of knowledge in this board is so good for newbeeks like me. Here is my question

Last year when I added my medium super on top of the two deep boxes(all 10-frames) the bees never went there and somebody suggested to put a deep super instead and move some of the honey frames up there to encourage them to go. So this year I am thinking of trying that approach.

However I have lots of medium boxes and frames that I still would like to use, so I am considering starting a second hive this year and house them in 10 frames mediums.

Here are my questions:
-- Do people use deep boxes for honey supers? What's your experience?
-- Similarly what's the experience of housing hives in 10-frame mediums? And what's the equivalence ratio? I interpret Mr.Bush's statement as 32 medium frames are equivalent to 20 deep ones, so would you say that 3 10-frame mediums are approx equivalent to 2 10-frame deeps ? The reason I ask is that people here winter their bees in 2 deeps (I successfully did so last year -- though some people leave an additional medium)

thanks!

Offline CoolBees

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #33 on: January 21, 2020, 04:25:57 pm »
Rgennaro: to get bees to move up, take a medium frame, drop it into the middle of a deep box till the bees draw it out. Then pull it out, shave off any excess comb under the frame, place it in medium super, and install supper over the deep. This worked for me to get the bees to go up from deeps to mediums (when they didn't want to).

I've read - that Back injuries account for 50% of beeking injuries. Lifting Deeps full of honey is asking for back problems. Fwiw.

I started with 10 frame deeps and mediums and shallows. Not being able to move frames anywhere - was a great frustation. This is why I transitioned to all mediums - to have 1 fame size everywhere.

Also, I looked into the future and found I'm never going to get younger  :cheesy: - so I switched to all 8 frame (medium) equipment. :cheesy: :cheesy:

There really isn't a "wrong" answer with equipment, so I can only tell you what worked for me, and why.
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Offline rgennaro

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #34 on: January 22, 2020, 11:07:34 am »
Didn?t think about the weight ... ain?t getting any younger here either  :cheesy: thanks for the advice about the medium

Online Michael Bush

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Re: bee keeping in 8 frame medium brood boxes
« Reply #35 on: March 10, 2020, 06:01:29 pm »
>Here are my questions:
>-- Do people use deep boxes for honey supers?

Yes.

>What's your experience?

They weigh 90 pounds when full and are hard to get loose from the box below when they are pushing back down on the propolis even after you pry them loose.

>-- Similarly what's the experience of housing hives in 10-frame mediums?

It was a big improvement over having  five different size boxes.  But still heavier than I wanted.

>And what's the equivalence ratio?

3 10-frame mediums = 2 10-frame deeps

>I interpret Mr.Bush's statement as 32 medium frames are equivalent to 20 deep ones

Correct

> so would you say that 3 10-frame mediums are approx equivalent to 2 10-frame deeps ?

Yes.

>The reason I ask is that people here winter their bees in 2 deeps (I successfully did so last year -- though some people leave an additional medium)

The equivalent is 3 10-frame mediums.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

 

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