brood boxes

[T.Smith]

Hello,  I am from Louisiana and was wondering what some of yall use for brood boxes. Do you use 1 deep or 2. I have been using 2 with no queen excluder but am hearing of others around here using 1 deep with an excluder and then just feed the bees thru winter. They are saying that sugar water or corn syrup is cheaper than the honey you would leave in the second box. Thanks for any input

[pdmattox]

I believe that the syrup is cheaper than the honey thing. I read somewhere that Horace Bell(one of the biggest florida beekeepers) used to run all deeps so all the equipment was the same. I mainly run a deep with a med or shallow on top and over winter that way to. I will pull a couple of frames throughout the year from the boxes to make nucs and reduce the population of the hive.

[Michael Bush]

I run four eight frame mediums through the winter... most of the time.

[Brian D. Bray]

Bees collect nectar to make honey for a reason, the same with pollen to make bee bread. 
Even though I feed, when absolutely necessary, I think of sugar syrup and pollen substitutes more like dining at McD's rather than an Olive Garden or Black Angus. 
If you feed sugar syrup constantly to save make an extra buck on the honey don't be surpried when your bees begin acting like they are living on a diet of cheap hamburgers, french fries, and diet coke.  Leaving enough honey on the hive for winter is like giving them a balanced diet and a flu shot.  Fit bees make more honey and have less disease.

[Cindi]

Brian, ooooh, I can't wait to see how my bees fare this winter.  I left them tons of honey, did not feed sugar syrup,all other years I supplemented sugar syrup feeding with huge honey stores.  I really want to see if I can tell if there is a difference in colony health.  Should be an interesting year for surely.  Have a wonderful and great day, love and live our lives well, health.  Cindi

[Fannbee]

In Mississippi it was recommended by the State experts to use two brood boxes for overwintering. 

Today it was in the low 70s and the bees are bringing in a ton of yellow pollen.