Shallow super size question

[jester7891]

I am coming upon my first year keeping bees (started working with the hives last December; received my first bees last April).  I got my hives from a respected beekeeper close by (bees are from North Carolina).  The shallow honey supers were 5 3/8 inch.  Aside from the regular beginner’s mistakes, the bees and I have done pretty well so far.  A friend of a friend moved into a new house and found a number of hives in the basement of the barn.  Most of the hives were of no use (rotted out) but I was able to save a few deep supers and about a half-dozen shallow supers (6 ¼ inch).  I've carefully cleaned, bleached and fire blasted each super and frame.  I'm wondering though if I have made my life more complicated now.  I have two different sized shallow supers.  Should I stick with one or the other or use both (which means ordering two different sized foundations)?  Thanks for your input.
                   Jester

[kathyp]

you can use those mediums as hive bodies, for swarm catching, as nucs, etc.  you won't have to order different size foundation.  use strips or foundation from the shallow supers.  the bees will fill it in.  you just have to be a little more careful attaching it to the frames.  i use melted wax to attach mine.

free stuff is good and you'll find a use for it.  i have gotten stuff in lots from folks going out of business, and with few expections, have used all of it, even stuff i had to get on the 'net to ID

[Michael Bush]

It's nice to have all one size.  But you often use what you have.  I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.  Actually a shallow is either 5 3/4" or 5 11/16" deep.  A medium is 6 5/8" deep.  Of course the frames are less.

[IABeeMan]

I use deeps for brood, medium for extracting, and shallow for comb honey. So its entirely up to you. It all depends on how many hives you keep. If you keep just a few hives its no biggie. Now if you get into hundreds of hive then you prob will want all the same size.

[magnet-man]

Well I think you made your life more complicated, because you now have shallows and medium supers. Next time you buy supers decide which one you want to say with. I don't do comb honey so I don't have any shallow supers.

If I had it to do over I would go with all mediums for supers and brood boxes. It gives you lots more flexibility in moving frames around and they don't weigh as much.

[buzzbee]

if you let the bees draw their own comb,say with a little starter strip,the size of the boxes really doesn't matter.That is if your using them as supers.