Hive Bodies

[Destruckdoz]

Are three Deep Brood chambers unheard of?

[Jerrymac]

No. I think I've heard of five.

[Michael Bush]

I've often seen five.  I HATE them though.  I worked several of someone elses on Monday that were five deeps and my back still hurts.

I've seen queens laying in five mediums though.  I don't mind that at all.  

[Miss Chick-a-BEE]

My long hive is like that. The queen has no problem laying in what equals almost 5 brood boxes. It's a really big hive. In a couple weeks I'm going to build more boxes and order frames to do a split from it. It's cool to have a big hive, sort of. But last year it grew really big, stored lots of honey fast, then had to eat it all up because of rain. Where as the smaller normal size hive actually had more honey to give me after all the rain.

Maybe after I do the split though, and give that hive bunches of fresh frames it'll take off and store lots of honey. It'll be interesting to see, since that hive will have all the workers..... minimum of 22 fresh frames.... but have to build up all that wax before storing honey. Hmm. We'll see how it goes.

Beth

[Finsky]

I use to keep 3 brood champers. The lowest is shilly and it tends to be full of pollen. But it helps that queen does to come lay eggs to supers.  If I use 2 langstroth box for brood, it is not enough. I do not use exluder.

I use farrar boxes for honey.

In good hive I have  3 brood boxes, 4-6 honey supers. If colony is not bigg enough, I put 2 weak together for canola yield.

Of course I have weak hives 3 boxes or so. Then i join them to one bigg or from 3 weak I make 2 strong.


When I have 3 brood boxes, I lift them gradully black comb frames upwards and take them away when they are full of honey and empty of pollen.