Another 8 Frame question

[Robert Hicks]

Sometime in April I'll be installing a 3lbs. package of Italian into an 8 frame medium super.


Will an 8 frame medium be too cramped for 3lbs of bees?

[Dave W]

A 3# package of bees arive in a screened cage ABOUT 6" x 8" x 12". The container is MAYBE 1/3 to 1/2 full.

After installing bees, as the bees grow in number, you will need to add MORE brood chambers until you have a stack of ABOUT 4 or 5.

[ February 08, 2006, 11:27 AM: Message edited by: Dave W ]

[power napper]

Will an 8 frame medium be too cramped for 3lbs of bees?
Absolutely not! Like Dave W say you will need to add supers. When the first box is almost all (6 frames drawn out add another super and so on!

[peggjam]

"Will an 8 frame medium be too cramped for 3lbs of bees?"

Might be too big. I like to start packages in a 5 frame nuc. That way they don't have as much space to worry about envornmentally control. I usually wait till they have filled the nuc to overflowing before I move them into a single deep.

[beemandan]

peggjam, I'll bet an 8 frame medium and a 5 frame (deep) nuc are close to the same volume.
Don't ya think?

[peggjam]

"peggjam, I'll bet an 8 frame medium and a 5 frame (deep) nuc are close to the same volume.
Don't ya think?"

I don't know, I don't have any mediums, if they are you could always make a 5 frame medium nuc. The important thing is to limit the amount of room that a package has to heat, ventilate, and defend. They will do much better. The other thing to look at is you will have a declining population for 21 days after the queen is released, until the first brood emerges, so what might seem small at first will be large before you get the first brood hatched.

[Michael Bush]

>Will an 8 frame medium be too cramped for 3lbs of bees?

Not at all.

>Might be too big. I like to start packages in a 5 frame nuc.

I prefer to start mine in a five frame medium nuc. But an eight frame box will work ok.

>peggjam, I'll bet an 8 frame medium and a 5 frame (deep) nuc are close to the same volume.
Don't ya think?

They are practically identical in volume.

Five frame deep = 1447 cubic inches.
Eight frame medium = 1598 cubic inches.

[beemandan]

>The other thing to look at is you will have a declining population for 21 days after the queen is released<
And that's assuming that you have drawn comb already. If you're starting with foundation, it'll bee even longer.

[peggjam]

"And that's assuming that you have drawn comb already. If you're starting with foundation, it'll bee even longer."

Correct.