Deep Nuc's at Supers?

Everything is a trade off. If you go to all shallows, you have all of the disadvantages of the mediums but even more so (more frames to buy and build, more boxes to buy and build) and the queen has less open space to lay in. But you would save some weight. However, I find the eight frame mediums are just the right weight for me, and just the right width for the cluster to winter and just short enough that the queen will easily move to the next box. So build a few more frames and boxes is worth saving money on back surgery and having my hives overwinter well.

If I had all eight frame shallows I'd be tempted to pick up two of them all the time because they aren't quite a load... but two is a little over...

Yes, a queen prefers a large comb to lay in - but they will lay in shallows too if that's what is available. If someone offered you a steak or a hamburger, what would you choose? I might prefer a steak like a queen prefers a large comb to lay in, but I won't turn down a hamburger if that is what is available.

Rig up some boxes and see what weight your wife is comfortable working with - the bees can work with whatever you give them. Compare weights of 8 or 10 frame boxes in mediums and shallows. Find the comfortable weight and work from there to decide box size.

The difference between ideal and just good enough for the bees may not be much to a hobbyist beekeeper.

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Originally Posted by Countryboy

Rig up some boxes and see what weight your wife is comfortable working with -

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RIGHT!!! the day my wife helps with bee work I will faint away and fall to the ground. Though, the whole family IS darned good at pocketing honey sales cash.

Psst. Read post #1. His wife actually helps work the bees.

I've seen a few pictures of this setup floating around the web, but never seriously considered it until my wife started helping manage the bees. She is tough, but expecting her to lift a 90 lb deep off a 3 story colony is stupid (or so I've been told ).

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Originally Posted by Countryboy

Psst. Read post #1. His wife actually helps work the bees.[/I]

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Indeed she does. Not only does she do inspections, as of this year she captured a couple of swarms and helped with 5 cutouts. Two of these cut outs we did on the same day, and one was in the crenelation on a two story brick apartment building. Access to the flat roof was via a 40 ft extension ladder. Yes, we were fully roped up with full body harnesses and I had her on belay up and down the ladder, which was fully secured to the building.
But, my 7 year old daughter is very proficient at pocketing the honey sales cash. She worked out the percentages and informed my wife and I that her 4 hours of honey stand work was worth 50% of the cash.:D