BeeKeeping in the south

[Toobock]

Every thing I read about, talks about beekeeping in the nouth. I live in the south. All the beekeepers around here use one brood super and then the honey suppers. They seem to work just fine. This is my first year and I want to do every thing right, so I read every thing I can find. what is the best way to do this? A) one brood super. B)Two brood supers. C) one brood super and one mid super for the brood. Or does it matter?
Thanks
Donna

[NewBee]

Donna, I am somewhat new at beekeeping, but, you should go to your local library and read about beekeeping! Try "BEEKEEPING A Practical Guide" by Richard E. Bonny. It will give you answers to your questions. All the people I know use 2 Brood supers and as needed they add honey supers. The larger the colony the more honey will be produced. Up north the colonies winter-over and are stonger with 2 brood supers. If 1 brood super works and you manage the hive for swarming, etc. go for it! Some of the other people on this BB know a lot more than I do so maybe they will give you their opinion. Steve

[The Honey House]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Toobock:
Every thing I read about, talks about beekeeping in the nouth. I live in the south. All the beekeepers around here use one brood super and then the honey suppers. They seem to work just fine. This is my first year and I want to do every thing right, so I read every thing I can find. what is the best way to do this? A) one brood super. B)Two brood supers. C) one brood super and one mid super for the brood. Or does it matter?
Thanks
Donna <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Donna,
Dr Keith Delaplane from GA has a book that primarily focuses on southern beekeeping.
I'm not sure of the name of the book (age creeping in here) but I'm sure you'd find something through a web search. He teaches at the University of GA.
Good Luck
Dave

[Pollinator]

&lt;&lt;Dr Keith Delaplane from GA has a book that primarily focuses on southern beekeeping.
I'm not sure of the name of the book (age creeping in here) but I'm sure you'd find something through a web search. He teaches at the University of GA.&gt;&gt;
http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/b1045-w.html

After working bees in the north, then moving south, it took me a couple years to realize that I had to learn beekeeping all over again. One of the critical factors is that double brood chambers just don't work in the south, with it's spotty flows during the summer. Good queens will keep both chambers full of brood, but they will eat up most of their honey, so you wind up with powerful hives that are all set to starve when winter comes.

I use a double brood chamber in the spring to get brood for nucs. After mid-May, all hives are back into single story form, with an excluder to keep from producing excessive brood. Actually, I'm running 60 hives, as an experiment this year, in a single 6 5/8 super for a brood chamber. If this works as well as it appears, I may switch all over.

Learn all you can from beekeepers all over, but pick a couple really good local beekeepers for your mentors on local conditions.

Pollinator

[Mississippibeekeeper]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by NewBee:
Donna, I am somewhat new at beekeeping, but, you should go to your local library and read about beekeeping! Try "BEEKEEPING A Practical Guide" by Richard E. Bonny. It will give you answers to your questions. All the people I know use 2 Brood supers and as needed they add honey supers. The larger the colony the more honey will be produced. Up north the colonies winter-over and are stonger with 2 brood supers. If 1 brood super works and you manage the hive for swarming, etc. go for it! Some of the other people on this BB know a lot more than I do so maybe they will give you their opinion. Steve<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>