Just read (Top cover design) link. I AM AMAZED! The beek questioned using a flat top cover because his top bars are only 3/16 below the hive top. We have been getting so many poorly made boxes from suppliers for so long that no one knows what the proper demensions are! The bottom board has a 3/8 inch rim. Right! The bottom bars of the first box should be flush with the bottom of the box. That gives you 3/8 bee space at the bottom board. Right! If the frames are flush with the bottom of the box, you will have 3/8 inch between the top of bars and top rim of the box. Every box should be the same.
RECAP! Proper beespace. Bottom bars flush with bottom of box! Top bars 3/8 below top rim of box.
My boxes have 3/16 space both above and below the frames which works great weather the inner cover is flat or not - I can use a migratory cover, and I can just staple some hardware cloth or a piece of plywood on the bottom of a box and still have bee space top and bottom. I have very very little burr comb either above or below.
jjbbee: 3/16" at the bottom plus 3/16" at the top; when you stack the next box on top you have 3/8". My bottom boards have a 3/4" rim; guess my bees will be dying off soon, huh? Build YOUR boxes the way YOU want them! Somehow, with only 3/16" at the top on a single story my bees seem to get along just fine. No complaints about any of the store bought hive bodies we've used.
Different manufactures had different frame positioning. Some had bottom space or top space... And there was also split spacing, where the frames had equal spacing top and bottom.
You can buy all of your boxes from the same supplier to help assure that your beespace remains uniform.
I have been going over this same thought for months now
and swore I would see /read why it is you Build a bottom board
and have a 3/4 strip/rim on three sides of it and either a screen,
slotted or solid bottom and if screen or not make a dado for pan or solid
panel to slide in.
You then stack box on box on Box then choose a lid I won't start on Lids
but after you got this all figured out you put in a upper entrance
then you go down the road and buy a nuc and its a shoe box with frames and bees live in it :scratch:
15 Beeks asked 35 answers returned
I am new but realize this
NO RULES, some good logic and most times things just work
and when you think all is good watch out
always remember bee space is 3/8" but no telling if its North South East West
The typical top beespace seems to run between 3/16" and 1/4" with a flat cover.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Beesource Beekeeping Forums
1.8M posts
54.7K members
Since 1999
A forum community dedicated to beekeeping, bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, honey production, health, behavior, hives, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!