8 Frame deeps for brood boxes

[LarryG]

Hi I'm new at beekeeping and this spring I would like to start three colonies. I have assembled 6 8 Frame deeps and 6 8 frame mediums. My plan is to put a package I got ordered into an 8 Frame deep then add another deep when needed and then with luck use 8 frame mediums for honey supers. I also was going to do the same thing with two nucs I've ordered. I started a bee school last saturday and my instructer said that it would be hard for 2 8 frame deeps to survive the winter. What do you think? I really hoped I could use 8 Frame deeps for my brood boxes. My Nucs are coming in Deeps.

[rwurster]

I'm going to all 8 frame deeps/mediums and they will survive the winter with no more losses than my 10 frame hives...

[ralittlefield]

What does your instructor base his opionion on? (I hope he is wrong because I have a couple of 8 frame hives that I am in the process of wintering now.)

BTW, welcome to beekeeping and to the forum!

[Bush_84]

I am of the opinion that 8 frame hives leave less frames of honey behind as the cluster ascends in the hive. There is no reason why an 8 frame deep couldn't winter just fine. You just need to plan accordingly. If it takes two 10 frame deeps to winter in Maine then maybe you should winter with three deeps or maybe two deeps and a medium. It's all a matter of how much honey you need to get them through the winter and how many boxes you need to get there.

[Slow Modem]

Does anyone in Maine do nucs? It seems to me if a nuc can make it through the winter, then two 8-frame deeps could, too.

[beebze]

I'm a commercial beekeeper and this year I over wintered 1800 - 8 frame double deep hives. So I think your instructor needs to go back to school. Over wintering 8 or 10 frame hives, you have to take cautions if you live in a state that gets really cold. But I don't see why 8 frame hives for you wouldn't work. 10 frames are the most popular so he mite not have much experience with 8 framers.

[Beregondo]

I've got a number of four frame colonies overwintering here in upstate New York... and doing it well.

They're set up two to a box, with a divider in the middle...that is, there are 8 frames in each box.

I looked it up, and on average, we're only 6F cooler here than in corinna on average.

I think that your instructor is well meaning, but ill informed.

[tsmullins]

If the bees need more honey than 16 deep frames, leave them an extra 8 fame medium.

We have overwintered bees with double deep eight frames, an eight frame deep and eight frame medium and even a single eight frame deep. We live in a zone six and have cold wet winters.

Shane

[Bush_84]

Here in the southern zone 3 I will be wintering in three 8 frame deeps.

[tsmullins]

Here in the southern zone 3 I will be wintering in three 8 frame deeps.

Here in our zone 6, maybe 6a, two eight frame deeps is fine.

[Michael Bush]

The total amount of honey a colony needs is related as much to the size of the cluster as to the climate. I run all eight frame mediums and the size of my overwintering colonies varies from one to six generally. But four would be most common. You can always leave more boxes or less. The eight frame hive tends to leave less honey behind as the cluster fits the box better. So I doubt you can see any difference except for less honey left behind.

[LarryG]

Thanks guys, I thought 8 frame deeps would work fine but being new I just needed some reassurance about the fact that I wanted to use 8 frame deeps. Thanks again.