[Hayseed]

What is the estimated number of bees covering each side of a deep frame? A medium?

Dale

 

[Sundance]

Jeeezzzzzzzz I'll start counting and be back in an hour or so with the total

 

[Sundance]

Jeeezzzzzzzz I'll start counting and be back in an hour or so with the total

 

[FordGuy]

You mean larvae and the covering nurse bees, or just nurse bees covering nectar?
Here is a link:
http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/bkCD/Startkeeping/Methods_starting.html

says a three pound package is 10,500 bees. I think a package can cover 3-5 frames? hadn't bought one in years.

 

[Jim Fischer]

A "deep" frame covered with bees has somewhere
from 1200 to 1800 bees per side.

A "medium" frame covered with bees has somewhere
from 800 to 1200 bees per side.

 

[Dave W]

3000 bees completely cover a deep frame, top-to-bottom, bar-to-bar [BC, 7/04, p50].

3500 bees per lb [ABC/XYZ, 1974, p678]. 3-lb package contains about 11,000 bees [Ref 1, p 84].

One deep frame completely covered w/ adult bees equals about 1 pound (3500) of bees. [Ref 15, p71]

One shallow frame covered w/ bees will hold about 1/2 lb of bees. [Ref 15, p71]

 

[loggermike]

In the Almond Pollination Handbook, Joe Traynor says a hive with 8 frames of bees has around 15000 bees.This would be 1875 per frame.The standard for almond pollination is 8 frames of bees 2/3 covered at 60 degrees.Everyone knows that bees will cover more frames at 60 degrees than they will at say, 32, so there is an element of judgement involved , particularly when it comes to grading hive strength for pollination.