[odfrank]

As many people on this board GET SMALL, I still believe in going LARGE. I read a lot about 8 frame hives, medium depth brood chambers and top bar hives, and small cell versus large cell. Brother Adam studied hive sizes for decades and settled on a twelve frame hive with 11 1/4" deep brood frames and medium depth supers. I have run some of these since 1979, and now have had for a few years six mounted on this small trailer with SBB's. I have been suffering 50% loss for a few winters now (on my SC hives also), so my trailer only had three overwintered hives on it going into the flow. One swarmed itself into oblivion after filling two supers, two made a nice crop, an April swarm dumped into one produce three supers. Memo stands next to one that also drew out 12 brood combs as a honey super. It must have weighed 100lbs.

 

[Tom G. Laury]

Fun to see those pics, od, how is the winter flow: starting at all yet? By the end of December you be doin good.

Does size really matter?

They say it's not what you have but how you use it!

 

[Brent Bean]

Do you even have a winter in CA? folks that are using 8 frame equipment do it because they don’t want to lift a 50 to 70 pound super above their head. The older I get the more I wish I would have started in 8 frame instead of 10

 

[KQ6AR]

I'm just across the way from Frank, There are some hills between us, & he's closer to the ocean. Over here we are having some night freezes. Leaves are finally falling off the trees, dandelions are still blooming.
Thats what we call winter. We have 4 seasons, but they run together a little bit.

 

[Brent Bean]

I’m a little jealous that sounds a little like early fall. We have no confusion about when it’s winter and summer. In winter lake Michigan starts to freeze over. In summer it would take you at least 30 minutes to die of hypothermia.

 

[odfrank]

how is the winter flow: starting at all yet?

There has been rosemary, euch ficifolia and Brazilian peppar in bloom, the globulous caps are just starting to pop. I don't see a lot of early budding, which is good. Less bloom wasted in the rains.

 

[AR Beekeeper]

I thought I was the only one "odd" enough to use a 12 framer. I used the 12 frame size for 15 years and then went to the 10 frame Jumbo. It was the weight of the honey supers that got to me. The super for the 12 framer using 10 frames spaced with 8 frame spacers weighed 65 to 75 pounds.

I liked the Jumbo frames in the brood chamber better than any hive configuration I have tried but here it is imposible to sell nucs in that size frame.

 

[odfrank]

I thought I was the only one "odd" enough to use a 12 framer. I used the 12 frame size for 15 years and then went to the 10 frame Jumbo. It was the weight of the honey supers that got to me. The super for the 12 framer using 10 frames spaced with 8 frame spacers weighted 65 to 75 pounds.
I liked the Jumbo frames in the brood chamber better than any hive configuration I have tried but here it is imposible to sell nucs in that size frame.

My hispanic landscape crew pulled about two tons of honey in two hours. No complaints about the weights. A nice break from digging.

>then went to the 10 frame Jumbo
I have about 18 of these and they work out great. This size 5 frame nucs catch nice bait swarms also.

 

[luigee]

I’m a little jealous that sounds a little like early fall.

I agree.

 

[Brent Bean]

Odfrank:

I’ve never complained about the weight either. I do bellyache about the light ones.