[bigbearomaha]

I would like to hear what type of hive body configurations folks use who use Lang style hives.

For example, I intend to use 2 deep, 8 frames this next season for the few langs I will use. Partly to conserve temperature and environment, partly for ease of transporting with less potential for damage than the tbh's.

I know some folks are going all mediums or use one deep then meds, etc.. There is are a number of configurations I see that are used.

Just curious to hear what you use.

Big Bear

 

[Billy Y.]

Why only eight frames? Is it eight frame equipment or ten frame?

I use 2 deeps with 9 drawn frames. If undrawn I use 10 frames to draw and then reduce to nine frames.

I could see using eight frames in honey supers but I have to question the logic of using eight frames in brood boxes.

 

[StevenG]

Starting at the bottom, I use pressure treated 4x4's or railroad ties to get my hives off the ground. The the slanted "landing board" base, sbb, slatted rack, two deep brood boxes with 10 frames of comb in each, one shallow feed super year round, then shallow for extracting purposes. Per Grant Gilliard's observations (he's near me, more experience with our winters here in SE Missouri) I close my sbb's in the winter.

This year I'm going to follow George Imirie's advice regarding shims between sets of extracting supers. It will be interesting to see what effect that has on my colonies.
Regards,
Steven

 

[bigbearomaha]

Billy you can question anything you like, this is just a general discussion of what people use. No one has to agree.

the boxes are 8 frame boxes not just 8 frames in 10 frame boxes.

have fun.

Big Bear

 

[Brenda]

Well mine are all mediums. I think I'll go with 10 frames in the brood boxes and 9 in the honey supers. I also have a few shallow honey supers.
I'm planning on going with foundationless this year. Mainly to save money.

I'm also planning a long hive.

 

[peacekeeperapiaries]

I use 8 frame equipment, with 8 frames per box, deeps for brood boxes (2) and deeps coupled with some mediums (also 8 frames per box) for honey supers.

 

[CentralPAguy]

I'm planning on going with foundationless this year. Mainly to save money.

Brenda, Are you planning on going foundationless for your honey supers as well. If so, how will you extract the honey without the wax being destroyed.

For me, I use a 10 Frame Deep to contain the hive and 9 frame shallows for the Honey as I am not interested in lifting heavy boxes of honey. I had a deep this year that the bees filled in with honey and I hurt my arm and back wrestling with it. I will never make that mistake again.

If my queen moves into the shallow come spring, then I will reverse the order to be 1 shallow with 1 deep above it. After I can verify that the queen is in the deep laying, then I will reverse it again to ensure that the Deep is on the bottom.

 

[waynesgarden]

Brenda, Are you planning on going foundationless for your honey supers as well. If so, how will you extract the honey without the wax being destroyed.

Here's a way:
Swienty World Extractor

Wayne

 

[peacekeeperapiaries]

Is there a US distributor for Swienty??

 

[CentralPAguy]

WG,

Thanks - I never thought about thinking outside the box. It just makes sense to spin this way for Foundationless.

 

[cjmcharlotte]

I've been keeping for two years with two 10-frame deeps and trying a shallow. After two years, they've never built any foundation up there so this spring I'm going to use a third deep as a super and mix the built and empty frames around Bush-style and see what happens. I want to go to foundationless anyway. Too-heavy deeps are better than no honey, right?

 

[Brenda]

Brenda, Are you planning on going foundationless for your honey supers as well. If so, how will you extract the honey without the wax being destroyed.

I only have a couple hives and no extractor. I use crush and strain, so the wax gets destroyed anyway.

 

[Gregg]

BBO, here's how I run mine: 10 frame boxes on 4 way clip pallets; hives are story & a half ;medium box with 9 frames on the bottom, and deep on top with 8 frames and a division board feeder (deep on top for easy access to feeder).

 

[ACBEES]

BBO,

Last year, I went with the standard configuration...solid bottom board with bottom entrance, two 10 frame deeps(with nine frames in each), queen excluder, medium supers, inner cover then TTC. For feeding syrup, I used Mann Lake hive top feeders. After doing more research, this year I'm changing things around.

I'm going with all screened bottom boards, two deeps with nine frames each, queen excluder, upper entrance, medium supers, no inner cover and migratory covers, with glass jar feeder holes. I can make the screened bottom boards and migratory covers myself and save money.

 

[bigbearomaha]

In regards to bottom boards, being the experimentalist I am (after spending a couple seasons helping the old boy be about as 'traditional' as can be) I will try regular solid bottom boards with a screen box on top of that, then place the deeps on the screen box.

I also plan to implement on some of them a quilt box like those used in Warre hives.
(some will not have these to provide comparison)

Big Bear

 

[Merlyn Votaw]

I have a question and this might not be the right place to ask it but here goes. When you use 9 frames in a super how many frames should be in the hive body below it. One member here uses 9 ondthe other uses 10. One memer says use the same in top and bottom because it gives better venelation if theyare directly on top of ech other. Would like some comments.I am a new keeper but I wonder if I will ever graduate.

 

[Ted n Ms]

I have a question and this might not be the right place to ask it but here goes. When you use 9 frames in a super how many frames should be in the hive body below it. One member here uses 9 ondthe other uses 10. One memer says use the same in top and bottom because it gives better venelation if theyare directly on top of ech other. Would like some comments.I am a new keeper but I wonder if I will ever graduate.

It does not matter. I use 9 frames on hive bodys after the frames are filled out. This is just to keep from rolling bees when i pull out a frame. :shhhh:

 

[Michael Bush]

>When you use 9 frames in a super how many frames should be in the hive body below it.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#framespacing

 

[Roland]

Solid "level drain" bottom board,
Deep 10 frame brood chamber,
excluder.
deep, 9 frame, supers as needed, ussually max at 3,
WOOD inner cover,
wood and steel telescoping roof,
concrete hive weight.

Been this way since.... ....when where movable frames invented?

With all respect to Wcubed, we would rather minimize the size of the brood chamber that the queen has access to, so that ALL of the honey can be collected. Timely inspections and manipulations seem to eliminate swarming impulse and "reluctance to cross an excluder". If your bees try to swarm, or fail to cross an excluder, we would say you are not pushing them hard enough.

Roland

 

[Michael Bush]

I assume everyone knows I have all eight frame mediums, top entrances etc.