How many brood boxes should I use?

With that said, the general rule in most regions of the world is to use either one or two brood boxes. If you are going for three or more, you're probably doing your bees a disservice. You would be better off splitting the large hive so you can get back to one or two brood boxes.

Similarly one may ask, do I need 2 brood boxes?

A general rule is that we need to use one or two brood boxes. Adding too many brood boxes will not implicitly mean that we are doing our bees a favor. In fact, we are not helping them. If the reason for adding more than two brood boxes is a large hive, it is better to split them.

Also Know, how many supers can you put on a hive? In a good honey flow, strong hives can fill a super in one to two weeks, or even in a couple of days, though this is rare. Depending on the flow you may need up to four or five supers above the brood chamber.

Similarly, you may ask, how many brood boxes do you need for winter?

I have been told 2 or 3 deep brood boxes for minnesota, and also depends on the size of cluster. ok so with a average size cluster how many 10 frame deep brood boxes, and the same for eight frame. also i hear itialians take more than carnies. I don't want to take to much from them this fall, want to winter them over.

Is one brood box enough?

One brood box is enough for most people there. Some people even use 3 brood boxes when they are 8-Frame Langstroth deep boxes, like the the full Flow hive. By all means do what you feel is best, but just remember, the Flow hive isn't magic, it is just a new way of extracting extra honey with less mess.

39 Related Question Answers Found

Can drones get through a queen excluder?

The idea behind a queen excluder is that the worker bees can easily pass through the wire mesh, and the queens cannot. They also exclude the drones. Beekeepers place excluders above the brood box to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers.

Can I use a brood box as a super?

Deeps are typically used as "brood boxes". That's where the queen lays eggs and the bees raise new bees. Depending where you live, they will need to fill two or three of those with honey for their own use over winter. Mediums are typically used as "honey supers".

Do you have to use a queen excluder?

The usual purpose of a queen excluder is to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey supers. Until your bees draw out most of the frames in the brood boxes, you have no use for honey supers and, therefore, no use for a queen excluder. So before using an excluder, always make sure it is in good shape.

How often do you harvest a beehive?

If you harvest honey prior to the 80% capped honey mark, you run the risk of bees no longer producing for the season. But, you want to harvest prior to the winter months, to avoid loss as well. The best months are probably late July, August, and up to mid September.

What is a brood box for bees?

Brood Chamber. The brood chamber (usually in the bottom boxes of the hive) houses worker-made cells where the eggs, larvae and pupae develop. Some of the cells in this part of the hive also hold pollen, nectar or honey that's used to feed the developing larvae.

How many deeps are in a hive?

While a single deep box is often sufficient for bees in Southern climes, in Northern regions, two deeps are usually utilized for the hive proper in order to provide additional room for brood rearing and food storage.

How do I keep my beehive warm in winter?

10 Steps to Wintering Bees to Keep Them Alive (Even If You're in the Northern Climates)

Move Your Bees. photo by Deviant Art.
Give Them a Wind Breaker.
Don't be so Stuffy.
Shut the Front Door.
Reduce the Size of the Hive.
Cover Them.
Feed Them.
Don't Forget About Them.

Should I insulate my bee hives?

Wrap your hives – You really only need to wrap your hives if you live in a northern climate. Once the temperatures start to dip below freezing during the day, you may want to consider wrapping with either tar paper or a Bee Cozy Wrap. NEVER wrap your hive with tightly-wrapped plastic, as it will suffocate your bees.

How much should a hive weigh going into winter?

If they are short on stores, you may need to feed fondant or pollen supplement in late winter/early spring. Going into winter, single brood colonies should weigh at least 31.9 km/70 lb, doubles 45.5 kg/100 lb. A full size colony with a fall honey crop typically requires 15L (4 gal) of supplement feed.

How many bees are in a 10 frame hive?

It is usually considered to be 20,000 + bees per 10 frame deep super. A double deep is 40,000 to 50,000 bees.

What temperature should I winterize my beehive?

You should assess your colony's health and start preparing it for winter during the fall. Choose a sunny day with temperatures in the 50 degree range Fahrenheit (10 to 15 degrees Celsius). Avoid opening your hive box during the winter.

How cold can honey bees survive?

Honey bees will keep the inside temperature of the cluster at about 95 degrees by shivering and expending energy. A bee does not die until its body temperature is 41 degrees. At 41 degrees the bee can't operate or flex it's shivering muscles to stay warm. The honey bee can survive cold temperature better than wind.

Can you eat honey from brood box?

If you have ever used any treatment for mites or disease in that brood box you shouldn't eat the honey. You can safely extract capped honey from brood frames as long as there's no brood on the frame. Be careful if there's too much that's uncapped because the stored honey could ferment if the water content is too high.

What is the difference between a brood box and a super?

The deep acquired the names of “hive body” and “brood box” because that is, generally, where the bees build their combs for the primary purpose of raising new bees (brood). The shallow box is also called a super. By definition, “super” means, “added to” or “on top of”, such as a superscript, or superintendent.

Can I leave a honey super on over winter?

Honey can granulate, ferment or/and be invaded by pests when left on over winter. Two deeps is enough to over winter on.

Should I leave a Super on my hive over winter?

New beeks: Never leave a Q/E over the brood box and under a super, over winter - if the bees move up for stores they may well leave the queen behind, exposed to lower temperature, resulting in a dead queen.

Can you eat uncapped honey?

If it is capped, it is fine to eat. The bees 'cure' the nectar, and after it is cured they cap the honey. You can also eat uncapped honey if it is fresh. If you shake the comb and no nectar drops drip out, it is dry enough to extract.