What Size Is The Box Of 12 Diane Townsend Terrages

I am a beekeeper and horseman. My wife and I run a small commercial beekeeping operation.

beehives-a-guide-to-choosing-the-right-size-boxes — Wib Magli

Selecting the Right Size Box Can Be Difficult

One of the commencement (and oftentimes most confusing) decisions that the start beekeeper must brand is selecting what size of boxes and frames to use for hive bodies and supers. Several options are available. Weight, efficiency, and convenience are the principal considerations when choosing betwixt these different options.

Bee Hive Box Sizes

There are boxes of three depths: deep, medium, and shallow. The frames that fit inside the boxes are sized accordingly and are only used in boxes of respective depth. In other words, a medium frame would not exist used in a deep box.

A standard box holds 10 frames. Viii frame equipment is bachelor; the depths for the three sizes are the same as for standard boxes, just the boxes are narrower and will only agree eight frames.

Ten Frame Boxes: Shallow, Medium, Deep

Wib Magli

The Three Standard Frame Sizes — The 3 Standard Frame Sizes

Wib Magli

Differences Between Boxes


Ten Frame Box	Length (Inches)	Width	Depth	Volume,** cubic inches	Weight Full of Honey, Lbs.
Deep	19 vii/8	sixteen 3/4	9 5/8	3204	eighty
Medium	19 seven/8	16 3/iv	half-dozen v/8	2205	50
Shallow	19 seven/8	16 3/four	v xi/xvi	1893	40

**Computed using exterior dimensions but shut enough for our purposes
Eight Frame Box	Length (Inches)	Width	Depth	Book,** cubic inches	Weight Full of Honey, Lbs.
Deep	19 vii/8	14	nine five/8	2678	64
Medium	19 7/8	14	6 5/8	1843	40
Shallow	19 7/eight	14	5 11/sixteen	1582	32

Constructing a Hive Using a Double Deep Configuration

In virtually parts of the country, the tradition has been to use a configuration called a "double deep" for the brood chamber. This is when you stack two 10 frame deep boxes on one some other. When using this configuration, it's common to use either mediums or shallows for honey supers. The brood chamber is the place where the queen lays her eggs, and the young bees are raised. During a nectar flow, beloved supers are placed on top of the brood chamber (thus the proper noun super, derived from the Latin give-and-take meaning above); this is where the bees store the surplus love. The supers are removed when the honey is harvested.

Double Deep Brood Chamber With Two Medium Supers Above — Double Deep Breed Chamber With Two Medium Supers Above

Wib Magli

The double deep configuration has worked well for decades. However, many people starting out in beekeeping may find the weight of deep boxes full of honey and bees difficult to handle. Those concerned well-nigh weight can choose to utilise smaller boxes both for the boxes that brand upwardly the brood chamber and for the supers.

In that location is nada magical about the double deep configuration. The bees don't intendance what size the individual boxes and frames are as long as enough boxes are used to provide sufficient space. Notice that three mediums offer roughly the aforementioned volume equally two deeps, just each box is quite a bit lighter for the beekeeper. Apply of eight frame mediums would reduce the weight even further. 8 frame shallows are as lite as information technology gets. I don't know anyone who has used eight frame shallows for brood chambers, merely there is no reason why it couldn't exist done as long as enough are used to provide sufficient volume.

The weights listed above for the ten frame equipment are normally given in the beekeeping literature. That being said, I employ deeps for my brood chambers, and for supers, and I rarely run across a box that weighs 80 pounds. Come harvest time I wish that they did. It is best to recollect of these weights equally possibilities rather than the norm. Most of the time, they will be lighter even with honey in them. To make it at the eight frame weights, I just reduced the 10 frame weights past 20%.

Whorl to Continue

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Availability was a concern with eight frame equipment, but every bit eight frame has gained in popularity, it has become more a question of selection. The selection of eight frame accessory equipment is limited; at that place might be iii or four styles of queen excluders available for x frame boxes only just one for viii frame. Also, if you have 8 frame equipment and all your beekeeping buddies take ten frame, and then you lot can't swap equipment back and forth. Retrieve, all the other hive components, like bottoms and tops, also have to exist sized to viii frame dimensions.

So, the reward of using smaller boxes is weight. The disadvantages are matters of efficiency, convenience, and expense. Having to use more boxes to provide the necessary volume for the brood chamber means having more than frames to become through when performing certain operations, like finding the queen. Smaller supers mean having to add together them more often to the hive during nectar flows and having more frames to process when extracting honey. Smaller equipment also means having to purchase and get together more boxes and frames.

For virtually hobbyists efficiency is a secondary concern and there is a bang-up benefit in choosing a box size that you can handle. If you always dread working your hives because of heavy boxes, then you are less likely to perform certain hive operations in a timely style, making successful beekeeping less likely.

And so before you purchase your offset equipment, make a realistic cess of how much weight yous can comfortably handle and consider that against the convenience and efficiency of larger boxes. Choose appropriately sized equipment, and yous volition be on your way toward beekeeping success.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the writer'southward noesis and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

James Bedford on September 24, 2019:

My Dad was a bee farmer when nosotros were kids and equally things change we went on a different path. Just now I want to offset the bee farming once again and I accept a question that needs to be answered, it's more similar an opinion.

My initial question is but concerning the wooden material used for the boxes but not the frames.

What if I utilize a steel/iron office cabinet as box for my bee hive?

Every bit we can see that a standard long wooden box can concord up to ten frames, but a atomic number 26 cabinet drawer will certainly hold more than xx frames.

My other questions are; How will the bees react to the steel box? Volition they be comfortable in it? Would they make more honey or less?

What are its advantages and disadvantages? Is information technology economic to use information technology?

Please respond me

jaymzbedford@gmail.com

Dale Anderson from The Loftier Seas on September 13, 2018:

This was a fun read, thanks for writing information technology and posting it here,

Andy Sedensky on June 24, 2016:

I made the mistake at the offset of using smaller six frame (9 5/8) boxes, then calculation others to accommodate the expansion. Now I have fabricated larger 10 frame boxes. When is information technology appropriate to move the (bees) frames to the larger boxes? Can I do it at any time?

Thank y'all,

Andy Asedensky23@aol.com

Primeonly27 from California on April 28, 2016:

Well written hub.

aksem62 on April 12, 2012:

Very interesting. My grandfather was beekeeper, so in childhood I have spent many summer months near beehives. Cheers for enkindling of former memories

Wib Magli (writer) from Tennessee and Alabama on November 16, 2011:

schoolmarm and Seeker7,

Thank you both. I am glad that y'all enjoyed information technology.

Helen Murphy Howell from Fife, Scotland on November thirteen, 2011:

I'm not a bee keeper merely I plant this hub to be very interesting. I really enjoy watching bees working away in the leap and summertime. Many thanks for sharing. Voted up!!

schoolmarm from Florida on November 12, 2011:

Very interesting - I admire beekeepers! I recently had i out to move a nest from my chiliad and was very impressed with their skills. Voted upward - Thanks!