I have started two hives the first of april and I am using all deep boxes with 10 frames. I am getting ready to add my second box this week. My question is with this being the first year for the packages and they are having to draw out every frame, how many boxes should i have to add this year. I was thinking a total of 3 boxes per hive (a brood box and 2 honey supers) would that be enough or will I need more?
You will need at least two deeps for brood and when they have that two thirds full or more I would just keep adding boxes as they build up. You may only need three, or maybe five. You never can tell. do not add a queen excluder under you honey super untill they are drawing comb and packing stores in the box or they may swarm. You dont want to find this out the hard way.
You don't put a location in your profile, but want to know how much honey will be made in the area you live?????
Nobody has a clue. Every area has a different honey flow.
I live in Anniston, Alabama
Thanks. When I lived in Gulfport, MS. I could expect them to fill 4 to 5 deeps in a season. Here in NC, I am lucky to get 2 filled. Location is extremely important in beekeeping.
Generally I figure as soon as they have 80% of what they have filled with bees you can double their space without stressing them out. In the summer when it's hot and not cold at night anymore, you can probably triple it with no issues. So if they have two boxes full of bees, I will probably add two more. This is, of course, during the buildup from spring until the end of the flow. Not during the wind down from the end of the flow to winter. I don't want them to run out of room, but I'm not going to pile on boxes when they obviously won't fill most of them.