Any one here run 3 deep brood nest all year?
Thank you.
I run two deeps all year long. The purpose in winter is it creates baffles that slow the cold wind when it shifts to the WSW and otherwise allows cold air flow to warm some before it hits the ball.
I run three deeps(10 frames) from early spring until the spring flow is over, about late June early July. Then I will harvest the honey as soon as possible(before the queen slow down for the summer dearth), then if I need more hives I will immediately split the strong hives(usually they are very strong) by taking a deep and put it on top of another empty deep on a bottom board. I can do a walk-away split, buy a queen, have a queen cell in the split or hope I have a queen cell in one of my other hives. I let the fall honey flow for winter and feed if necessary. Winter over with two deeps.
I've been experimenting with leaving 3 deeps over winter (no queen excluder - but it isn't all brood) ..
Do yall have hive beetles up north?
Quote from: Chanticleer48 on February 24, 2015, 09:23:44 AM
Do yall have hive beetles up north?
I don't. The only pest i have had to deal with is VARROA.
I use three deep 8 frame.
We had a conversation about this a year or so ago I believe, and I read a study from a url I think M Bush presented that mentioned it. seems if I recall the issue was 3 deeps performed worse than 2, evidently the belief was that the bees didn't like crossing the gaps so much and sort of got stuck and confused inbetween. 3 deeps did worse than 3 mediums evidently also, but the consensus I think was it was better to go with 2 brood over 3 or even just one over 3.