Numbering Frames: Good or Bad?

[neurobee]

I noticed a picture of someone's hives with the frames numbered 1 through 10. Is this a good idea, or does this get confusing because the frame position will/often does change based on where you move them?

Opinions. . . .

[hardwood]

Why?? I wouldn't bother.

Scott

[FRAMEshift]

I agree.  I move frames around all the time, move them from box to box.  Numbers serve no purpose.  I do number brood frames with the year they were drawn, but that does not prevent them from being moved.

[Michael Bush]

If you want to remember where a frame came from, draw a diagonal line from one side to the other near one end of the frames.  You now know where they all came from.  Just line them back up.

[Finski]

.
Some guys mark the frames that they do not change frames between hives for diseases.

[VolunteerK9]

I date all of mine along with a SC for small cell, SS for starter strip etc, but with the amount of frame manipulation I do or making nucs, I dont think that its necessary to number them.

[Hemlock]

When i first started i numbered the frames and quickly learned it was meaningless.  Dating the frame is helpful for comb culling and equipment maintenance. 

[AllenF]

Don't waste your time with numbers.

[Jim134]

 Dating the frame is helpful for comb culling and equipment maintenance.  

This is why I've done this for years.



    BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

[AliciaH]

Dating, yes.
Numbering, no.

[Larry Bees]

I number my hives, but not my frames. Larry

[hardwood]

So Alicia...you're into dating eh? :-D

Scott

[vmmartin]

I have heard of dating squares but never frames.  :-D

[preston39]

Alicia,

Are you selective in your dating program or are you a random dater? :-X


Just kidding. :-D

[AliciaH]

 :lau:

Dated Square #1 for 24 months, dumped him. :-\
Dated Square #2 for 24 months, dumped him. :-\
Brian, knowing my history, made sure I was good and properly married at 22 months!  ;)
We're going on 25 years now! :-D
True story.

AND, as if life wasn't good enough, now that I have bees, he makes almost all my woodenware!  

HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!  :rainbowflower:

Back to topic...like Larry, I do number my hives.  Forgot about that!  I keep the number with the queen, so if I split, the hive number goes with the old queen and I assign a new number to the new box.

[FRAMEshift]

I keep the number with the queen, so if I split, the hive number goes with the old queen and I assign a new number to the new box.

I used to do that, but finally realized that the predictive value of queen-based records is negligible if you open mate.  The genes of any "queen line" diverge in one generation because of multiple mating and the genetic diversity  of the drone population.   Now, I just treat queens as interchangeable except that I might take more splits from hives that are performing well.

[AliciaH]

Good point.  I can see how that is definately true for my hives that have turned a couple of queens over. 

My true interest is tracking the longevity of queens that I'm ordering from other sources.  I think that for a generation or two, it's good to know the history of that line until it gets diluted.  That way, I know who I may or may not want to order from later.  More than anything, it's just a consistant way for me to track. 

I can see that at some point, though, I will probably just renumber the hives and leave it that way.  It's sort of a hassle to have to keep a map of my apiary because my hives move.

[Kathyp]

if you add a frame of eggs, or want to keep track of a frame for some reason, it's helpful to mark that frame.  sometimes i mark a hive so i can remember when i got it, or where it came from.  don't do it unless there is a reason like making sure i recheck it for a queen.

numbering or identifying hives and keeping a log is helpful. 

[FRAMEshift]

 It's sort of a hassle to have to keep a map of my apiary because my hives move.

:-D  That was exactly my problem.  So I resorted to keeping the records in a spreadsheet on my computer.  When I moved a hive I renumbered the spreadsheet position.   And then I pretty much stopped keeping written records at all.  It seemed that the things I needed to remember were not long term issues and I can remember them for long enough.

Posted by: kathyp
sometimes i mark a hive so i can remember when i got it, or where it came from.  don't do it unless there is a reason like making sure i recheck it for a queen.

Yes, that's exactly the sort of thing one needs to remember.  Fatbeeman has a system of placing bricks on top of his hives to mark them for queen inspections, etc.  That way you don't need written records and the information is always immediately at hand in the form of number and position of bricks.

[Kathyp]

yup.  the brick thing works well.  since i have lots of bricks out there for windy days, i have been using them the same.  :-D