Med vs Deep Long Hives

[FRAMEshift]

Should I make the hive 36" or 48"?

I think you will want the extra space in the 48' size.  The smaller the hive, the more carefully you will have to manage it.  In the 48" length you can fit in about 33 frames,  roughly the equivalent of 3 Langstroth boxes.  Unless you would normally prefer to be limited to fewer frames than that, I would not go smaller.

Also, if you put entrances at both ends of the box, you can have two smaller colonies in the box at the same time.  We have found that versatility to be very useful.

[rail]

Should I make the hive 36" or 48"?

Also, if you put entrances at both ends of the box, you can have two smaller colonies in the box at the same time.  We have found that versatility to be very useful.

Entrances on the short sides or at the ends of the long side?

[FRAMEshift]

Entrances on the short sides or at the ends of the long side?

We put ours at the ends of the long side, but you could do it either way.  The bees don't care so it's more a matter of aesthetic taste.  We just drill three 1 inch diameter holes in a row at each end of the hive (low on the long side).  We use corks to open and close the entrance holes to size the entrance to the strength of the colony.