do you have to use a medium honey super?

Blammer · July 27, 2006, 05:47:02 PM

If I am understanding this right a medium honey super is about 6 5/8" tall?

and a hive body is 9 5/8".

can you use a hive body to collect your honey in?

just curios because you can get a hive body for about 3 or 4 dollars more than a honey super and it seems that the extra space for the dollars spent is worth it.

Kathyp · July 27, 2006, 05:53:21 PM

i know, i know! (hand waving wildly in the back of the class)

weight. i have a full shallow super and it's really heavy. i can't imagine trying to lift several medium or deeps full of honey by myself.

Blammer · July 27, 2006, 06:00:18 PM

so the only issue is wt?

110 pounds is no trouble for me, do they weight that much full?

more?

Less?

guestimate on wt?

Jerrymac · July 27, 2006, 06:38:18 PM

For some reason people seem to miss the one frame at a time theory. That is where you lift a frame out of the deep and brush the bees off. Place that frame into another hive body sitting in the confines of the transporting vehicle (pickup, wheel barrow, trailer) and then do the next frame the same way. What does a full frame wiegh? 10 pounds?

Yes you can use the bigger box.

Blammer · July 27, 2006, 06:47:44 PM

you know that was exactly what I was thinking... :D

Kathyp · July 27, 2006, 07:26:44 PM

QuoteFor some reason people seem to miss the one frame at a time theory. That is where you lift a frame out of the deep and brush the bees off. Place that frame into another hive body sitting in the confines of the transporting vehicle (pickup, wheel barrow, trailer) and then do the next frame the same way. What does a full frame wiegh? 10 pounds?

wouldn't that take quite a bit of time if you have many supers? also, how do you keep the bees from going back to the frames you have brushed off? in my case, i can not drive to my hive. i can either take one frame at a time to the barn, or carry the entire super. i'd rather pick the whole thing up and be done with the angry bees.....since i only had one super to remove, i'll have a better idea of how this all works out next year.

amymcg · July 27, 2006, 09:46:09 PM

You can use whatever you want to take the honey from. Weight is really the only issue.

I have in the past, put my frames into an extra body with a towel over top in a wheelbarrow or a hand truck, i have also put them inside of a cooler and put that on a hand truck.

leominsterbeeman · July 27, 2006, 10:20:03 PM

A full deep will weight about 90 lbs.

We can all lift 90 lbs but to lift it higher over you head on unstable ground may be a problem.
If you are going to do this, I wouldn't put on more the 2 deeps for honey collection (total of 4 deeps) 2 for brood chamber.

Trust us, they seem to get heavier they higher you have to lift them.

TwT · July 27, 2006, 10:25:49 PM

I just posted this on another post so I will just paste it here also

now I have never weighted any but guesting and depending on the number of frames,,, I use 9 frame mediums but these are drawn out frames before I put them in, if you are going to use foundation go with 10 frames are they will draw them out to far on some frames and make a mess... now if I weighted them I could be off some but this is what it feels like, now this is full supers..... and on the 8 frame im guesting because I never used 8 frames supers... maybe some one has run 8 frame and could help better,,,,,,,, aw the reason I use 9 frames in my supers is because it is easier to uncap the honey, they comb comes out past the frames (JUST A LITTLE fyi).........

10 frame deep = 90 pounds
10 frame medium = 65 pounds
10 frame shallow = 50 pounds
9 frame deep = 85 pounds
9 frame medium = 60 pounds
9 frame shallow = 45 pounds
8 frame deep = 75 pounds
8 frame medium = 55 pounds
8 frame shallow = 40 pounds

Finsky · July 28, 2006, 05:55:04 AM

If you have muscles you may nurse hive which have all Langstroth size.

As money shallow box is same price as high, but along years much more bigger issue is the cost of frames and the work which you do with them.

But to me most valuable matter has been the time you spare when you extract honey. Medium frames are quick to handle and they do not get broken when you extract them. New Langstroth frames will broken easily if honey is tough.

Medium honey boxes are cheap and easy to make self. They are in use few months during year. If you keep 3 brood deeps queen does not need to rise to supers. So you does not need to renew shallow frames very much.

Brian D. Bray · July 29, 2006, 04:55:31 AM

You can use any size you like. I use medium 8 frame boxes because even medium 10 frame boxes are to awkward to handle from a wheelchair. Also, uniformity keeps things simple.

Michael Bush · July 29, 2006, 11:43:43 AM

>can you use a hive body to collect your honey in?

Sure.

I'm with Brian. An eight frame medium full of honey weighs 48 pounds. A ten frame deep weighs twice that.

Mine are all eight frame mediums for the most part. If I ever get the last of them cut down they will ALL be eight frame mediums.