3 deep brood box

GSF · March 15, 2016, 10:20:31 PM

Okay, so I saw it on you tube. Has anyone experiment (successfully) with a 3 deep brood box. I spoke with our state guy and he said, good luck with getting the queen to move in the three boxes. One'll probably be filled with honey. Any thoughts?

BeeMaster2 · March 16, 2016, 12:06:00 AM

Gary,
It depends on the queen. Some will but most will not. More than likely it will bee a super. I have had queens lay in 4 medium boxes and then in the fall they fill the the upper boxes with honey.
Jim

Lancej · March 16, 2016, 06:18:37 AM

I have two hives that I put what was meant to be a deep super on each, I didn't use QE, checked them a few weeks later and they were about 1/3 brood, both hives were full of brood, all the foundation was filled out. Now use QE's, all the brood has emerged and removing honey, the hives are very strong now.

Acebird · March 16, 2016, 02:00:29 PM

If I were going to try that I would throw the third deep underneath but in your area it is probably not a good idea because of SHB. I run all mediums with no excluder so the colony expands and contracts to what ever it wants. They are going to do that in your deeps too and probably end up with some halvzies.

Troutdog · March 20, 2016, 03:47:12 PM

A few old timers I know swear by it here in upstate NY. One fellow I know made a comment that stuck with me now for years............ You need to leave the hives a!one so they can make their winter setup. Often queens will go for a walk survey the the hive space and !ay a few eggs to mark out the Honey arc for late winter. He took off all his supers by July 15 and left em alone after that. He ran 300 or so hives in Pennsylvania.
I been leaning to smaller hives for winter success if I have the bees I'll split the tower hive into 3 units and recombine in spring, make a few nucs out of what's left and not miss a beat. I increase my odds by 3 to 1 for overwintering.
so much to learn so little time

Psparr · March 21, 2016, 08:55:47 AM

I'm in pa and keep my hive three deeps each winter. Have been going strong for the past 4 winters.

sc-bee · March 23, 2016, 08:48:23 PM

You have been watching Tim Ives right? I could not get mine to build to 3 deeps last year.

GSF · March 24, 2016, 09:10:20 AM

Tim Ives and an ol boy out of W. North Carolina/Tn/Ga corner. I'm sure it's queen dependent.

Jim134 · April 22, 2016, 01:03:16 PM

Beekeepers in Northern New England has been using 3 DEEPS for many years .Sense the early fifties that I know of. Most of them now use 2 deep and 1 medium for a wintering hives.

BEE HAPPY Jim 134

GSF · April 22, 2016, 02:29:23 PM

Well it's working out pretty good. Only one major drawback, they mean as a snake. I'm talking about Africanized mean. I'd have a couple buzz me or sting me before I went into it. Now I have to wear a veil and will have around 20 in my face. A couple of times when I was feeding other hives near it I had to walk away after getting hit 10-15 times on the hands and arms.

I moved them closer to someone else's house. That way they'll ignore me :) Naw, but I did move them out in the middle of a field. After the flow it's requeening time.