Going double-deep with foundation-less frames

[chux]

Last year I failed in my attempt to go from single-deep brood chambers to double-deep brood chambers. Last year I put the empty deep on the bottom of the hive, with one of two frames brought down from above to encourage straight comb. It didn't work. I didn't put the new boxes on top of the honey super because I didn't want the bees to draw out a deep of honey comb which I couldn't put below as a brood box. My bees are spread out in 8 different yards, and I don't have the time to go by every week and pull frames and add a new frame down in each brood chamber on every hive. So, I am thinking of alternatives.

1) Just go to all mediums above the single deep. They already have some brood in that bottom medium. I could just leave it there and go up. In that case, how many mediums would I need for the hive? I know I would need at least two for nothing but honey. Could need three.

or...

2) Could I add the new deep box above the current deep box and below the medium? During early spring I could pick a warm day to go through the hive. Pull half the frames and put them on one side of the higher deep, and half the frames in the lower deep beneath them on the same side. Put all empty frames to the other side of the boxes. I would put the frames with brood in the top deep, and those frames which are more empty, beneath. This would keep the cluster and young brood close to the band of feed honey in the upper box. Pollen would still be near, below. I believe the bees would prefer the larger span of a deep for brood comb. I also believe I can get a little more brood volume for honey production with the double-deep.

But...it would be simpler in some ways to just toss mediums on top and let it go from there. I don't know. Any advice is appreciated. 

[Michael Bush]

Whatever you don't want, pull it when it's empty or when there is a flow and it only has nectar or pollen or honey in it.  Whatever you do want, put it in every chance you get.  You can put a medium between two deeps in a deep box.  You can put a row of deeps hanging down into two mediums.  You can also put a frame of brood (with the queen) the size you want above the box of brood in frames the size you don't want with an excluder and in three weeks all the brood will have emerged in the box without the queen and you can pull it then.  Early spring a lot of frames are empty and you can pull them then.  You can also consolidate between hives to finish out a box of whatever size frame you need.  I do all of the above and play it by ear.

[jredburn]

As a suggestion, take the frames out and cut the bottom bar out  and put the frame back in the box.  When all the frames are cut and back in the box, set it on top of an empty deep
I do a fair amount of cutouts and have seen comb that is 4 ft long hanging off a roof and have never seen a brood cluster that was deeper than 22 to 24 inches deep.

[chux]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't see an "easy" way to encourage the double deep build-up. I really don't want to go cutting bottom bars off of hundreds of medium frames in the apiary. I also shy from mixing up frame sizes in boxes. I'll forget what is where and rip comb to pieces. These are good suggestions, but I don't think they will work for me. but you guys are getting me thinking. I appreciate that.

When it's all said and done, I don't know that I really need the double-deep, after all. I believe when i asked about this last year, Michael and some others questioned the need in the first place. Guess I'm a slow learner. I think I'm just going to go with the single deep and one medium for the brood chamber, knowing they will expand and contract it as the season and hive strength dictate. So the plan will be to build medium boxes and just sling them on top. 

Now I've got to go back and look at what Michael Bush and Walt Wright say about checkerboarding. I've got about nine medium supers in storage that will need to be added to hives this spring. Got to figure where the place to put them will be. Thanks again for the help, folks.