Single Deep Brood Chamber?

[amymcg]

Amyone else running single deeps?

[Donovan J]

I didn't last year but I am planning on doing it this year. I want to see others opinions on it too.

[amymcg]

University of Guelph has a great video on this

[Oldbeavo]

We run single brood chambers with a Qx, a lot of Australian BK's run single deep brood  hives. As we are mostly migratory, it is essential for carting bees.
Most of the time we transport as doubles, single brood box plus deep super.
Does a queen need more than 8 full depth frames?
I have seen some big populations of bees produced out of a single deep 8 frame brood box.

[FloridaGardener]

I know a guy who runs dozens of single deeps with QX on top of each.  He checks each quickly, weekly, to manage, and makes up new nucs spring and early summer as needed.  The colonies stay mild and calm as he pulls honey frames from above the QX through the season, loads the honey frames into empty supers, and replaces them with stickies.  It?s a pretty high volume operation.

[beesonhay465]

only one hive a single deep and med super. went through the winter so far . bringing lots of pollen, i think the maples are blooming . north east ks. no queen excluder.

[Oldbeavo]

We run a single deep brood with QX, deep super on top. When the super is full we place an empty deep of stickies, 7 frames, if new frames then 8, under the full super with a clearer board in between. Two days later take the full top super home for extraction.
Pretty quick when only dealing with boxes rather than frames.
The QX is an important tool in our operation, you can deal in boxes and inspection of brood or queens is restricted looking through 8 frames in one box. Doesn't guarantee you find her every time. Not sure where she hides in 8 frames and one box.

[Bob Wilson]

What is QX, and what are stickies?
And Devan Rawn is a Canadian single brood chamber beekeeper with a great Youtube channel.

[FatherMichael]

What is QX, and what are stickies?
And Devan Rawn is a Canadian single brood chamber beekeeper with a great Youtube channel.

QX is queen excluder.

Stickies are frames that have been extracted.

I plan to do single deep brood chambers.

[FloridaGardener]

@ Bob
Smaller colonies (single brood boxes) can be less aggressive when defending a honey pull.

Stickies can cause problems because the bees go nuts with so much honey out in the open.

When you have bees in the air from honey frames pulled and stickies put back in....from 30 colonies in one yard...um yeah it can get noisy. So smaller colonies can be a good thing. 

[Ben Framed]

>And Devan Rawn is a Canadian single brood chamber beekeeper with a great Youtube channel.

I have also watched Devan Rawn videos and he is quite thorough with his explanations. He digs into the mathematics of the subject of single brood boxes and why they work and work well for him.

I do know that my bottom hives, from my doubles, here in North Mississippi coming out of winter are basically empty. I reversed these a week or so ago.  Devans winters are so much colder than here. I have never heard the facts on overwintering with one brood box here in the South, but was thinking here in the warmer South, two brood chambers might be more practical because of the partial activity of the bees during our winter months and the extra food stores of that second box would be needed because of that activity, as opposed to (mostly dormancy) in the far North during the winter months for our Northern friends?

However, FlordiaGardener tells us of his friend who runs singles. OldBeavo tells us of running singles there in Australia. That changes my way of thinking of the subject here in the south. I have to ask, FG is your friend there in Florida or an old friend from back up North?

Are there others members here which are in the South that run single deeps? I would love to hear from you as I am sure others would as well.

Phillip Hall

[AR Beekeeper]

I have colonies that I overwintered in singles, and I have colonies that I overwintered in a deep and a medium.  My preference is overwintering in the deep and medium configuration because there is no need to feed until mid April, if feeding is needed then.

When preparing colonies for winter I feed in October, and I feed 5:3 syrup with a rapid feeder until the colonies no longer take syrup because there is no space to store it.  If overwintered in a single deep, colonies will often need feeding in March and often the weather is poor for feeding, cold and wet.

If the hive is overwintered in a deep and a medium, I let the queen use both boxes until there is a need to add more space.  When I add the first super I drive the queen down into the deep and place the excluder on the colony between the deep and medium.  The queen will have brood in both boxes so the bees never hesitate to pass through the excluder.  The brood above the excluder must be checked for queen cells seven days later.

After the nectar flow stops and the surplus honey supers are removed I leave the excluder above the deep, and leave the bottom medium for a food chamber for the bees summer food supply.  The queen will use only the deep box for brood for the rest of the year. 

If the colony was overwintered in only a deep, the excluder goes on with the first super given for space for the adult bees, and the queen continues to use only the deep for brood.

[Ben Framed]

> I have colonies that I overwintered in singles, and I have colonies that I overwintered in a deep and a medium.  My preference is overwintering in the deep and medium configuration because there is no need to feed until mid April, if feeding is needed then.

When preparing colonies for winter I feed in October, and I feed 5:3 syrup with a rapid feeder until the colonies no longer take syrup because there is no space to store it.  If overwintered in a single deep, colonies will often need feeding in March and often the weather is poor for feeding, cold and wet.

If the hive is overwintered in a deep and a medium, I let the queen use both boxes until there is a need to add more space.  When I add the first super I drive the queen down into the deep and place the excluder on the colony between the deep and medium.  The queen will have brood in both boxes so the bees never hesitate to pass through the excluder.  The brood above the excluder must be checked for queen cells seven days later.

After the nectar flow stops and the surplus honey supers are removed I leave the excluder above the deep, and leave the bottom medium for a food chamber for the bees summer food supply.  The queen will use only the deep box for brood for the rest of the year. 

If the colony was overwintered in only a deep, the excluder goes on with the first super given for space for the adult bees, and the queen continues to use only the deep for brood.
>

You could not have explained it any clearer.  Thank you for taking the time to explain. Good stuff!
Phillip