9 vs 10 frame question

[jester7891]

By the way, I recently took a 2.5 day course at Rutgers University four beginner bee keepers.  If you live in the area of Western New Jersey/Eastern Pennsylvania and you are looking for good practical information for a beginner, I believe that this is a very good course to look into. 

I have one question regarding the number of frames per super.  If I understood one of the teachers correctly, one should start with 10 frames when building up a new colony but after the colony has been established, you can switch to nine frames (don't have to).  This is what I have done with my two hives and it is a little easier to get the frames in and out for inspection.  Obviously the bees have built longer foundation and each frame is heavier.  I also plan on doing this with the Honey supers.  Although beekeeping is more of a hobby for me and the amount of Honey production is not crucial, if I understand correctly, the bees will draw out a longer foundation so that more Honey can be filled into the Honey super frames (but I will have 1 less frame to extract from).  I find that the bees are building foundation in places that they never built foundation before (in corners, between two frames etc).  I was wondering if you all could comment on 9 versus 10 frames.  I have put in the metal nine frame spacers so that I know the distance between each frame is equal.

               Thanks,

                                                                Jester

[Robo]

10 frames in brood chamber gives queen more room to lay.  I don't see a benefit for 9 in the brood area.

10 frames in supers when foundation or foundationless.  Once drawn out,  9 frames allows for thicker comb which is easier to uncap when extracting.

[iddee]

Ditto what Robo said, in capital letters.

[jester7891]

OK, now what do I do with such thick frames?  How do I get the 10th frame back in the brood chambers?

                                  Jester

[NasalSponge]

Some old timers opinion was 9 brood and 8 super after drawn. Well once varroa came along everything began to be questioned then add the internet where free thinking beeks can share experiences and stuff that was the "rule of thumb" just isn't so anymore.  It won't hurt anything to run 9 in your brood boxes...but these days 10 and even 11 is preferred.

[Robo]

It won't hurt anything to run 9 in your brood boxes...

Very true,  rule of thumb is just a guideline.  For various reasons which I'm sure everybody can think of, I occasionally get 9-framers in the brood nest, no big deal.   If you want to get them thinned out,  just keep moving the box up until it becomes a honey super.  Once you extract it, the frames are magically thin again :-P

Like most things in beekeeping,  there is no one right answer, it is just a matter of personal preference.

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#framespacing
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesframewidth.htm