Brood Chamber

rail · July 16, 2011, 02:17:23 PM

What is the largest brood chamber anyone has used?

How large can a strong colony grow and maintain?

sc-bee · July 16, 2011, 03:58:03 PM

Largest size brood chamber? As in size of box. Or most chambers of bees on a hive @ once.

I would say one deep and most of three shallows.

rail · July 16, 2011, 06:53:04 PM

Quote from: sc-bee on July 16, 2011, 03:58:03 PM
Largest size brood chamber? As in size of box. Or most chambers of bees on a hive @ once.

I would say one deep and most of three shallows.

Most chambers of bees on a hive @ once?

How many "ten frame deeps or mediums" and "eight frame deeps or mediums" for colony nest?

Most keepers in my area use 1 or 2 ten frame deep brood chambers with "several hives". My question about chamber/colony size; will a colony build up to and maintain in three deeps (8 or 10 frame)? Can a person manage two or three large colonies instead of five or seven small colonies?

iddee · July 16, 2011, 08:36:20 PM

You can do many things, but in your area, most beeks use one deep and one medium or shallow as a brood chamber. All above that is for honey. It's a matter of choice, tho, as a queen can lay up to 2000 eggs a day. The most brood she can have is 21 days laying.

rbinhood · July 16, 2011, 10:04:01 PM

Iddee he could try one of my tiny nuc's, there's plenty of space for brood in it. LOL

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/5813/dsc036742.jpg

Michael Bush · July 17, 2011, 12:47:07 AM

I've seen brood in five or six eight frame medium boxes at the same time if that's what you're asking. I don't use an excluder so they can expand as far as they like and I have not seen them go past that. But that's the equivalent of three ten frame deeps.

joebrown · July 17, 2011, 12:53:45 AM

Well like Iddee said, she can only lay so many eggs in a day. At somepoint the brood chamber will outgrow the queen. 2000 x 21= 42,000. So the brood chamber is only going to be approximately 42,000 cells big any way you slice it!

sc-bee · July 17, 2011, 01:04:16 AM

Sure hope the bees know how to use the calculator ;) :-D

rail · July 17, 2011, 10:03:11 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on July 17, 2011, 12:47:07 AM
I've seen brood in five or six eight frame medium boxes at the same time if that's what you're asking. I don't use an excluder so they can expand as far as they like and I have not seen them go past that. But that's the equivalent of three ten frame deeps.

Yes, that is what I was asking.

Thinking about splits for next season (colony growth- not honey production)! I have 8 frame deeps and mediums, I want one colony in deeps and the other in mediums. The new hive is finishing their first deep now; can I put a medium "under" the deep and let them expand. Then put a medium on "top" of the deep and other medium. So the hive would be "medium-deep-medium" and when ready to split, deal the mediums on one bottom board and the deep on another?

rbinhood · July 19, 2011, 04:30:52 PM

Sound like you have a firm grip on what you want to do....go for it, there is no reason it will not work.