I want to change my brood boxes over to super boxes, what's the best way?

[Beewildered61]

  I am having back problems and don't think it's going to get a lot better... I usually do the deep swap around the third week of Feb., to stop swarming (I know everyone doesn't, or believe in it, but it works for me) and the top box with bees/honey weigh around 60 pounds or more. I can't do it any more, and want to swap the two deeps for three super boxes, how can I go about this? I figure, normally the bottom deep has only bees, no brood or honey when I do the swap, I could possibly put two supers in it's place and use some  Bee Quick to run the bees into the two supers? and then how could I go about swapping out the other deep besides waiting until next year and do the same thing, since it will have brood/queen/honey all in it? Any suggestions are appreciated...

[BeeMaster2]

BW.
Why not place the Supers below the deeps with foundation frames and let the bees build down and just keep adding Supers under the deep. The queen will move down and the bees will fill the deep with honey. If the deep is too heavy. Remove the frames one at a time and extract them.
If you do not have one. I recommend you get a dolly and screw a thick piece of plywood that is the same size your super. Put an empty super on it and add full frames. Keep it covered to keep the bees and just keep adding Supers and frames as you go through your apiary,
This makes it much easier handle the heavy supers,
Jim

[cao]

I would agree with sawdstmakr.  If your bottom deep is mostly empty replace it with two mediums. Then when they move the brood nest down in the mediums, you can remove the deep.

[Wombat2]

Build a crane ;)  http://www.beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=43965.msg378569#msg378569

[Beewildered61]

thanks ya'll, some good ideas here...

[Acebird]

Then when they move the brood nest down in the mediums, you can remove the deep.

And it will be chuck full of honey, heavy as heck.
If he rotates his boxes anyway just make this spring the last time you have to pick up the heavy box pulling the empty one out first.  Add two frames of honey in the center of the medium on top.  You can remove frames of honey in the deep box to make it lighter for this last move.  The following year the last deep comes out in the spring.

[Michael Bush]

I would move to eight frame mediums if you want lighter.  You can pull empty frames anytime they are empty.  You can pull honey and pollen anytime there is honey and pollen coming in.  You can fill gaps with mediums in deep boxes or deep frames in two medium boxes (hanging down into the second one).  You can put brood above an excluder and wait for it to emerge and then pull it.  Just go at it like the deeps are evil and shortly they will be out.  You can put eight frame mediums on top of the ten frame deeps with a 20" long 1 x3 on the side.

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/TenFrameToEight.JPG
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeseightframemedium.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beeslazy.htm#lighterboxes

[Beewildered61]

 thanks ya'll!