# commercial hive bodies



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Double Deeps and Story and a Halves.


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## Mtn. Bee (Nov 10, 2009)

Going to all 7- 5/8" , 10 framers for everything!.... Only need 1 size frame and 1 size foundation and can move frames up and down or wherever in all of the boxes (Simplified and somewhat organized!)


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## jim lyon (Feb 19, 2006)

If I were to start over I would stay with 10 frame deeps for the brood nest primarily because a double splits down into two nice sized units with enough room to grow and still accommodate an inside feeder. While story and a halfs make a nice sized pollination unit a medium is just too small to hold a nuc for very long. For extracting supers, however I think I would go from a 6 5/8" up to the 7 5/8" size. A little more capacity without getting too heavy to handle. I like to draw out some deeps each year as extracting supers and then rotate them down to be used in a brood chamber. Once they become brood combs they are no longer used as honey supers.


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

Yep you think like me...all one size except I'm thinking 8 frame


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## Chip Euliss (Sep 2, 2010)

I run a mix of singles and double deeps for the hives; for supers, I'm all 7 5/8. I used to do story and a half hives but it was a lot of trouble having 2 sizes when making splits. I considered going all 7 5/8 but didn't because I thought it would be easy to unintentionally mix supers and hive bodies. That said, I'd rather lift the 7 5/8 instead of deeps!!


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## loggermike (Jul 23, 2000)

Story and a half. Double deeps are good for pulling brood to make nucs,as it makes it easier to use the resources when all combs are the same size. But we rarely pull brood, preferring to shake bees instead.And we feed with top feeders so inside feeder placement is a non issue. We ran double deeps for years and a bad hive is still a bad hive no matter the configuration. Management is more important than the configuration.


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

As a honey producer only, I run everything in single 10 frame deeps and 6 5/8 honey supers. Bought an operation out once that ran all jombos (12" deeps) even for honey supers. They called them the back breakers, back in the days.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

I run 2 deeps and 5 11/16" shallows. Sometimes I run only one deep and shallows with an excluder.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

Single deep brood chamber, deep supers. Been running that way since at least the 30's. 

Crazy Roland, but not crazy enough to run Jumbos.


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## beeware10 (Jul 25, 2010)

we started out with double deeps but now have bees in two med for going south and overwinter in upstate ny in three med. same size for honey supers. to be practical you need one size. everything interchanges. we would not change back. It works for us but everyone would not agree. the bigger you get the harder it is to change.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

We run deep brood boxes, 9 58", and shallow honey supers, 5 11/16", over a queen excluder. This makes things modular and makes sure virtually no brood is layed on honey supers, keeping the honey combs nice and light. We also cull our shallow frames very hard just for having brown combs.

The modular part comes in with the honey supers, if we are doing pollination in an area that makes a little honey they get one super, if it is an area that makes decent amount of honey then two supers, if it is an area the make a lot of honey then it is 3 shallow supers. 

We used to be all deeps, using exlcuders when making honey and not when trying to brood up for splits. This lead to alot of our honey frames being darker from from the brood and also lead to darker honies.

With our extra hard culling of honey frames for color and not letting brood in the shallow honey supers we rarely make honey darker than ELA, and if we do it's because of the actual honey source and no leaching from the comb.

Hope thos ramblings make some sense to ya.

Aaron


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

Aaron; what is it that leaches from the comb into honey?


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## acbz (Sep 8, 2009)

All 7 5/8" for brood chambers and honey supers, double 7 5/8" for brood chamber
dad uses story and a halves but recommended he'd go all 7 5/8" if starting all over again
so far I like it a lot.


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## AstroZomBEE (Aug 1, 2006)

@fish_stix

Color, i assume it's something in the thin membrane that is left behind after brood has been laid in a cell that makes the wax darker, also darkens honey that is in the same cell.


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