Author Topic: Frames Used  (Read 21433 times)

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Offline Jen

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Frames Used
« on: January 10, 2014, 08:37:57 pm »
How many frames do you use in a deep langstroth?
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2014, 08:45:30 pm »
I have 2 8-frame deeps for brood, and I use 8 frames in each.  If things go well this year, I may swap to 7 frames in my 8-frame medium supers as an experiment.
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Offline Crofter

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2014, 08:50:14 pm »
How many frames do you use in a deep langstroth?

You are going to hate me for this;  :P is it for an 8 frame or a 10 frame box?   The standard procedure with new frames is to fill the box till the comb is drawn. Some people then find advantage to run only 9 in a ten frame box. This is in the brood box. In a honey super I fill the box with new comb and then after the first extraction you can space them out to 9 or even 8 in a nominal 10 frame box. It makes for fatter, easier to uncap honey frames.

Just to make you scratch your head, a number of people shave the sides of the frames slightly and shoe horn 11 frames into a 10 frame lang brood box but I dont think that is something you are going to pursue for a while yet.
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Offline Perry

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2014, 09:20:34 pm »
Jaybird, if you are going to run a 10 frame box, use 10. If you are going to run an 8 frame box, run 8.
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Online iddee

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2014, 09:30:57 pm »
8 frames of foundation in an 8 frame box.
10 frames of foundation in a 10 frame box.
Less and you will live to regret it.

One less frame of drawn comb in the brood chamber will give you wide frames of honey near the top and thinner frames of brood in the center of the frames. One less in the honey supers will give thicker frames of honey and will uncap much easier.

I run 10 frames in all, since I am mostly interested in raising more bees. The occasional box of honey I get is harder to uncap, but the extra brood frames make up for it.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2014, 10:03:20 pm »
okay, i encouraged jen to start this thread, and i will differ with you guys......
slow, jen is talking Langstroth hives, not 8 frame hives.
i do what crofter mentioned.  i run 9 frames in a 10 frame langstroth deep brood box, and 8 frames in a 10 frame langstroth medium super....
if i have frames that need to be drawn in either sizes i will run the 10 frames and drop down as they are drawn, or when i add foundation to either, i will adjust until all frames are drawn until i am at 9 in my deeps and 8 in my honey supers.

skip the shaving frames thing, let's not confuse a new beekeeper on this, just my HO, not sure i understand myself why this is done.

iddee, i know you said 10 frames in a 10 frame box, "less and you will regret it"......i run 9 and 8 frames and i don't regret it...... :D

also,there is nothing hard about this IF you have drawn frames that you are working with, doesn't matter if you are a new keep or an older keep, in my HO.

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Offline Riverrat

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2014, 10:14:11 pm »
always run 10 frames in 10 frame equipment if used for a brood box. Run 10 in in 10 frame honey supers until they are drawn out. Then you can run 9 frames in a 10 frame honey super. The reason for running 9 frames in a 10 frame honey super is the bees will draw them out past the frames if they are evenly spaced. This makes it easier to uncap the honey for extraction. YOu are shooting yourself in the foot running 9 frames in a brood box. Less room for queen to lay and if they get shoved to one side the bees will draw out the 10th frame of comb where the frame should have been attaching it to the top cover and sides
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Online iddee

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2014, 10:20:23 pm »
NO, I DID NOT. I said less than 10 frames of ""FOUNDATION"".
I then said you CAN run less frames of drawn comb.
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2014, 10:25:54 pm »
slow, jen is talking Langstroth hives, not 8 frame hives.

Are 10- and 8-frame hives not both Langs?
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Offline Moots

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2014, 10:27:48 pm »

riverbee,
I'm still plenty green as a Beek, but you have me confused on a number of issues.


slow, jen is talking Langstroth hives, not 8 frame hives.


Since when is an 8 frame Langstroth not a "Langstroth"???


i do what crofter mentioned.  i run 9 frames in a 10 frame langstroth deep brood box.....
skip the shaving frames thing, let's not confuse a new beekeeper on this, just my HO, not sure i understand myself why this is done.


Why would you run fewer frames in your Brood box?

Less frames = less comb = less cells = less laying space = less bees = less honey???

Personally I don't do it, but shaving down frames and squeezing an extra in the brood box means...

More comb = more cells = more laying space = more bees = more honey!


Offline Jen

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2014, 10:28:29 pm »
Slow- if you go with 7, what will you be experimenting with?
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2014, 11:16:37 pm »
Already talked with Jen about this, but watching with interest. One of the hardest things for me to figure out when I first began helping with bees was sorting through all the different answers/methods.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2014, 11:28:56 pm »
iddee, my apologies, i missed the 10 frames of foundation from your post.

as far as running 9 fully drawn frames in the deep broods, guess i am the one to be different, have done this for years.

10 frame hives vs the 8 frame hive configuration? in langstroth terms, no there are 8 frame hives made vs the 10 frames. when i think of langstroth hives, i think in terms of a 10 framer, not the eight frame hives now made today. i think these are referred to as the *english hives?
(*correction, commonly referred to now as 'garden hive')


and as to what you said moots.....less frames=less combs=less cells=less laying space=less bees=less honey....
not true moots, math doesn't always define bees and let's say  i get 950 pounds or more of honey out of 5 or 6 hives with my method, well i will stick to it. as far as shaving frames and squeezing more in....in my HO, shaving frames and squeezing more in doesn't give you what you think you are achieving. if you think those shaved frames moots give you more honey, you are mistaken.

btw if you want to make comb honey with foundationless frames, in a 10 frame langstroth box, or shaving and squeezing an extra frame in, i can tell you this, it's gonna look pretty sad.  if you don't make foundationless comb honey and are shaving frames off to squeeze more in, then i wish you well at uncapping these..... :D

EDIT: i just want to add to this, consider a langstroth 10 frame deep and placing 9 fully drawn frames in, rather than 10....maybe better ventilation and better wintering?  not rolling so many bees or fighting to get the frames out?  medium supers.....if you have less than 10 frames, say 8 or 9, uncapping these will be easier, and also if you think you get more honey with 10 frames, this is not true.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2014, 11:29:27 pm »
Lazy- Sure is like raising kids!
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2014, 11:34:08 pm »
Slow- if you go with 7, what will you be experimenting with?

Thicker (wider?) comb and easier uncapping.
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2014, 11:45:49 pm »
actually trying to stay out of this for the most part, but think theres a bit of confusion between supers and brood frames going on???

   i dont know anyone who shaves frames for supers, those are run with less frames, not more for thicker comb and easier uncapping..   As for the......   no. no.  Backing away.. slowly.....   I run ten/ten Sticking to that for now   ;D
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Offline Jen

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2014, 11:50:33 pm »
Lazy- You crack me up!

I know, we already discussed 11 frames... it's all good ~wink~
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Offline Jen

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2014, 11:52:50 pm »
This subject started with riv and me talking about deeps

Are deeps and supers the same thing?

No, don't answer that yet. Scrambled eggs in head for the night
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #18 on: January 11, 2014, 12:08:28 am »
Simple answer for that one.   Supers are for honey. they can be deeps, mediums, or shallows. they go on above the brood boxes.
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Offline Slowmodem

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Re: Frames Used
« Reply #19 on: January 11, 2014, 12:39:35 am »
This subject started with riv and me talking about deeps

Are deeps and supers the same thing?

No, don't answer that yet. Scrambled eggs in head for the night

Think of it like this.  A super is like a superstructure, built above the base.   The brood chambers or boxes are like the base or foundation (not foundation as used in frames, but like a house foundation).

super = above

But now to confuse things:  some people use all deeps, so there would be brood in bottom deeps and honey in the top deeps (or supers).
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
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