3 deep brood nest.

[GLOCK]

Any one here run 3 deep brood nest?
Thank you.

[Riverrat]

I tried it a few year ago and really didn't have much luck in seeing a big advantage to the 3 deeps.

[pistolpete]

I don't see the point.  We probably have a longer winter here than just about anyone on the continent and nobody I know of runs 3 deep brood.    This topic has come up in the past and what I got out of it: if a queen lays 2000 eggs per day, then she needs 36000 cells before the first eggs emerge and make more room.  I forget exactly how many deep frames that translates to, but I believe it's less than 6.    So 20 frames are plenty. for a sphere of brood surrounded by pollen, and honey,

[Bakersdozen]

I did it on one hive for a little over a year.  I had put a full deep box of honey on top of a two box hive right before going into winter.  I was concerned about their stores for winter and had the frames of honey available.  It was too cold to pull frames, etc.  In the spring, the queen had gone up  there and started laying, so I left it.  I didn't reverse any boxes, I just left them as they were.  That summer, that colony brought in the majority of the honey.  With three brood boxes, the queen had plenty of room and I didn't worry about swarming.  When the honey flow hit, she had a work force ready.  We referred to that colony as the skyscraper.  Full honey supers are really heavy when they are up that high.   The following spring I broke the hive boxes down and reversed the bottom boxes.  It's still a really strong colony and I haven't requeened.  I hate to mess with success.  I have my fingers cross that this colony will make it through this crummy winter.  I would hate to lose that one.
Three deeps definitely are out of the ordinary here.  Everyone runs with two. 

[riverbee]

i did for several years glock, i don't anymore. it's a lot of spring management and for me the hive bodies were heavy.
i did have some great success with it, as bakers described.  plenty of room for the queen to lay, and can really lay up a storm, avert swarming to a certain degree, nice for nucs or divides. also, in a good year, a good forager force to really fill supers. 

i do have a beek friend in minnesota who has been running the 3 deep system for about 30 years.

[tecumseh]

It is a idea promoted by a couple of indiana beekeepers (who collectively have less experience than either of my hive tools).  They have obtained a $15000 grant from the USDA to research this idea.  From the get go after reading their grant 1) suspect their reading of prior research into the matter was a bit shallow 2) there is no hypothesis as to what concept they are really testing and 3) given the details of their grant I suspect certain detail within the grant itself will be 'estimated' and not really measured (there by short changing any results they may obtain).  the basic idea here is somewhat addressed years ago by Steve Taber (survival rate of different hive shapes) and as a practice it is exactly how Marla Spivak (in a personal conversation) describe how she set up hives for overwintering in Minnesota.  Somewhat the same idea seems to be promoted by Michael Palmer in Vermont.

I would guess both Marla Spivak and Michael Palmer are trying to maximize winter survival rate without biasing their data from feeding.  As to Steve Taber it would seem in the winter time mode bees will move upward but sometimes not outward so well < in extreme winter time habitat shape of the box can effect survival rate since the outside frames are not touched as the cluster moves upward and basically if the cluster hits the top of the box before the end of winter the cluster will die with feed still in the box but not accessible by the cluster.     

[ShepherdsWatchFarm]

I'm entering my 3rd year with 3 deep eight frame hives. They are noticeably stronger and have produced the most honey in the last 2 years. I'm looking forward to this 3rd year coming up.
This is 2 weeks ago in New Jersey:

[brooksbeefarm]

I use to run three deeps, 2 for brood and 1 or 2 for honey with a queen excluder of course. What i liked about it was i only had deeps and always had the right equipment with me at out yards (extra frames, boxes, etc.) then when i went to med., and shallow supers for honey i never had all the equipment with me when i went to out yards (i still don't ). With 8 in. concrete blocks , a 4 or 6 in. hive stands, and 4 deeps, the top 2 deeps honey in some years, that top deep full of honey wasn't fun pulling off (this was before B-Go etc.) carrying to the truck with mad bees all around you . I'm getting back to 2 deeps for brood and med. supers for honey, right now i have every configuration you can make with deeps, med., and shallows for hives, try keeping records with that / Other than the weight i didn't have any problems with deeps. Jack

[Yankee11]

I'm going to be trying several 3 deeps brood chambers this year. I have 2 set up already.

I am doing it same way I decided between screened bottom and solids. Side by side tests and see which works best for me and my area.

[rcannon]

I run three deeps, when the queen is prolific enough and the flow supports it. Not all queens can utilize three deeps. Not all of mine, anyway.
I do like them, when I can get them going. They are honey making machines when the flow hits. The only problem is, I run almost all deeps. Trying to lift a full super off a stack of four or five will make you grunt.

A three deep hive is what I think Michael Bush describes as Panacea. It's big enough to fully support itself, defend itself, feed itself and split itself without harm.

[riverbee]

the three deep system came from and goes back to dr. basil furgala's research and practice (which dr marla spivak adopted), known as the 'horizontal 2 queen system", not sure why it was called this.  many variations have developed since furgalas research and practice of keeping bees in 3 deeps. well worth a google, or to read up on furgala's research and practice.

the 3rd deep is not for the purpose to harvest, it is left on for the queen to lay up in, and honey stores left on for the winter.  in my own experience of running a three deep hive, you must have a young vigorous queen or a vigorous queen to lay up in the third deep. managed properly, and in a good flow, one can get a good honey crop from medium supers, and the bees pack away the honey in the third deep as is said to 'maximize winter survival rate'. i don't know that this is always true, my own success rate was hit and miss.  your queen, your flow/weather will be the key to success barring any other problems.

[Yankee11]

I've watched this video several times and it's helping me see the inside of the boxes as one. He goes into 3 deep systems. I think its worth the 45 minutes.

[Marty68]

i'm thinking about trying this on one of my bigger hives. i think another advantage would be you could pull a frame of brood to put in a swarm box after they are caught. gives a good reason for a caught swarm to stick around. just an idea

[Ray]

I ran 3 deeps in 2013 (my second year). Of the 4 hives I had 3 winter killed. They got stranded (chimney-ed up the center) and starved. I am not claiming it's a bad system, it was a LONG COLD winter.
   BK error! I hefted the hives and they were ( I thought) heavy enough.

Beekeeping in Northern Climates  by
Dr. Basil Fugala & Dr. Marla Spivak & Mr. Gary S. Rueter
U of Minn Extension
It's available through the U of Minn Bookstore $ 25+

One thing I didn't like about it was that top box is HEAVY
and to inspect you have to lift it off and put it back on!

[Yankee11]

I think that at a minimum, running some 3 deep hives. I will learn something that I didn't know or might not learn if I don't do it.  Seems like everything new I try in beekeeping, I learn a great deal from it.