Author Topic: Mediums (Read 35177 times)

Jen · « **on:** January 07, 2014, 12:09:11 am »

Now that I know what a nuc is.... What is a medium?

Slowmodem · « **Reply #1 on:** January 07, 2014, 12:19:48 am »

Quote from: jaybird on January 07, 2014, 12:09:11 am

Now that I know what a nuc is.... What is a medium?

Hive boxes come in three sizes (more or less) deep, medium and shallow. Deep is tall, medium is medium, and shallow is short. A rule of thumb is two deeps equals three mediums or four shallows.

Moots · « **Reply #2 on:** January 07, 2014, 12:35:59 am »

jaybird,
Since Slowmodem handled that one rather quickly....Let me try and anticipate your next question.

Traditionally, each of these three sizes are made to hold 10 frames. However, a new trend that some have gone to is using boxes made to hold 8 frames instead of 10. This gives you a little more weight savings for lifting and "some" believe that the narrower width doesn't require as much encouragement to get the bees to draw out the end frames.

To further confuse the issue...Some people will shave down their frames to fit an extra in the brood box, while using one less in the honey supers to get thicker, easier to uncap in their opinion, comb.

So, someone using traditional 10 frame boxes might have 11 frames in the Brood boxes and 9 in the Honey supers. While someone using 8's might run 9 frames and 7 respectfully.

Currently, I use 8 frame mediums for everything, brood and honey supers, and actually use 8 frames in each.

Perry · « **Reply #3 on:** January 07, 2014, 06:26:33 am »

Excellent replies.

G3farms · « **Reply #4 on:** January 07, 2014, 07:26:40 am »

To me this is where a couple of bee supply catalogs come in real handy.

Not only listing the sizes of the boxes but also the frames and foundations that can be used in them.

iddee · « **Reply #5 on:** January 07, 2014, 08:12:50 am »

And to add to the confusion, a medium is also called an Illinois super, and a western super. Three names for the same box. It is 6 5/8 inch high.

Jen · « **Reply #6 on:** January 08, 2014, 12:25:23 am »

Scrambled eggs in my head. But I'll get it. I'm interested in the mediums I think. I have one hive two deeps high. And Hubby just barely got the top honey super off and on the ground this last fall. I thought we were going to have a calamity. Didn't anticipate it being that heavy.

Thanks everyone, for the nice thread!

Perry · « **Reply #7 on:** January 08, 2014, 06:15:11 am »

Full deep of honey = close to 90 lbs.
Full medium = 70 pounds

tecumseh · « **Reply #8 on:** January 08, 2014, 06:54:23 am »

it is thread like this one that make you somewhat understand why a beekeeper dictionary often confuses anyone not immersed in this addiction. I know I see lots of folks who show up for our bee school shaking their heads in the beginner class and appearing quite dazed by it all.

to add a bit more detail...
well actually Moot there is nothing really new about 8 frame equipment and this was (way back when ever???) commonly used in a pollination setting <the slightly thinner profile meant you could configure one more stack on the width of a standard truck bed and the slightly smaller dimension meant the individual boxes were a bit easier to toss around < this is of course way back when everything was loaded on truck by hand and it took quite a bit of effort to toss that last hive up to the height of the trucks head board. this was of course in 'the good old days' of beekeeping... well maybe not so much!

then there were jumbos which were 12 frames an these looked (not certain if the overall dimensions were exactly the same) quite a bit like what are called national boxes in Europe. saw and used a few of these perhaps 30+ years ago and basically once they were made up as nucs and you installed a queen even thinking about movin' one of those bad boys would hurt your back.

Moots · « **Reply #9 on:** January 08, 2014, 09:33:31 am »

tec,
Very interesting....I did not know that bit of history on the use of 8 frames. I guess, right or wrong, what I was really trying to say is that the "trend" is somewhat new and that the use of 8 frames is becoming more mainstream amongst newbie beekeepers, such as myself.

No doubt, all the terminology and information is enough to make any newbie's head spin! I know mine has at times...

Beekeeping is one of those hobbies that the more you learn, the more you realize how much you really don't know.

mamapoppybee · « **Reply #10 on:** January 08, 2014, 10:04:01 am »

when i started seeing all the different suppers it was a bit confussing but looked at afew pages of mann lakes catalog and figured out what they were for. I like that there is always something new to learn a motivated brane is a strong one! Im also going with 8 frames not sure how into helping with the bees the hubby will be. So my being able to work it with out killing my self is important.

Jen · « **Reply #11 on:** January 08, 2014, 03:10:13 pm »

I'm with ya mama, hubby helps me a lot, but he is often gone working or taking care of his dad. So, I want to be able to handle any situation if I need to. This spring, I'll be splitting my one and only hive, so I think I'll go with:

a medium 8 frame brood box, and a shallow honey super....

or two medium brood boxes, and then shallow honey supers....

or, maybe one deep brood box and shallow honey supers....

or......................

kebee · « **Reply #12 on:** January 08, 2014, 03:38:10 pm »

I went with 2 deeps for brood boxes and putting a queen excluder on when a flow begins and medium boxes on top. Only check the deeps once a year, usually in the spring and let them rip and do their thing, don't like messing with the bees to much.

Ken

Jen · « **Reply #13 on:** January 08, 2014, 04:22:51 pm »

Perry quoted:

a deep of honey can be 90 lbs
a medium of honey can be 70 lbs

I wonder how much a deep with just brood weighs? If I could get it off and set it down with ease...

and how much would a shallow of honey weigh?

riverbee · « **Reply #14 on:** January 08, 2014, 04:59:10 pm »

"I went with 2 deeps for brood boxes and putting a queen excluder on when a flow begins and medium boxes on top. Only check the deeps once a year, usually in the spring and let them rip and do their thing, don't like messing with the bees to much."

lol, i like ken's no nonsense approach to keeping bees, especially the "rip and do their thing".......

sorta been doing a little of that myself for the past year, and really it's amazing that the bees can sustain themselves for a certain period of time with minimal intervention.

ok jen if i missed this my apologies, why did you decide to use shallow supers?

iddee · « **Reply #15 on:** January 08, 2014, 05:53:42 pm »

""and really it's amazing that the bees can sustain themselves for a certain period of time with minimal intervention.""

A certain period of time?? You mean like tens of thousands of years??

Slowmodem · « **Reply #16 on:** January 08, 2014, 06:29:59 pm »

Quote from: iddee on January 08, 2014, 05:53:42 pm

A certain period of time?? You mean like tens of thousands of years??

Jen · « **Reply #17 on:** January 08, 2014, 10:46:11 pm »

riv- both mama and I were talking about being able to manage our hives by ourselves. My guy helps a lot but he's gone a lot as well with work and caretaking his dad.

I'm going to split my one and only hive this spring. I need a set up where I can lift the supers myself. Me and my lower back lifting a 90 lb honey super off of a deep brood box just isn't going to happen.

If you go back about 3 posts, I'm comparing poundage.

What does a full deep brood box weigh?

riverbee · « **Reply #18 on:** January 08, 2014, 11:52:55 pm »

well, you guys know what i meant for the 'certain period of time' thing.......LOL. my bees in boxes haven't been pestered for well over a year by me, with little management and they are or seem to be doing okay as far as i can tell from a distance but some look like they need some requeening......lol can't imagine trying to separate those boxes when the time comes.....i will just call on you guys to come and pry them apart....

jen, medium supers, average weight, maybe 60-65 pounds.....perry said the max at 70 lbs, when full of honey. true they can be. deep broods, yeah they are a stinker to lift off. weight? the older i get the harder it is for me too, i am not as strong as i used to be. i don't mess around too much anymore moving these around except when necessary. i just meant why would you choose a shallow super vs a medium super? if you are concerned about the weight in lifting a honey super off, then get an extra box, and divide the frames up between the two boxes....so, taking a super off.....get an extra box, put some frames in the extra box, so that the box on the hive is not so heavy to lift off. just take frames out to lighten the load between two boxes so you are not killing your back.

divides.....well, lifting the deeps is another story. so your choice to go with a combination of a deep/ mediums i get. i wouldn't use shallows though. just my ho.

Jen · « **Reply #19 on:** January 09, 2014, 01:03:19 am »

riv- Duh.. why didn't I think of that... snark

Okay so, a deep for brood, and a medium for winter stores?

Or a deep for brood, and a another deep for winter store?

then additional stacked mediums for honey For Me?