Bob said:

>>> Most commercial beekeepers would NOT keep those hives of five deep
>>> hive bodies. You want all hives in the apiary the same strength.

I said:

>> The statement above is not just false but silly.

Allen said:

> Actually, the first statement is true and wise, the second is false,
> and if anything is silly, I leave it to the reader to decide.

> Bob's reply was from a commercial perspective, based on decades of
> experience across many state lines.

Well, let's run down the parameters:

1)  Only Bob assumed "5 deeps".  I assumed that the original writer meant
    "5 mediums" when he said "5 brood chambers".  If the actual configuration
    is deeps, I would agree with Bob and Allen.  If the configuration is
    mediums, then I would still disagree with Bob (and hence, Allen).
    I await an answer, but I am guessing that we are talking mediums rather
    than deeps.  "5 deeps" >>> WOULD <<< be silly.

2)  Mass-production approaches as used by larger beekeepers are simply
    NOT APPROPRIATE for a small, or even mid-sized beekeepers.  Mass-production
    approaches, where hives are standardized merely for handling, movement, and
    the convenience of preventing hired hands from making mistakes, are clearly
not
    intended to maximize colony strength or honey production for the
"gangbuster"
    colonies.  When one is not faced with hundreds or thousands of hives, one
    can afford to lavish attention and extra woodenware on the most thriving
colonies.
    One cannot afford not to, if one wants a good crop.

3)  A larger colony needs more stores to overwinter.  If Bob feels that one
    deep and one medium are "enough" for a typical colony, one must realize
    that the equivalent in 100% mediums would be either 3 or 4 mediums, as
    deeps contain more contiguous useful comb per vertical inch than a stack
    of mediums of equal height.

Is it such a big stretch to imagine a colony in 5 mediums?  While it is true
that
I myself would not enter winter with such a configuration, my bees (NWCs)
are famous for ceasing brood-rearing early, and wintering with a smaller
cluster.

My most common winter-ready colony is a stack of three mediums.

a) Mass-production assures consistency.
b) Consistency has nothing to do with excellence.
c) Bee colonies vary in strength.

Connect the dots.


                jim (Remember when "log on" meant putting wood on fire?)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::