> I know a beekeeper in Manitoba who says his 'mother' colonies, those that were overwintered and used for splits, regularly are in seven deeps!

Having done beekeeping in the far Southwest as well as the far Northeast, I think that I have seen much larger colonies in the colder regions. This is logical, for several reasons. Colonies in cold climates are compelled to store more honey in a shorter season than those in a mediterranean climate. Next, the rapid increase in day length causes a more rapid buildup, which produces higher actual populations than a slow, steady buildup over time. On the other hand, I have seen some very large colonies in southern California, too. 

My rule of thumb is to start taking off supers when the hives get too tall, so I don't really know how tall they would get if I kept on adding them. As an inspector, I visited one yard where several hives were far too tall for me to reach the top box. I figured the beekeeper must have been working off the bed of his truck. He had a two by four propping one of them up, guess he thought it might tip over. Some folks have remarked that colonies don't get as big as "they used to." But that may be just a rear view mirror distortion.

PLB

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