Scott from Livermore, CA here! This thread (I started it) reminds me of Bugs Bunny asking Elmer Fud “What’s all the hub-bub bub?”.

Just to clarify, I started beekeeping in 1974-80 during HS/Uni. During the 80s I periodically helped my dad with 75 colonies for several years then got back into it 6 years ago. I only have 6 DD/20 frame colonies and produce cut comb for a few classy restaurants. I’m not a "survival of the fittest", a "my bees are so  happy" or a "treat them all even if they don't need it" beek. I read a lot of publication/association/ABJ (Randy's as well) info, work hard at taking care of my colonies, monitoring and treating for mites, managing for spring swarming, rearing and selling the best local queens I can, perform frequent colony inspections, read the bees/frames to determine what to do and when, mentor newer beeks and am a bee keeping focus group leader for my local bee keeping association. I'm just a small one person business beek trying to learn more about bee behavior, nutrition, colony management IPM, etc. and make a small living doing it!

I hope that is good enough to qualify me as more than just a newbe trying to make bee keeping more complicated. I DO know that I DON'T know it all, I don't believe everything I'm told or hear, I listen carefully, I think things through and reason thing out and I question the issues and even myself.

So yes, I'm going to try a 31 regular frame horizontal box and see if I can keep two colonies on the ends and produce combined cut comb in the middle. I'm also going to try a 29 regular frame version in the same type of box (trying to keep it simple) in a four 5 frame nuc with cut comb between (trying to make it more complicated) configuration. I know that there is a lot that can and likely will not work well. There are some good long hive designs out there and I've talked to a number of respectable folks (at leased I think they are) that run long hives and read several bikes to learn as much as I can. The raised height of the box, easy access to cut comb frames, and lighter lifting will help my back and give me something new to tinker with. Yes, I'll continue to split colonies in the spring and run regular DD/20 frame colonies for cut comb production! Wouldn't want to through out the baby with the bath water!



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