> > >Couldn't agree more and I would add one other item that makes life much
> > simpler, use one size of boxes.
>
>
> My observation is that small-scale beekeepers appear to be hard wired to
> make beekeeping as complicated, expensive, and difficult as possible : )
>

If your point is that mediums make it more complex, I agree and I am a
hobby beekeeper. I will be 80 next April and I would much rather lift
shallow supers full of honey than mediums. Plus two deeps are actually
easier to manage than their equivalent three mediums. Add winter management
and there is no contest here in Maine.

If you are into frame rotation, you have added a box worth for every
colony. If a colony dies, you have one more box to clean up.That amounts to
50% more work, not less.

For us old guys, deep management is actually not much of a problem as I
just inspect and shift half of the frames to another empty deep and then
inspect the remainder, lift it off and then inspect the lower box with no
additional lifting. That is usually a once a year event as any other
inspection is of the top box.

If I had mediums I would have to inspect one more box for every colony.
Plus lift them. Again, more not less effort. And I could not do my one deep
quick look since there wold be two other boxes to worry about.

As far as on size of box, I have no problem keeping honey shallows separate
from deeps that often have different cell sizes (larger in shallows so more
efficient for honey production), but not so with mediums.

And, yes, I have tried mediums and sold all of them.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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