I did a search before posting and did find some posts about converting from deeps to mediums, but they were more about box manipulation on the hive.  My question is different.

As I fight tooth and nail to resist acknowledging the fact that I am getting older (am already old?), I have to face the fact that the spirit may be willing, but the body is weaker than it used to be.  Specifically, my back.  After years of weight-lifting in my stupid youth, and years of lifting anything an everything any old way, I managed to tweak my lower back several times this past winter moving snow.  To the point where I needed to wear both a lower back belt and a sacroiliac belt to give the ligaments time to heal.  It took months to get back to a semblance of normal, but even now, I seem to have a lingering disk issue, which is only exacerbated by my lifestyle of long hours on planes and seated in front of computers.

Since I began beekeeping over 16 years ago, I have used a three deep configuration for the main hive.  I started out using DE hives and David Eyre was/is a proponent of using three deeps.  I liked the idea and have operated that way ever since.  I do think it provides more space for brood rearing, more stores for winter (which matters here in New Hampshire) and helps reduce swarming, by reducing crowding inside the hive.  Years ago I converted to standard boxes and frames, but still run three deeps with a vent box on top for ventilation (Dave's recommendation) and a screened bottom board with a slatted board over it (my own idea), for the same reason.  Another advantage is that I don't need to use a queen excluder, because the queen never works up through three deeps into the supers.  But, this year, as I manipulated hives, I realized that these deeps are HEAVY.  There are always a few that are full of honey, and they can be brutal, especially because they are usually on top of the stack.  I have been very careful this year (a back belt is now a standard tool in my beekeeping kit), but I just KNOW that I will screw up at some point, a slip, a misstep, whatever.  I have a hive right now that I call the Superhive, because it has five supers on over three deeps and has more bees in it than I have ever seen, but I have not gone in it once this year.  Primarily, because I just don't have it in me to dig into those deeps, because the top one was jammed full of honey before I started adding supers.  Bad beekeeper, I know.  I would love to split it to get those genetics (daughter of a Glenn Apiary VSH queen), especially since I don't treat them for Varroa.  Hopefully, I will bite the bullet and get in there before they swarm.

So, I am considering converting to mediums.  Am thinking run four mediums as the brood chamber, which would be closer to the three deeps I run now (3 x 9 5/8 in. = 28 7/8 in. vs. 4 x 6 5/8 = 26 1/2 in.).  Because I have so many deeps (3 per hive x 12 + 2 boxes of broken down boxes to be assembled as future replacements), I am thinking I could just cut down the boxes on my table saw (cut off the bottom three inches).  This would help revitalize some of the older boxes, whose corners have gotten pretty chewed up over the years from my hive tool, and I would gain a mess of shims for future use.

Does anyone see any problems with doing this cutdown?  Some of the boxes have box joints.  Do you think they will be weakened too much, if cut partially through?

The advantages would be 1) reduced weight of boxes, and 2) standardization of equipment).  The down side is that I would have FOUR boxes to manipulate in the spring.  So, does anyone think that running four mediums would be overkill?  Would you recommend just three?  By the same token, should I consider dropping down to just two deeps?  Would mean they would not be so high up and would be easier to work.

All this is just in the consideration stage right now.  Conceptually, I'm really reluctant to give up deeps.  Am even considering removing frames into a second box, when manipulating, to reduce the load.  I am doing a little of that now, but it does tend to stir up the bees more.  So, any and all thoughts on the subject are appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

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