> In areas of heavy honey flows deeps are needed. many times four are placed 
> at a time.

I know a number of commercial beekeepers who use exclusively mediums for 
honey supers.  In addition to being lighter, mediums clear faster, since the 
bees, air blast, fumes and/or light -- depending on the clearing method --  
have less distance to travel.

Of course there are 50% more boxes to handle, but the work is lighter. 
Moreover, smaller frames can be spun considerably faster in the extractor 
without exploding, and, additionally, even at the same RPM, they empty 
faster than standards since a higher percentage of the comb is near the top 
bar.  In any frame in a radial extractor, the honey at the bottom bar, is 
subject to much weaker centripetal force, being closer to the axis, and is 
thus the slowest to run up the comb and be flung out.

> We usually start pulling supers a daylight. ( the bees are always easy to 
> work then and temps are in 70's so the bees move quickly from the boxes.) 
> If you have not tried removing supers early give a try.

There is the added advantage that any nectar from the previous day will have 
been dried down to honey overnight.  There is less risk of extracting a lot 
of fresh nectar.  Nectar can be as runny as water and can dilute extracted 
honey from an acceptable 17% up to and unacceptable 20% quite easily if the 
same boxes are pulled at the end of a 20-lb nectar day instead of the next 
AM.

Those with hive scales may wish to comment how much weight loss due to water 
evaporation they have seen overnight.  That 20lbs of gathered nectar may 
turn out to actually be 5lbs of honey or less.  BTW, this is also a heads-up 
to supply more empty comb that you expect to see full at extracting time. 
It may be full some nights, but empty again by morning.

> Using older help in pulling deeps is in my opinion not wise. Having 
> handled heavy supers my whole life I try to move the pallet as close as I 
> can to the hive the supers are coming off of. I set up my yards for the 
> purpose. Then the help simply makes a quick lift ( and does almost no 
> steps ) to place the heavy supers on the special pallet. The heavy super 
> is NEVER lifted again.

Even younger people will be damaged over time if overloaded.  The damage due 
to excess weight on joints, and particularly the lower back is cumulative. 
It may not show up for years, but it is there, so a responsible beekeeper 
will work to provide as many lifting aids as possible, teach techniques that 
avoid lifting and rotating, and avoid having staff carrying loads longer 
distances than necessary.  With some thought and innovation, much of the 
lifting can be eliminated in the field and honey house, but it will never be 
totally eliminated.  Many beekeepers lift boxes heavy down and then back up. 
This can usually be avoided.  Any lifting should ideally be down or straight 
across.

Young guys tend to be macho and will lift things that are too heavy in ways 
that strain their backs, even if told not to.  Education is necessary and 
supervision should be ever-vigilant for ego contests between young bucks 
that can take them out of the game.

> Moves into to hot room by forklift, placed on a special lift pallet jack 
> which can raise the pallet up to 31 in. from the floor so no bending over. 
> frames removed to uncapper.  I am always looking for ideas and 
> suggestions. Too many commercial operations rely on handling heavy supers 
> maybe four to fives times. Simply a waste of energy and man power.  Use 
> you head first and back last.

That advice cannot be repeated too many times.

It just takes one bad lift -- perhaps even a normal sort of lift on a day 
when a helper is weakened by a virus -- to result in pain for a lifetime. 

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