Mats asked about the large frames used in Modified Dadant hives.

Yes, these frames were specifically sized to also fit (depth-wise) into two
Modified Dadant supers.

I don't believe that any Modified Dadant equipment is still made
commercially, although foundation and frames are still readily available
(from Dadant).  Moreover, thousands of the boxes still exist and are used
every year.  Some have said that this size is the best ever made
(commercially) for honeybees.  The difficulty was that when filled with
honey the boxes were too heavy to lift!

I started with this equipment, as when I bought my hives the beekeeper told
me he was only willing to sell the hives because they were in non-standard
equipment.  As I recall, the boxes held 12, instead of 10 frames.  Moreover,
the boxes were 2" (5 cm) higher than the Langstroth, so the frames were also
2" higher.  The width of the boxes (and frames) were the same as the
Langstroth.

So, with 11 frames (to leave room for manipulation), instead of 9, and each
frame being 2" longer, the deeps weighed over 100 pounds each when filled.
Wow.  The supers were our standard 6 5/8th (16.83 cm), but wider by the two
frames.  Even they weighed about 65 pounds when filled!

These were said to be the best for the bees, as the larger size accommodated
more honey for winter storage as well as more egg laying space for the
queen.  In fact, our greatest comb honey producer, Killion, used only
Modified Dadant brood chambers.  He just used a board to block the space for
two frames when he set the Langstroth supers on top. He credited the extra
frames with substantially reducing swarming, by increasing the space
available to the queen.

A few years ago I was astounded to learn that these boxes are the 'standard'
in France.  However, they use a beekeeping system that involves only one
brood box, so they rarely have to lift a full deep.  For supers they use the
6 5/8th.


Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner of Ross Rounds, manufacturer of comb honey equipment
for beekeepers and Sundance pollen traps.
http://www.rossrounds.com
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