> >I used to run 9 frames in honey supers. Now I go with 8, evenly spaced >across the super. This works great. The combs are fat, easy to uncap >right back to the wood and yield more wax. My guess is that the 8 frames >might yield a little more honey than 9 as they are drawn out more with >greater cell volume. (Not sure, tho'.) The bees seem to work very well >with the extra "elbow room," which gradually is lessened as the combs are >extended out. They appear to respect this extra-wide spacing in the >honey-storage area without problems. Gives them a chance to do some wax >construction. Another nice thing about 8's is that your handling is >decreased by 11% when extracting (and each comb-unit holds more). Yes >there is burr comb, often containing lots of honey. This is scraped right >down during uncapping with a few fast sweeps of the uncapping knife, and >the frame is clean again - no problem. Hope this helps. Toodaloo, J. After all the years since this controversy first started ie. less frames per super, I still question this. If we are into honey production are we not wasting honey making extra wax? A standard box with 10 frames will hold as much honey as an 8 frame, per volume. If, on extracting we cut the frame back to wood, are we not producing a lot more wax than necessary with a 10 frame set up, and therefore wasting honey on un-necessary wax production. A final point, with an 8 frame set up, you can't slip a frame into the brood box without cutting it around!!! **************************************************** * David Eyre 9 Progress Drive, Unit 2, * * The Beeworks, Orillia, Ontario, L3V 6H1. * * [log in to unmask] 705-326-7171 * * http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks * * Agents for: E H Thorne & B J Sherriff UK. * ****************************************************