> Paul - DON'T use the 9 frame spacers in your brood chambers. Although I usually agree with Joel, this time I have to disagree a bit; Not that the 9 frame spacers are ideal, IMO, they are not, but if you happen to have straight end bar frames, they are a solution, and if you use the Woodman end bars, they reduce gumming of the frames together. If you like them, use them. If they are in the box anyways, you may not want to remove them since with only a few boxes, it is nice to be able to interchange super boxes and brood boxes. Using this spacing, you can get away with warped combs that would not work well if crowded together. At one time half or more of my outfit had 9 frame spacers in the brood boxes. I never saw any difference in the hundreds of hives that were spaced with ten frame spacing and those hundreds with nine. I find the ten frame spacing *slightly* more convenient and flexible, and am moving towards no spacers, but it is not a priority. FWIW Regards Allen W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper VE6CFK RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta Canada T0M 1Y0 Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask] Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>