Hello Bob D. & All,

Bob D. asks:
> You didn't ask the question to have a discussion of singles vs  doubles vs
> triples.

When I ran bees in Florida and had less hives I preferred singles. In my
opinion singles are easy but singles need looked at often and careful
feeding or the bees will hit the trees. You can get quite a bit of comb
drawn using singles (and nucs). Foundation is a way to keep the bees busy.

We have got a commercial beek in Missouri which runs around 1200 hives in
singles in spring then combines for winter. He did send hives to California
with us one year and his hives graded  great.

Doubles are the standard for migratory beeks. Easier too care for in many
ways and in my opinion better to winter with than singles. You can winter in
singles if you can get 60 pounds of feed on before winter and get out in
spring ( Feb.) and feed if needed.  You will many times get a bigger honey
crop with a properly set up single than a double as quite a bit of your
honey crop *can* go into the storage of the doubles.
However there is a way to get much better honey production with doubles.

Triples can produce larger hives in my opinion with some supplemental
feeding. Without the bees will fill all three deeps with honey before moving
into the supers. I do believe that the bees *seem* to winter better in three
deeps in the north and its easy to take the bottom super away in spring
because the bottom is usually empty of bees and honey. I personally do not
know of a single commercial migratory beek which runs his bees on pallets in
three deeps. Does a member of the list know of such a beek?

David Hackenberg runs his bees in two deeps and a shallow. He has explained
why but I am not sold. I also have tried and do not care for a deep and a
medium or shallow but I have a friend which runs 8000 in a deep and a
medium. However he is on the Alabama border.

I like two deeps and prefer deep supers but have gone mostly to mediums as
the deeps seem heavier than they did forty years ago.

If I could turn back the clock I would put slats on the ends of all my
boxes. Lifting boxes with the industry standard hand holds has deformed my
fingers by creating muscles in my fingers in places A non beekeeper would
not have muscles. I never really noticed till Sharon Gibbons ( Missouri lady
commercial beekeeper) noticed my fingers and showed me hers.

If you are a commercial beek look at your hands with your thumbs up. If your
hands are like Sharon & Mine they will cup in the design to fit the standard
hand holds. Our hypothesis is that those handholds are poor for lifting and
it takes finger muscle to hold the fingers in the handhold. Years of lifting
has formed the muscles.

Jump in lurkers and give your thoughts. The list is always interested in the 
ways
 beeks keep bees.

bob
















> * General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
> * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
> ****************************************************

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************