14x12 or brood +half

[Gardenbees]

If you can deal with the weight, 14x12 is good. I have two now, plus a long hive that takes 14x12 frames - used for splits over the spring/summer. The weight is only really a problem if you're handling whole frames of honey, or moving whole boxes (which are VERY heavy)... but neither of these is likely to be a frequent occurrence for me and I haven't found it a problem. Whereas two-box systems actually require more lifting and shifting because you need to take the top box off to check the lower one, even when there are no supers.

I do also currently have one brood-and-a-half hive left over from standard frames that made up a 6-frame nuc earlier this year. The boxes are lighter, but they're not great to handle, especially if you want to do a quick inspection with minimum disruption. The standard brood frames were new this year, so I will probably overwinter them as they are, then re-home them next year by using the frames to make up standard nucs (which people still seem to want to buy despite the popularity of 14x12 hives). Otherwise I'll be sticking to 14x12, and I'll be looking for suitable nuc hives for these as well.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

I much prefer 14 x 12 over brood and half. 14 x 12 also better suits the shape of the nest here compared with my old Commercials I used to run 'down south'. There is another option however which I am also using and that is to use a poly hive on BS deep. This allows all frames to be used (as the Queen lays to the edges of the brood box, no cold edges). This increases the available brood area also. Nothing wrong with double brrod either and I have had good success with that also this year, even if they just use the central 7 frames in each box. Still a big brood box 14 frames!

 

[nubee 61]

thanks every one for your comments as i can now see the comb on top of the frames and QE is not really a prob with my hive its just how it is
think i have been put off brood and half didnt think about all the extra frames to check if the bees are having a bad day.

Kevin

 

[MandF]

Well, although given the choice now we would probably go for the 14x12 option, I cannot see the point in going double brood as a better alternative, unless they needed more space than b&h of course. Not with only a few hives anyway.

So, having said I would prefer the 1 brood box instead of b&h (no brainer there), I really dont understand why people have SUCH a downer on it. How often do people do a FULL check of all brood on their hives?

Most inspections we are looking for signs the hive is Q+, if they have enough space, signs of disease, signs of swarming/supercedure.

All the above can usually be ascertained by only checking the half brood, so it remains on the hive, and instead of manipulating deep frames, we are manipulating shallows.. quicker & easier.

When we want to do a full inspection (we want to do a closer check for swarming/space or whatever), then we break down the hive in reverse order and get straight to the deep, replace the half, replace the QE, replace the supers. In that respect it is just another "super" to remove/replace, it is lighter most of the time than the proper supers (so easier) - the only thing we risk is the queen being at the bottom of a shallow frame when we replace the shallow brood onto the the deep.

So, as I said, if we were starting afresh I would probably go for 14 x 12, but I find, with only a few hives to look after, the half brood makes inspections quicker/easier.

Some people make it sound like a complete nightmare