Commercial hive query

[jeff33]

Good morning all, I am looking to buy some commercial brood boxes this winter and although they are not exactly the same size as national I read that people use national supers on top. Is it a good fit or should I also get comm. supers? Thanks

 

[Brian Bush]

National Supers are good on commercials.
Why use commercials that are difficult to lift? Why not use 14x12 instead?

 

[jeff33]

National Supers are good on commercials.
Why use commercials that are difficult to lift? Why not use 14x12 instead?

This is also an option, I just read they have the same amount of worker cells. I was looking at it for my production hives at my out apiary. The bees I have down there are quite prolific and as I don't have any storage down there I wanted to get the biggest size so I don't have to carry or risk forgetting boxes.

 

[Poly Hive]

I keep spare kit at my out apiaries. You never know when you are going to need that extra super or BB or nuc so it pays to have them to hand.

PH

 

[jeff33]

I guess spares can be stacked up on top of hives. How many times have I been done by forgetting something, a QE, a crown board, etc..

 

[Poly Hive]

I use my clearer boards to sit on a floor thus sealing the stach from below. The stack contains BB's supers, q exs and topped off with a couple of CB's and another clearer board then roof.

Nucs can just sit there, not a problem.

Bit of a pain to get it there and bacxk but a damn sight bigger pain to do a 100 mile round trip because I forgot something.

PH

 

[REDWOOD]

I use my clearer boards to sit on a floor thus sealing the stach from below. The stack contains BB's supers, q exs and topped off with a couple of CB's and another clearer board then roof.

Nucs can just sit there, not a problem.

Bit of a pain to get it there and bacxk but a damn sight bigger pain to do a 100 mile round trip because I forgot something.

PH

I learnt the hard way but now I have all the bits and bobs stacked in my outer apiaries and a boot full of you never knows.

 

[Swarm]

National Supers are good on commercials.
Why use commercials that are difficult to lift? Why not use 14x12 instead?

They have 'normal' lugs that's all but a much better frame shape for handling than a 14x12.

 

[mbc]

They have 'normal' lugs that's all but a much better frame shape for handling than a 14x12.

 

[Hivemaker.]

They have 'normal' lugs that's all but a much better frame shape for handling than a 14x12.

much better than the 14x12 abomination.

 

[MuswellMetro]

much better than the 14x12 abomination.

so long as you have strong fingers to use the small half moon hand holds in the sides of the commercial brood box which can weight >70lbs

 

[SDM]

National Supers are good on commercials.
Why use commercials that are difficult to lift? Why not use 14x12 instead?

For me it's simply because I can make 4 commercial brood boxes in the same time it takes me to make one 14 X 12 or standard national and the dimensions of the side bars make the timber more expensive to buy.
If you have problems with lifting boxes by the scalloped handles add a bar to the sides.

 

[Hachi]

I run Comrcl Brood boxes below national supers and never had a problem. I can also make them for about £5 each. Also, as I make them I put my own handles on the outside that makes lifting easy.

 

[Hivemaker.]

so long as you have strong fingers to use the small half moon hand holds in the sides of the commercial brood box which can weight >70lbs

...here you you go, never thought of this, did you MM.

If you have problems with lifting boxes by the scalloped handles add a bar to the sides.

Also, as I make them I put my own handles on the outside that makes lifting easy.

Seen plenty of them with side bars added but never really liked the idea, as it they don't sit up tight together in a load, easy enough to just pick them up under the floor.

 

[SDM]

...here you you go, never thought of this, did you MM.

Seen plenty of them with side bars added but never really liked the idea, as it they don't sit up tight together in a load, easy enough to just pick them up under the floor.

I don't use side bars, but since I'm all mesh floors, I don't remove roofs for transportation, so a side bar would make no difference, the roof would still be the widest point.
Come to think of it, since I use the same width timber for my roofs as I do for boxes, if I made a sidebar from the same timber ( always at the same height) they'd probably stack tighter in the trailer.

 

[jeff33]

The comm is being sold to me far better than the 14x12 at the moment. The grip shouldn't be too much of a problem... So he says! thanks all.