First Hive

[oliver90owner]

If you go the 14 x 12 route - and I am not suggesting you should, at least at this stage - getting them in from a National deep frame is an absolute doddle. Just fill the space under the deeps and they will expand onto the larger format. Need to work at it, yes, but easy.

Changing to 14 x 12 from deeps is simply a matter of fitting an eke under the brood and changing them into it. Home made eke is about four quid and a new set of frames ten quid plus the foundation.

RAB

 

[tonybloke]

if you go down the commercial ( 16 x 10 ) route, please remember that national deep frames are easily converted to fit commercial brood box, just need a bit of wood pinning to the sides of the frames, a piece can be added to the bottom of the frame, or left off, which will allow the bees somewhere to build drone comb

instructions on how to convert are in Ted Hoopers book, it's easy ( must be, I did it)

 

[victor meldrew]

yep, but it will fit in, if needs be

Have you tried it ?
Remember the commercial frame has short lugs !
Frame would not physically fit in a national hive !
National frame would fit in a commercial hive I agree but the gap between frame sides and side wall would lead to it being brace combed to the hive PDQ ?
VM

 

[victor meldrew]

if you go down the commercial ( 16 x 10 ) route, please remember that national deep frames are easily converted to fit commercial brood box, just need a bit of wood pinning to the sides of the frames, a piece can be added to the bottom of the frame, or left off, which will allow the bees somewhere to build drone comb

instructions on how to convert are in Ted Hoopers book, it's easy ( must be, I did it)

How did I miss this post Soz !
VM

 

[tonybloke]

you can see how I adapted frames from national deeps to 16 x 10 in this video

http://youtu.be/qcbkxjWYWZM

 

[Rob55]

Dusty, you crack me up, keep posting, great value You are in just the same boat as myself (just a bit further up the river).

Those of you running standard nationals, is it not inevitable that within a season or two the hive will be at full capacity? At this stage, you either stick on another brood box, convert to 14x12, or split the hive?

If that's the case, I would be happy to start off 14x12, means I should hopefully end up with a larger single colony, which has more chance of surviving the winter and ultimately more honey? Or am I getting a bit ahead of myself..

 

[biglongdarren]

if you were in an area with a very short flowering season and not much about and your bees were in a Commercial would it take them longer to start storing in a super rather than a smaller national?
Darren.

 

[tonybloke]

it could do, but my bees have a larger brood box to store honey and pollen in for the winter. it's not all about honey production ( for me)

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Dusty, you crack me up, keep posting, great value You are in just the same boat as myself (just a bit further up the river)..

Thanks, Rob55. Just to be clear, this doesn't mean we're engaged.

Just both up the creek without a paddle.

D.

 

[Teemore]

if you were in an area with a very short flowering season and not much about and your bees were in a Commercial would it take them longer to start storing in a super rather than a smaller national?
Darren.

Rob, Darren draws attention to a valid point. Non prolific bees may be lost in a Commercial hive. They will use the extra space for stores BUT they may not store anything else in a Super. In 2011 I had opportunity to view colonies that only stored their surplus in the brood boxes of commercial hives and declined to store anything in the supers. The beekeeper even removed queen excluders to try and encourage them up into the supers but this did not work. On the other hand I saw colonies in Commercial hives that were bursting with bees and which filled three+ supers to boot.

The strain of bees you purchase and local conditions will dictate how well a colony can use any brood box and if it looks as if a particular brood box is too big you can always use insulated dummy boards to reduce the volume.

 

[Rob55]

if it looks as if a particular brood box is too big you can always use insulated dummy boards to reduce the volume.

I think that's the plan, I'm going to buy a few extra dummy boards from the outset and get a feel for how prolific the bees look to be and give them room as and when they need it. Just spoken with a joiner from Donegal selling hives on DoneDeal, going to go up some evening this week for a look at the quality of them and if they are good I'll probably go for one as they are well priced and although not made of red ceder they do look the part.

 

[Teemore]

Always check that the bee space is right before you buy!!

 

[oliver90owner]

I'm going to buy a few extra dummy boards from the outset

Err, why not make/buy just one divider and be done with it?

RAB

 

[Rob55]

I'm going to buy a few extra dummy boards from the outset

Err, why not make/buy just one divider and be done with it?

RAB

That would sound a bit more sensible alright

 

[Rob55]

Slight update. I spoke with a neighbour who keeps bees approx 1km away and he tells me there is excellent early forage nearby, and that his bees have their honey in by April, last year he managed to harvest 4 full supers from one hive and still had plenty of stores to see them through the winter.

He tells me he uses the Dadant, which is not a hive I had really thought about myself, so I'll have to do a little research on that. To the best of my knowledge there aren't many others in my area who keeps bees, so it would be handy to be using the same equipment. Then again, maybe a national or deep national is still the way to go...

Decisions!

 

[Rob55]

There we go, purchases now made.

BB Wear full suit + gloves

Th*rne complete 14x12 national, gabled roof and sloping stand

Sorted

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

There we go, purchases now made.

BB Wear full suit + gloves

Th*rne complete 14x12 national, gabled roof and sloping stand

Sorted

Oh no!!!

Tell me you didn't!!!

Are you sure that was wise?

You'll have the TBH/poly/Warre/wacky baccy brigades after your hide now.

D

 

[drstitson]

he's gone for gabled roof and sloping stand to appease the traditionalists!

 

[Teemore]

There we go, purchases now made.

BB Wear full suit + gloves

Th*rne complete 14x12 national, gabled roof and sloping stand

Sorted

Good start: hope you enjoy keeping bees in it.

 

[Bob Bee]

There we go, purchases now made.

BB Wear full suit + gloves

Th*rne complete 14x12 national, gabled roof and sloping stand

Sorted

good choice, have fun