Heavy lifting associated with a brood and a half

[Finman]

[Just use a box that is big enough!
QUOTE]

The simple point is:
I have back pain. I simply CANNOT lift a box bigger than a national safely. I would if I could but I can't.
Cazza

I do not use excluder. I let the queen lay freely. Actually workers command, where the queen lay.

But there is no problem, how many brood boxes I have.

Biggest job is to look during swarming time, is there queen cells. If they are, I can see them in the topmost brood box. No need to go lower, because I do not brake them. When I see couple cells, I know that it is going to swarm. Then I make a false swarm and I let them break extra queen cells themselves.



Lowest box is freen from honey and brood. It will act as pollen store.
For wintering I push the bees to the 2 loweat box and thats it.

6-8 box hives are labporpous to nurse. That I admit. But 4 box hive is not able to get good yield.

Why to catch small fishes if you get salmons

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[eleanor20]

Wouldn't the smoker burn your knees? I once took off a plastic QE on the floor and put smoker down on top of it! Wasn't much use after that with a massive circle melted out of the middle..... And that is how that particular hive ended up being brood and a half as I didn't have another QE to replace it at the time!

 

[Pete D]

When I started last year I had a std national and a brood and half as my first 2 colonies that I brought to get me started. Despite my best newbee intentions and regular inspections they both swarmed, the brood and half twice.
I admit to being slow and a bit clumsy with my inspections initially and I found that the extra time taken in a brood and half once I had a reason to look at all the frames wound the bees up and as a newbee I was a bit intimidated by thousands of inpatient bees.
When I got the chance (2nd swarm) I put an excluder in and reduced it too a single std brood. By now I had 5 hives (housed the swarms) and as it was mid summer most of the swarming was over along with my crop and I was more proficient at inspections.
I made the decision to change over to 14x12 later last year and found that suits my style much better and the bees have not complained either.
Inspections now take barely a few minutes depending on my reason for going in, following my experience with Chris B, dummy out, slide 3-4 frames over straight into the brood, check a couple of frames as required and close up if all is well, if not dig deeper and take action accordingly. If swarm / health checking then more frames are looked at.
14x12 suits me.
If I was to start over I would go Poly Langstroffs
Oh and I rope in a fellow beek for heavy lifting and return the favour as required.
Pete D

 

[m100]

Apart from topping up winter stores under a brood box, brood and a half is always a total abortion. During a season it has zero merit. If you need a bigger box, 14x12 or double brood, NEVER brood and a half.

If lifting is a problem then significantly increase the height of your hive stands (the vast majority are IMHO way too low, exacerbated by the use of single brood nationals) If you are bending over to manipulate a frame then the hive stand is too low. If you then need to reach up a stack of supers or the top box of a double brood then build a suitable step.

If you can't lift a brood box then move to all shallow boxes. If you can't lift a shallow box them then the crap from Tescos is the only answer.

 

[Finman]

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My friend, a retired woman, has so small power in her hand muscles that she cannot lift langstroth honey box.