Poly Hive
Queen Bee
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2008
- Messages
- 14,093
- Reaction score
- 393
- Location
- Scottish Borders
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 12 and 18 Nucs
R.O.B. Manlyy wrote in Honey Farming P's 67 + 68:
"All our super frames, also, have their top and bottom bars of the same width 1 1/8", which is a great assistance in rapid uncapping, the knife passing under the cappings in contact with both top and bottom bars. why extracting frames are ever made with narrow bottoms, I cannot ever guess."
The side bars are 46mm wide giving 8 in a Langstroth and 9 in a National super.
One down side to using Manley frames is a serious amount of honey is removed in the uncapping process which requires some thought to separate from the wax.
The upside is returning extracted Manley frames gives the wax workers some serious work to do and keeps their minds on building honey comb not queen cells.
The "wall" that Manley frames provides in a super gives an extra air gap on two sides of the super to help the bees maintain warmth.
The same "wall" effect minimises the movement of the super frames and consequent casualties whilst moving hives.
Every bee-keeper should have a few if for just this reason and no other. They are ideal for producing cut comb, and interspersed between your "normal" frames whether on blossom or heather will help you in presenting a lovely present to your loved ones or give you the chance to try for that show bench place, whether with the entire comb, or as cut comb. I used to mark mine with "CC" in permanent marker to identify them easily.
Getting them drawn out can be a bit of a pain but with a mix of some Hoffmans, and the Manleys it is by no means that difficult. The bees seem to like them too.
I recommend them to you.
PH
"All our super frames, also, have their top and bottom bars of the same width 1 1/8", which is a great assistance in rapid uncapping, the knife passing under the cappings in contact with both top and bottom bars. why extracting frames are ever made with narrow bottoms, I cannot ever guess."
The side bars are 46mm wide giving 8 in a Langstroth and 9 in a National super.
One down side to using Manley frames is a serious amount of honey is removed in the uncapping process which requires some thought to separate from the wax.
The upside is returning extracted Manley frames gives the wax workers some serious work to do and keeps their minds on building honey comb not queen cells.
The "wall" that Manley frames provides in a super gives an extra air gap on two sides of the super to help the bees maintain warmth.
The same "wall" effect minimises the movement of the super frames and consequent casualties whilst moving hives.
Every bee-keeper should have a few if for just this reason and no other. They are ideal for producing cut comb, and interspersed between your "normal" frames whether on blossom or heather will help you in presenting a lovely present to your loved ones or give you the chance to try for that show bench place, whether with the entire comb, or as cut comb. I used to mark mine with "CC" in permanent marker to identify them easily.
Getting them drawn out can be a bit of a pain but with a mix of some Hoffmans, and the Manleys it is by no means that difficult. The bees seem to like them too.
I recommend them to you.
PH