National 14x12 brood box used as a super

[oliver90owner]

Comments about 14 x 12s blowing out at extraction are exaggerated - unless you extract them radially! Leaning against the tangential screens rather prevents that happening, shirley?

 

[VEG]

Shirley temple?

 

[Graham40]

Well good luck with that, if you've ever had to pick the bits out of an extractor after a frame blowing out you'd keep a close eye on the condition it doesn't matter if its tangential or radial the results are the same, you can save picking all the bits out if you use a fine mesh on the tangential holder if not it tends to mash it into even smaller parts as the frames squeezed through the holder not a pretty sight, For heather we use a loosener first then sit the frame in a mesh bag, for candied OSR if its a brood frame it gets fed back later

 

[bustergrimes]

Interesting debate.

I don't have any personal ideas why 2 brood boxes would be better for the bees, that's why I was enquiring. I worked at a place in NZ and they only had 1 size of box for everything. Neither their bees or us had any particular issues (beside lugging the boxes around) and we used to scape the honey straight off the frames so there were no problems with extraction either.

 

[Ali Pasha]

Isn't this part of the Rose Hive principle?

 

[bustergrimes]

I have no idea what that is!

 

[itma]

Isn't this part of the Rose Hive principle?

I have no idea what that is!

The 'Rose' hive is a concept using just one size of box (OSB). Tim Rowe's (Rose - get it?) choice is actually deeper than a National Shallow (super) but shallower than a National Deep (brood).
It is very much smaller than the National Jumbo (14x12) that is the subject of this thread.

Searching the forum will yield lots of info in other threads on the Rose hive and the OSB concept.

 

[BeeJayBee]

The Rose boxes are 460mm x 460mm (18 1/8" x 18 1/8") and 190mm (7 1/4") deep. There's a pdf here (close the gaps) http://www . rosebeehives . com /uploads/2/3/9/3/2393505/slide_show.pdf


I like the principle of a one-size box system, but I'm not sure that inserting a new box in between two of brood is the best idea. What do you think?

 

[Baggyone]

I'm a strong boy but having to lug a 70lb super off a stack is too much weight. Be sensible about your back otherwise you won't be a beekeeper too long.

Baggy (still waiting for spring)

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

The question is, will you bee extracting the honey, or will you be leaving it to the bees?

 

[bustergrimes]

I must agree, lifting boxes full of honey from chest height wasn't the best thing for my back. The guys also had bench hives which were always much easier to work.

 

[oliver90owner]

The question is, will you bee extracting the honey, or will you be leaving it to the bees?

When I have done it the honey has been from OSR, so I have extracted and the frames were of immediate use elsewhere.