Question about castelations in supers

[Sadders]

How do you set these up?

My BB has bottom beespace so do I put the super castelations as far up as I can so the top bars of the frames are flush with the top of the super?

 

[sputnam]

You do. Be sure to look into the advantages & disadvantages of castellated spacers first though. I know some people like them, but many don't

 

[Arfermo]

Nothing wrong at all with castellations. I use wired drone comb all the time in mine too. Less wax, more honey.

 

[Sadders]

You do. Be sure to look into the advantages & disadvantages of castellated spacers first though. I know some people like them, but many don't

What are the alternatives? Runners?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What are the alternatives? Runners?

Runners with spacers - start off with medium spacers and as the bees draw comb remove a frame and increase the size of the spacers.

Most of my supers are Maisie's seconds which are made with a bevel on the top of the side panels (bevels sloping towards rail) so you (supposedly) don't need runners - I plane these out in the broods and put metal runners in (one of my foibles) but they are ideal in the supers as the castellations fit nicely agaist them.

 

[nonstandard]

My undrawn super frames go on runners with narrow spacers until they are drawn when I transfer them to supers with 10 frame castelated spacing.

If you wish you can use runners and space them out by eye starting with 11 frames and gradually reducing them to 9 as they are drawn out by the bees.

 

[Poly Hive]

Runners, Hoffmans and or Manleys, and the risk of Drone foundation is if a queen slips up there you can lose a weeks laying or more and have a lot more drones that you want who have nothing better to do than eat.....

Not a risk I take.

PH

 

[SenatorMagenut]

Do queens frequently make it up to the super?

I don't want brood in my food

 

[SimonB]

All my Thornes supers have a slot next to where the runners attach for frame spacers (their term, but takes castellations), so you can chop and change rather than fixing permanently. I assume this was standard, is it not?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All my Th**nes supers have a slot next to where the runners attach for frame spacers (their term, but takes castellations), so you can chop and change rather than fixing permanently. I assume this was standard, is it not?

Probably one of the expensive hives?

We plebs go for the second quality flat packs

 

[Poly Hive]

It certainly happens that they get up there. Had it a number of times, but not so much recently so whether the excluders are a bit more accurate I cannot say. At the time I was using Waldron wire ones which I believe are no longer made. Supposedly at the time they were the RR of excluders.

PH

 

[jackbee]

My undrawn super frames go on runners with narrow spacers until they are drawn when I transfer them to supers with 10 frame castelated spacing.

What's the advantage of starting on runners then transferring to castelated over just starting in castelated?

 

[Poly Hive]

The bees are not very keen on wide spaces between the foundation sheets... al la Manley or castelations so closer spacing in this case runners and narrow spacing assists in getting the combs drawn.

PH

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The bees are not very keen on wide spaces between the foundation sheets... al la Manley or castelations so closer spacing in this case runners and narrow spacing assists in getting the combs drawn.

PH

Case in point - early this season we mistakenly put a 9 frame super of foundation on one of the association hives - last weekend we opened up to find the bees had totally ignored the foudation and put in their very own pretty pattern of comb (in a way it was lucky there was no stores whatsoever up there so we could remove the whole lot)

 

[REDWOOD]

Do queens frequently make it up to the super?

I don't want brood in my food

Not usually but if you have what the call a scrub queen,( to keep it simple an emergency queen) they are smaller and can get through a QE