Super frames down to 10 without castilations.

[Curly green finger's]

As I've runout of metal castilations I've started doing this marking the centre of where the frame should go on the tops of the boxes... A bit like how you would mark joists when building a raft for decking.

 

[drex]

You've been using SN 4's with castellations? SN1's are a bit cheaper. You are trying to run a business I believe?

 

[pargyle]

You've been using SN 4's with castellations? SN1's are a bit cheaper. You are trying to run a business I believe?

If you are going to use SN4's I'd just butt them up together as they should be and let the bees draw them out to whatever they want - it's asking for trouble with brace comb leaving a gap that big.

 

[Wilco]

You've been using SN 4's with castellations? SN1's are a bit cheaper. You are trying to run a business I believe?

I'd hazard a guess he's got a load of stuff from when it was just a hobby and it's cheaper to keep using some of it than to just replace everything with SN1s.

@Curly green finger's like that idea- good improvisation. Might use it for a bit myself until I get more castellations etc.

 

[Curly green finger's]

You've been using SN 4's with castellations? SN1's are a bit cheaper. You are trying to run a business I believe?

Yes I've always used sn4/5s and Sn1s are thinner... The photo is for you lot to glee over I start with 12s then go down to 11-10s....one isn't just starting with 10s

 

[pargyle]

Yes I've always used sn4/5s and Sn1s are thinner... The photo is for you lot to glee over I start with 12s then go down to 11-10s....one isn't just starting with 10s

Good that you clarified that then ... there are a few new beekeepers on here and they may get the idea that it's going to work spacing frames that far apart and end up suffering the consequences ...

 

[Curly green finger's]

Ive found some Sn1s but mix and match doesn't sit right!
Thanks drex I'm already finding out about prices.
As in the new season I will need frames.
But I will probably keep the thicker frames anyway

 

[Finman]

It is a mistake to drop frame number from 12 to 10. To drop one frame off is OK.

When you exract the fat frame, that extra leght of cells will be ruined. The frame does not support comb in extracting and the comb is partly crusshed. Hard job to bees to repair the cells.

No one had told, how difficult it is to bees to work inside the longer tubes.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Good that you clarified that then ... there are a few new beekeepers on here and they may get the idea that it's going to work spacing frames that far apart and end up suffering the consequences ...

Aye good to clarify.
I still like just having 12 over 12 all season reasons less brase comb and propolis in between frames.
But to get super comb and to save on frames go to 10s.
Thinking about I've around a 100 supers out, So if I can save on 2 frames each box it helps.
And I'm talking of home and work.

 

[Curly green finger's]

It is a mistake to drop frame number from 12 to 10. To drop one frame off is OK.

When you exract the fat frame, that extra leght of cells will be ruined. The frame does not support comb in extracting and the comb is partly crusshed. Hard job to bees to repair the cells.

No one had told, how difficult it is to bees to work inside the longer tubes.

Some folk will go down to 9s Mr fin.
I've extracted thick comb in a radial and comb doesn't get crushed.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Have a good afternoon I'm off to see some girls

 

[user 20297]

,

Aye good to clarify.
I still like just having 12 over 12 all season reasons less brase comb and propolis in between frames.
But to get super comb and to save on frames go to 10s.
Thinking about I've around a 100 supers out, So if I can save on 2 frames each box it helps.
And I'm talking of home and work.

,....depends on the box too. In my Abelos, ten frames wouldn't be all that spread out.

Back to your initial tip....a straightforward guide to setting up frame spacing. Maybe one of these days you'll get a few more positive responses to your posts rather than a microanalysis of you doing something which, from what I've read, is not an uncommon practise in beekeeping.

 

[Wilco]

Back to your initial tip....a straightforward guide to setting up frame spacing. Maybe one of these days you'll get a few more positive responses to your posts rather than a microanalysis of you doing something which, from what I've read, is not an uncommon practise in beekeeping.

Microanalysis probably less common on a cetacean keeper forum than with a bunch of beekeepers!

(If nobody goes for that one-liner setup I will be most disappointed.)

 

[Wilco]

No one had told, how difficult it is to bees to work inside the longer tubes.

Hadn't thought of it from that perspective- thought working 9 frames to a super tended to result in higher yields than with greater numbers of frames in a super?

 

[Jimmy]

You've been using SN 4's with castellations? SN1's are a bit cheaper. You are trying to run a business I believe?

But there are faff (=time) implications with SN1s and having to use frame spacers (or castellations).
Do you get them drawn out on narrow and then swap to wide etc? Take them off for extraction or leave them on only for them to come off in the extractor?

 

[Finman]

Hadn't thought of it from that perspective- thought working 9 frames to a super tended to result in higher yields than with greater numbers of frames in a super?

Spacing does not give higher yields. It only reduces uncapping per super.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have spaced by eye and that works on a box I can see the top of. The minute I have to lift it up the frames move

 

[pargyle]

I have spaced by eye and that works on a box I can see the top of. The minute I have to lift it up the frames move

Yes ... I have some supers that still have runners rather than castellations (gradually working them out) but spacing by eye when you have them on top of the hive is not difficult if you can see them. Not sure what I would do when there are more than four supers on though as getting a super onto a stack that high is beyond the height that I can see in ... and even lifting it would mean tilting it and all the frames will move as you say.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Either use Hoffman frames the way they were meant to or use castellations - simple. Those plastic slip on frame spacers are the devil's work